In 2018, his last year at school, Tom Townsend added 80 watts to his threshold power and only A-levels stood in the way of his making a serious tilt at bike racing. By summer 2019, school was finally out and he was free to unscrew the lid on his teenage ardour. “That season I went from fourth-cat to second-cat and raced a few National Bs,” says the 22-year-old, speaking to me by video call from his living room in High Wycombe. “But then the first crash wiped me out.”
The last thing Townsend remembers is riding along near Henley an hour before the crash; his next memory is waking up in hospital two days later. “I had a neck brace on, and I remember thinking, ‘What on earth is going on?’ I had broken my neck, both my cheekbones, my pelvis and my collarbone, and initially the doctors had no idea whether I was going to be a vegetable or be mentally fine.”
First blood
It turned out a car had pulled across Townsend’s path and the impact, recorded by his Garmin at 30mph, had knocked him unconscious for more than 20 minutes. He was airlifted to hospital where scans revealed he had sustained a traumatic brain injury with multiple haemorrhages and a very uncertain prognosis. “Over the next few days and weeks, I was telling everyone I was fine – that my brain was OK – but my parents weren’t convinced,” he shrugs. “I had just signed for Vredestein-Basso [now Stolen Goat RT], so I was eager to rebuild over the winter – I had a carrot to aim for.”
Esta historia es de la edición June 23, 2022 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 23, 2022 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Emperor Sport
The amateur 'Animal' attacked on this fixed wheel
Overtraining
We ask a fatigue specialist what bike-related burnout really means, and how to avoid it
SLEEP CYCLES - Is tracking shut-eye time well spent?
Are cyclists sleepwalking into information overload, asks Lexie Williamson
Giant Revolt X Pro
Steve Shrubsall gives Giant's gravel mile-muncher a multisurface mauling
How do I keep my tubeless set-up safe?
Tubeless tyres are no cause for concern if you take a few simple precautions, finds Joe Baker
SEB GRINDLEY & HIS DAD DAVE
The British teenager has hit the ground running in his sporting career, but that's no surprise as his father did exactly the same
THE BARD OF BRIOUDE
Revered as much for his erudition as his élan, Romain Bardet is on a mission to change cycling for the better, as Chris Marshall-Bell finds out
THE HUB
All the news you might have missed from the last seven days
Holmes sees double with Gralloch win
Ex-WorldTour rider's triumphant return to racing continues with glory on the gravel
FRED WRIGHT - Martian preparation for the Tour
Fred Wright rides for Bahrain Victorious