Following on from his horrific crash in this year’s Tour de France, William Bonnet (FDJ.fr) is still working on his rehabilitation and hopes to be back on the bike in December. He fractured vertebrae and his scaphoid in the crash.
The French rider was interviewed on his team’s website where he spoke about the repercussions of the crash on the third stage, his hopes for the future and reasons why there seemed to be an increase in the number of big crashes this season.
“The rehabilitation is going well,” Bonnet said. “I wore a corset for two months and a neck brace for a month. Every day, I still feel stiff and especially when I turn my head.”
Regarding getting back on the bike, he says: “I’ve been on the home trainer and walking. I’ve done some strength training and I can also swim and run. In my mind, I wanted to return to training on the road on November 15 although this will now be the beginning of December.”
“Safety first though. I have to take tests to check the strength of the vertebrae. A plate was put in me to connect the two fractured vertebrae and I will have this plate for life. When I start training again, I’ll see how it goes. Inevitably, I think that I will have to relearn neck posture, maintaining this position for several hours.”
The FDJ team will have their first training camp next week, but Bonnet won’t be there. He said that it’s due to the various sports that the riders will partake in and he doesn’t want to take the slightest risk.
He has also ruled out some of the spring classics for next season. “I want to come back in good condition before thinking about the competition,” he said. “I know already that I will not compete in the cobbled classics because they are riskier for crashes. All day you have to keep your place to be there for the final.”
Bonnet was also asked about why he feels that there have been some high-profile crashes this season and he feels that there’s a lack of respect within the peloton and that the use of helmets have also played a part.
“A former rider told me that when helmets became mandatory, the riders were no longer afraid of anything and took more risks. More speed and less security. I think there is a greater lack of respect in the peloton between riders. They will not allow a margin of one metre with the rider in front, but just 50 centimetres.”
“Frankly, I do not think the race radio changes many things. Anyway, after the briefing in the morning, we all know the times when we must be placed at the front and we all have our memos for us to remember. There is street furniture, and the road is not made for the cyclist.”
Bonnet says that disc brakes will happen but it’s not a good idea. “This will be even more dangerous for the rider because they will be hot and sharp at the moment of an impact. And if anyone does not have the same equipment to slow, there will be a lot of damage.”
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