Aaron Buggle in action in Australia in the Jayco Herald Sun Tour just before he crashed out
By Brian Canty
Just over two weeks after what he described as “by far the worst crash I’ve ever had”, Rapha Condor JLT professional Aaron Buggle is back on the bike and building his form again.
Buggle (22) was making his pro debut with the British team in Australia and had fared quite well in the Bay Criterium races in Geelong in early January. He was looking forward to a solid showing in the Jayco Herald Sun Tour in the service of team leader Kristian House before he crashed heavily on the second stage, ending his involvement in the race.
He dislocated his shoulder, fractured his elbow, tore several tendons and suffered severe road rash and bruising. At the time he feared for his season.
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“It was easily the worst crash I’ve ever has,” Buggle told stickybottle.
“I was happy enough with how the Bay Crits went and was happy enough with my form for that time of year because I hadn’t really done any top-end stuff, just a lot of strength. I felt good, so I went to the Sun Tour thinking I could help Kristian or one of the other guys.”
“I got through day one and figured the next day was one that suited me. It was really windy. It was flat for the first three quarters of the stage, just echelons and crosswinds. I was feeling really good and was about 10 places from the front. I remember the road just turned left and the bunch just went into the gutter on the right hand side and all I can remember was the guy in front of me swerving to the left. All I could see were traffic cones and I went up in the air and that was it.”
“It was a tail-cross so we were moving pretty fast. I hit the deck hard. I haven’t crashed that many times in my career but I’ve never experienced pain like that. I was actually lucky. I was on the ground for a while and the doctors were worried about moving me. I even got sick about 15 minutes after it happened. They were very concerned about my head at that stage.”
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He was moved to a nearby hospital and luckily was seen quite fast, thanks to an on-site doctor having an interest in cycling.
“That moved me up on the operation list and got me seen really, really fast which was great,” he said.
Team principal John Herety was adamant he should return to Ireland once discharged but Buggle made contact with some family friends living three hours away in Warrnambool who were happy to look after him, which is where he’s been for two weeks and will be for three more.
“They’ve been brilliant,” said Buggle.
“They’re actually a cycling family, their daughter rode the Olympics back in 1996 I think - Jeanette Ferris, a track rider. They’ve looked after Irish riders in the past and have been great for me.”
And he’s upbeat he’ll be back on form before too long.
“If this happened me a year or two ago I would have went into one of my usual holes and thought the world was ending. But I’ve taken it on the chin and I’ve accepted it. It is what it is. I’ve got back on the bike the last few days. They told me stay off it for 14 days at least but five days later I was on the turbo because I was going crazy. I started at 10 minutes twice a day, then 20 minutes twice a day, then an hour, an hour twice a day. And the last three days I’ve been doing five and six hours just riding around.”
“I might do a couple of the openers at home if I’m back. Then the first race with the team in England is the first weekend in March so the boys are pretty keen for that. I’ve a bit of time to get back up to form, I’ve lost a good bit of strength and feel a bit weak but it’s only January so I’ve loads of time to come back.”
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