Gerrans in hospital after race crash in France
Victorian Simon Gerrans will
today be transferred to a Nice Hospital where a specialist will the
assess injuries he suffered in a crash in the final 300 metres of the GP
d'Ouverture la Marseillaise.
The morning after the crash Gerrans, 25, was sitting in his hospital bed
in Aix-en-Provence wondering what happened.
"I remember sitting in second wheel with 300 metres to go and that's the
last thing I remember," Gerrans said. "I hadn't even kicked off the
wheel or anything and then there I am in the back of an ambulance.
"I wouldn't mind asking some of the guys who were around me what
happened because I have no idea," he said.
Gerrans, who is in contention for Commonwealth Games selection, arrived
back in Europe last week to rejoin his AG2R-Prevoyance ProTour team
mates after a stunning victory in the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under but
the joy of the early season victory has given way to concern over how
the crash will impact on his Melbourne 2006 aspirations.
"I have definitely broken my left collar bone and it seems I have some
damage to the ligaments in my right shoulder," said Gerrans who also
needed stitches in his head. "My head's as hard as nails so that's not a
concern.
"I will see the specialist later today to try and resolve the mystery of
my right shoulder injury."
Gerrans is hopeful surgery to pin his left collar bone will be the worst
of it but admits he won't know anything more until the specialist has a
look at him.
"Maybe my right shoulder will just need strapping and the ideal scenario
would be that I'm back on the home trainer within a week or so and back
to racing as soon as possible," he said. "The team will need to adjust
my racing program now as well because I was due to line up in the Tour
of the Mediterranean next week and that's not going to happen."
Meantime compatriot Baden Cooke, 27, who won the Tour de France green
jersey competition in 2003, picked up his first win of the 2006 season
for his new team Unibet.com when he sprinted home first in the 136km
race.
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