Laurens Ten Dam, post crash and looking towards the future!
ON April 21, 2015 by Andrew BurkeThis years Volta a Catalunya (Tour of Catalonia) suffered from many crashes in the peloton. One of them included ZWIFT Ambassador, Laurens Ten Dam. Here he shares his story of the events that took place and his road to recovery.
“ It was stage 6 and we were in the gutter on the right side of the road.” LTD said. “I could see ahead of me that there were barriers sticking out into the road. The peloton swung to the left, right into the wind, pushing everyone towards the center line. At that moment the peloton slowed suddenly, I just couldn’t brake fast enough. I went over the back wheel of the rider in front of me. Ouch!”
He immediately knew something wasn’t right. “I couldn’t breath.” says LTD. “The race doctor tried administering oxygen, but I knew I couldn’t continue. There was no doubt that I was done for the day”. Initial reports came back with no broken bones. So Laurens returned to the team hotel with just a few painkillers. “ I drank half a bottle of wine at dinner that night, the other guys couldn’t have any” jokes LTD. “I guess there are some minor benefits to crashing?!
“I felt really bad”
Unable to get out of bed the next morning, he knew something was wrong. “I felt really bad”. After his return to Amsterdam with his team he went in for second opinion. 5 hours, 4 broken ribs and 1 broken finger later, Laurens was home. “The night before I thought everything was fine”
Two days after hearing the news of Laurens’s crash we spotted him on Zwift. Seems like nothing can keep this guy down! “ I was on Zwift for the rest of that week, 2-3 times a day. I wasn’t fast, and guys were beating me. But seeing “ hey LTD, you are fast” or “get well soon!” popping up on the Zwift group chat was a big motivator” says LTD
“Knowing I wasn’t alone and people were supporting me was great. Thanks!”
Being in pain on the trainer wasn’t fun explains Laurens. “I soon discovered Zwift is a great option for riders who are recuperating from injury, and knowing I wasn’t alone and people were supporting me was great. Thanks!” LTD assures us he is now back on track and building towards the Tour de France coming up in July.
Join us in wishing him continued recovery and success this season, crash free we hope! Good Luck LTD!