Old Lyme’s Wolfe recovering again
Cyclist is coming off his second fractured pelvis
Ben Wolfe recently celebrated his 23rd birthday in style. He rode his bike. For Wolfe, a professional cyclist from Old Lyme recovering from a fractured pelvis for the second time in his career, it was a big deal.
"I don't think I've had a bigger smile ever for a half hour," Wolfe said. "I rode with my little brother . ... Just turning the legs over and feeling the wind and all that stuff, it was quite honestly the best birthday present that I could ask for."
You could tell from the emotion in Wolfe's voice that his recovery process is speeding along. He's on target to return to competition by September. His mood has vastly improved since the day of his accident in mid-June.
Wolfe was competing in the North Star Grand Prix in Minnesota when disaster struck in the final three kilometers of a stage race. The rider in front of him crashed and Wolfe couldn't avoid the mess.
"I had nowhere to go except over him," Wolfe said. "I didn't slide at all. I hit the pavement and stuck, which is usually the worst thing that can happen. All the impact was just on the right side of my hip."
It was all too familiar for Wolfe, who broke his left side of pelvis during training about four years ago.
With his adrenalin still pumping and before the pain kicked in, Wolfe got up and finished the stage.
The next day, Wolfe realized the severity of his injury.
"When I woke up the next morning, I had to crawl to bathroom because I couldn't walk," Wolfe said. His saga didn't end there. After x-rays at the hospital, he was informed that nothing was broken and he likely just pulled some muscles.
Once back at his hotel, he decided to go for a test ride to see if he'd be okay to compete in the next stage of the race. He was in second place overall and badly wanted to finish. But the pain was too much. "It was a huge, huge bummer," said Wolfe, who placed seventh at the USA Cycling Pro national time trials in May. "The thing was my spring had gone so
well. The summer I was slotted in for bigger races. When I found out that it had actually broke, I was actually in a minor state of depression for a while."
Wolfe still didn't know the extent of his injury until about a week after returning home to Old Lyme. He stubbornly tried to push through the discomfort and continue training. He was preparing for an upcoming high altitude training camp in Boulder, Colo. But he was too uncomfortable. "I really couldn't push pedals hard," Wolfe said. "I quite literally got passed by a woman walking her baby in a stroller."
Finally, Wolfe reached out to an orthopedic surgeon who eventually discovered his broken pelvis, which was fractured in three places. When the doctor called with the bad news, Wolfe was on a ride.
The recovery was projected to take roughly three weeks.
Because of his superior condition at the time of the accident, Wolfe has rebounded quite well. He knew what to expect from the previous injury. He set a goal of getting back on his bike on his birthday, July 15.
To reach his goal, Wolfe worked out in the pool, quickly learning that he's not ever going to be a professional swimmer. He did strengthening exercises and received regular treatment from Chris Connaughty, a chiropractor in Old Saybrook.
It was a birthday to remember for Wolfe, who still was feeling some shooting pain but not while on his bike.
On the plus side, his break allowed him a prolonged period at home during the summer for the first time about five years. He's been to the beach and enjoyed hanging out with family and friends.
Wolfe's comeback is gaining steam. He completed a three-hour ride at a solid pace last weekend. He's training for the Tour of Alberta, which starts on Sept. 2 in Canada. Then he'll head to China with his Jelly Belly cycling team. He's also hoping to compete in the world championships in October in Qatar.
Odds are Wolfe will be involved another crash during his career. He's suffered mishaps before and received his share of road rash.
He won't let those scary experiences become a mental roadblock. Bouncing back from adversity is what being a professional is all about.
"This is just a little setback," Wolfe said. "When you take this on as your job, you have to realize that you're going to crash and some crashes are going to be worse than others. But I like to joke that professional athletes in general are like goldfish: we forget
“This is just a little setback. When you take this on as your job, you have to realize that you’re going to crash and some crashes are going to be worse than others.” BEN WOLFE
after three seconds.
"No matter what the pain was, no matter what the injury was, no matter how horrific the crash was, you just automatically forget about that. ... The first race back there's no doubt that I'm going to be a little skittish. But you just have to block that out and realize if you want to be in there for the win, you have to put yourself in some bad situations." g.keefe@theday.com