What not to do if you’re a pro cyclist
If you’re planning a bachelor party, you may be wise to keep on land lest you wind up like Luke Rowe, a Team Sky cyclist who proved instrumental in helping Chris Froome capture his fourth Tour de France victory this summer. Rowe broke two bones in his right leg after a rafting trip near Prague went awry this month.
“It wasn’t like I was swinging from the roof tops drunk, but there is only one person to blame,” Rowe told BBC Wales Sport on Wednesday, noting he already underwent one operation and will need another before he can figure out how long his recovery might take.
Right now, the 27-year-old rider estimates that it may be more than a year before he can return to cycling.
“I knew straight away how serious it was,” he told the BBC. “I’ve broken a fair few bones in my career but this was significantly worse than any of them … I lifted my leg, but my foot stayed still, it was kind of hanging off, limp.”
According to a Team Sky press statement, Rowe sustained fracture to both his tibia and fibula.
The accident occurred after Rowe, who proved he has a high threshold for pain this summer when he rode most of the Tour de France with a broken rib, tried to execute a stunt from the raft.
“I jumped down into the water but landed in a shallow section on my right leg,” he said via Team Sky’s statement. “It’s been a big shock and I know I’ve got a long period of recovery ahead.”
If Team Sky bosses are angry, they’re not showing it publicly. Rowe’s coach, Rod Ellingworth, said Rowe is “a really important part of our team” and that the team will be “right behind him throughout his recovery.”
Team Sky demonstrated its dedication to the rider by flying out the team doctor to Prague as soon as they heard of the injury. According to Rowe, the team wanted to ensure he got to see the proper specialists and returned to his home base in Cardiff, Wales, safely.
Now, he’s getting used to life on crutches.
“I’ll be on crutches at my brother’s wedding in seven weeks’ time, and I don’t think I will be spending much time on the dance floor,” he told the BBC.
Rowe, who joined Team Sky in 2012, has competed in the last three Tour de France races.