Ireland's Aaron Buggle of Rapha Condor JLT is clearly dazed and injured after limping into Listowel yesterday following a high speed smash into a traffic island on Rás stage 3. He's now out of the race.
By Brian Canty
Irish rider Aaron Buggle (Rapha Condor JLT) has been forced to pull out of the An Post Rás after suffering a deep laceration to his face on the third stage from Nenagh to Listowel.
He said last night while he was very disappointed, he was already focussed on recovering in time for the Tour of Korea in a couple of weeks.
“Riders pulled out of a line-out at the last minute and I had nowhere to go; straight into a roundabout. I got concussion and a laceration to my face, so I’m pretty pissed off.”
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Team manager John Herety told stickybottle Buggle and team mate Ed Laverack hit the traffic island travelling at around 60kmph. The incident happened near Rathkeale.
“Both riders wrote off both their bikes,” said Herety.
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“Ed managed to remount and rejoin the bunch. Aaron was treated by paramedics at the scene and managed to finish the stage. At the finish he was taken to Tralee Hospital where he was X-rayed and given 13 stitches to a deep wound to his chin.”
While Buggle limped home in a large group 28:33 down on stage winner Sam Bennett (An Post-Chainreaction) with his face bandaged and clearly swollen, he did not suffer any broken bones and could have, in theory, started today’s fourth stage.
However, Herety said the team had decided against that. Because the crash was a serious one, they felt Buggle needed time to recover and he would now look forward to the Tour of Korea next month and the National Championships.
“It’s obviously a disappointment for Aaron in his home tour but it’s the right decision under the circumstances,” Herety said.
The development comes as a bitter blow to Buggle, who has already this season come back from a crash in the Herald Sun Tour in Australia back in January when he suffered a serious arm injury that resulted in a forced lay off.
Buggle was active all day on Sunday on the opening stage of the Rás and made his way into the breakaway. On Monday he was also in several threatening moves.
Starting yesterday he was just 46 seconds down on the yellow jersey in fifth position and was well placed for an assault on the GC and a bid for a stage. But unfortunately his Rás hopes have now ended for another year.
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