Optimism for Oliva cycle crash survivor

British-born Scott Gordon begins physio after operation by 'super-surgeon' Dr Pedro Cavadas

A JÁVEA triathlete who survived a crash which killed three of his friends is now undergoing physio after an operation by one of the world's top surgeons.

British-born Scott Gordon who, along with fellow cyclist Andrés Contreras, was badly injured when a drug-driver ploughed into their group on the N-332 in Oliva in May 2017, had been under knife at least five times without success.

Enter 'super-surgeon' Pedro Cavadas from Manises, near Valencia airport, and Scott hopes to be back on his feet within a matter of months.

Scott's broken femur refused to set despite a year and a half's worth of operations, leading to his calling on the globally-acclaimed traumatologist who is famous for transplanting and reimplanting legs above the knee, arms above the elbow, and even faces.

Dr Cavadas was said to be very pleased with the result, and Scott has another appointment with him in March.

Until then, his physiotherapist Dr Rubén Hernán Mas will be visiting him regularly at home.

Scott says Dr Hernán Mas will be 'massaging his thigh muscles' to prevent their becoming wasted whilst the patient is laid up, and carrying out 'simple exercises' with him.

He will not go through anything 'too physical', the cyclist says, nor 'anything that would put pressure on the femur and hinder it from setting'.

Having been despairing and feeling very down as his condition failed to improve, and having been on crutches since the crash, Scott says he is now feeling 'very optimistic'.

He is quietly confident of one day being able to get back on his bike and return to triathlon, his 'great passion'.

But even once his femur sets, Scott will still have to go through another operation at least, since he cannot bend his knee.

He says it is still early days, as Dr Cavadas only operated five weeks ago, but the surgeon expects to see an improvement on X-rays at his March appointment.

The tragedy, on Spanish Mother's Day in 2017, claimed the lives of Andrés father Luis Alberto, 53 and friends Edu Monfort and José Antonio Albi, both 28, with only their team leader Jaime Escornell unscathed thanks to his having a split second's grace to hurl himself into a ditch.

Mavi Sánchez, then 28, was five times over the alcohol limit and had taken cocaine when she mowed down the team.