Peter Hawkins said while very disappointed to have crashed out of the An Post Rás in the yellow jersey, he still believes there is plenty to look forward to this season.
By Brian Canty
Peter Hawkins returns to his London base today after a few days recuperating at home in Belfast following an operation to right the collarbone he broke in a crash at the An Post Rás last week.
It was a week to forget for the IG-Sigma Sport team as they finished with just one rider. Pete Williams pulled out on day two after being ill, while James Moss (broken collar bone) and Wouter Sybrandy were also retired prematurely.
Hawkins took the yellow jersey on stage two and was wearing it when he crashed hard on the road to Nenagh on stage three. He knew straight away it was game over.
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“It’s definitely the toughest thing that’s happened to me as a cyclist, I’ve been quite lucky so far,” he said.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever broken a bone, it’s my first serious crash but it was pretty unfortunate that the biggest crash of my career and the biggest day of my career ended up happening on the same day.
“Obviously I was ecstatic to take the lead on Monday’s stage and looking forward to a good week and it’s the last thing I wanted to happen. It was pretty devastating; really, really gutting. It was a proud day to wear the yellow jersey, I was looking forward to a good week and thought I could be challenging but to end like that was very disappointing.”
Of the crash itself he recalls: “I just remember the race had started to stabilize, we didn’t want to put the team out front and do too much so we tried to play it that we’d let the race evolve and not be too big a presence because if we did, people would just let us do that for the week.”
“A small break went and that was perfect; we all (other teams well placed on GC) decided we’d put a man on the front, that was ideal. Things were going to plan, one of our teammates was on the front and I came up behind Wouter (Sybrandy) and I was going to say to him to swap with James (Moss). And when I took my hand off the bars, I either hit a bump or a hole and something took my bike and I hit the deck pretty hard.”
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“I had a pretty good idea it was over for me,” he continued.
“I could feel quite a lot of pain coming from my shoulder but my first reaction was to get up and get back on. I was probably quite calm at the time, I was able to get riding again but I knew I was pretty badly hurt and I could feel the break in my collarbone and I knew the game was up.”
He was taken to Limerick where he was patched up in a hospital there after which he spent the night with the team. Then his mother drove from Belfast and took him home where he was seen by specialists. On Tuesday he had the operation that will hopefully see him make a speedy return.
“I think the op went well, they put a plate on my collar bone to stabilize it and make sure it heals correctly. They said it was a bit of a gamble to let a collar bone heal itself sometimes it won’t heal properly. I was in a lot of pain yesterday and had a rough night on the ward but (there’s a big) difference in the last 24 hours. I’m feeling a lot better. I can put a lot more weight on it. I’m not on pain relief so that’s good.”
Hawkins said the forced lay-off might be a blessing in disguise.
“I’ve just gradually been getting more out of myself the last two years. I’ve just got stronger and stronger and I don’t feel like that trend is coming to an end, I feel myself getting stronger and I’m able to handle more and more work.”
“I’m training harder and harder and able to tolerate it. I still think there’s plenty to look forward to this year; it’s easy to be browbeat and think everything is going against you but I don’t think there’s any point. I just have to get myself right. A break might not be a bad thing anyway. By the time I get to the Tour of Britain I could be fresher and even stronger than I was last year.”
One thing he said has helped him want to get back quickly is the “overwhelming” support he has received.
“I was quite blown away really. It was amazing how many people were pleased to see me in yellow on Monday night and again, it was something quite overwhelming and the response to what happened afterwards. So having that kind of goodwill makes the good times even better and makes the success better. It’s the first time I’ve had to deal with a setback but having that kind of support does make it easier.”
