Down Under: Ireland’s Aaron Buggle winds it up with Rapha team mate Kristian House in his slipstream in Australia at the start of the year. The Irishman went on to have a number of bad crashes this season, has been advised in health grounds to stop cycling and is now working as a model.
By Brian Canty
Irish international Aaron Buggle has been forced to take an alternative career path away from cycling, having turned pro just this year.
The 23-year-old Meath man, who rode this year with the UK-based Rapha Condor JLT outfit, was strongly advised to take a break from cycling on medical grounds after he suffered a number of consecutive concussions in races this year.
His first bad crash occurred at the Herald Sun Tour in Australia before racing had even got underway in Ireland and the UK. He suffered a broken elbow and mild concussion and while he recovered from that after a long lay-off, it was to be just the start of his problems.
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Perhaps the most high profile of his spills came at the An Post Rás in May when he crashed hard on stage three while fifth overall, forcing him out of the race with heavy concussion.
To his credit, Buggle recovered and raced in the summer again just as soon as he was deemed fit to. But just a few weeks later, he was on the deck again. And at that point he knew it couldn’t go on.
“It all really began in July at a national criterium series race in the UK, I started the race still a bit edgy from previous accidents during the year and to be totally honest I just wasn’t myself,” he explained.
“I came down in the race hard again —through no fault of my own. But for the first time all year with all the crashes a lot of emotions flooded into my head while I was sitting on the ground. I knew that crash was different.”
Buggle decided a break was best but not unlike many other cyclists who crash, he knew that sooner or late he’d have to do something else.
He has wasted no time in pursuing that “something else” and right now he says he has “never been happier” having turned to a life of modelling and hopefully working in the media.
Though he leaves the sport with absolutely no regrets, he said choosing a different career path has opened up his eyes to a life off the bike.
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“I want to make it clear that my hand was pretty much forced. That last crash I had cracked me and even now I still suffer from it.”
“I still have issues with tasting food and I'm still getting vertigo-like symptoms on occasion. Initially I was told under no circumstance I am to ride the bike but to be honest, I find that hard."
“I’ve always loved the bike and still do, but when a doctor tells you ‘you could do yourself a lot of harm’, you have to listen.”
“I was told I had pretty standard post concussion syndrome and that there was no limit on how long the symptoms could last. It could be weeks months or even a year. When I knew this I couldn't really commit to a team for the coming year and immediately started looking at other options”.
“Since then I’ve found my feet in more ways than one and honestly I couldn't be much happier. I recently signed with a leading modelling agency, along with doing media and TV and radio presenting training. And I’m also doing a part-time course in NUI Maynooth in media relations”.
“Although it upsets me to think of how this season unfolded, a lot of good has come from the bad and I’m glad to finally start telling the story as this isn’t a 'giving up' story like some people will like to think. I love riding my bike and I will continue to do so.”
“But right now, I’m putting all my focus into this and I hope to go places with all the aspects of media I’m currently working on from modelling to TV, radio and promotional work."
“As you can imagine, going from a restricted athletic lifestyle to a highly communicative sociable style of living is a hefty transition but one I'm relishing and enjoying it thoroughly."
Nice interview piece with Buggle in the magazine of today's Irish Times newspaper
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