Hugh Óg Mulhearne was leading the climbers' classification and was 10th overall when his Junior Tour came to a painful end (Photo: Stephen McMahon-Sportsfile)
Hugh Óg Mulhearne (AS Villemur Cyclisme) is almost two weeks on from his sudden exit from the Junior Tour of Ireland. But he is still unsure when he might be back on the bike following a really nasty crash.
On Saturday's penultimate stage of the race, Mulhearne picked up a variety of injuries to his shoulder and, most seriously, his leg in a high speed crash as he flew down a descent.
A group of riders he was in missed the KOH prime at the top of the cat 1 climb and continued to race hard, not realising they were fully on the descent.
The result was a high speed smash, against a wall, which he was flung over, before a drop down the other side.
However, the 17-year-old from Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford, is no shrinking violet. Despite the serious injuries that would be diagnosed later, he got back on his bike, raced the final 30km and finished the stage into Ballyallia.
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But the injuries were just too severe to continue for Team Ireland the following, and final, day. That meant his race ended early and was out by the time his team mate Rian McCrystal sealed the deal to win the race outright.
"After the first cat climb on Saturday, there was a big split and we had gone over the top," Mulhearne said of the Aillwee Caves climb. "None of us saw the KOM line so we kept racing down the descent.
"There was a sharp left hand bend and the first four of us over cooked it. I hit the wall and went over it, then a 20m drop.
“I dislocated my shoulder. My right leg hit the wall and was hugely swollen at the time. But I got back on the bike and finished."
Mulhearne was diagnosed with deep muscle bruising/bleeding on his leg, with some muscle having come off the bone, as well as torn ligaments, though no broken bones.
"I'm on the mend, I started walking without a crutch yesterday, and slowly getting more movement into the leg,” he said. “It'll still be a while before I’m back on the bike but I’m just trying not to rush it."
