Ion Izagirre has spoken at a press conference in advance of Clasica a San Sebastian today, and revealed that his recovery is going well following on from his crash at the Tour de France. The Bahrain-Merida rider crashed into a barrier on a slippy corner in the 14-kilometre opening stage time-trial and suffered a lumbar vertebral fracture.
“I don’t know why I crashed – maybe it was the weather, the speed … someone even told me there was a motor bike accident on that curve, so maybe it was an oily road,” says Izagirre of the crash. “I don’t know. I didn’t see Valverde on the floor; he was taken to the hospital before me and meet him there unfortunately.”
“I just remember that after the crash I kept telling to the doctor ‘My back, my back, my back!’ I could move my legs and hands but I felt a terrible pain in my back. Immediately after the crash I was in the hospital. First minutes in there I was thinking only about the Tour de France, but when the doctor came to me and I realised how bad the injury was, I switched my mind and I started to focus only on my back, surgery and recovery. But I had never, not for a second, thought I wouldn’t go back on the bike.”
“After the surgery went well and the doctors were happy about it, I left the hospital and I sat on the plane and after 1 and half hours I came home. From that day on I go to rehabilitation 3 days in a week and in the meantime I work at home. I also do electro stimulation at home for my back and legs. After they removed the stitches I can also swim.”
Izagirre who drove from Vitoria to San Sebastian today is taking his recovery step-by-step but won’t be returning to racing this season as he explained:
“In a few days, I will go on my bike at home. My friend is making me a special bike with a high handlebar and I will start with 10 minutes and then every day a few minutes more. If everything will be as fine as it seems now, I expect to be back on the bike in September and on the races in the beginning of the next season.”
Also present at the press conference was the Bahrein Merida team coach, Paolo Artuso, who commented on Izagirre’s recovery: “Last Wednesday I went with Ion to the clinic in Vitoria and spoke with his physiotherapist. He explained that Ion’s recovery is quite fast, faster than we expected. Ion can start biking 6 to 7 weeks after the surgery on the special bike at home. Our goal in this moment is not to lose too many muscle tone and keep his legs strong. That is why they do a lot of electrostimulation in the rehabilitation and at home. We expect that he will be back on the road on his bike in September or latest October if everything will continue to go in this tempo.”
