One-on-one With the Heroes of Cycling.
![Action Figure](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/2572/199635/5863756f83a99/Action-Figure.jpg)
One Sunday afternoon in June 2016, at the Coppa Della Pace in Italy, South African-born racer Keagan Girdlestone was chasing down the peloton. As he weaved through the convoy of team cars, his own slowed down in front of him. He ploughed straight into the back of it, crashing through the rear window.
Girdlestone suffered serious neck injuries, severing his carotid artery and jugular vein - which starved the right side of his brain of blood, causing several other complications, including paralysis on one side of his body. He is lucky to be alive.
He's since been through a tough rehabilitation programme, determined to get himself back to normal. In November, five months after his horrific crash, he rode his bike for the first time. He is nowhere near fully recovered, but remains optimistic. Here he shares his experience, the lessons he's learned, and his hopes for the future.
NAME: KEAGAN GIRDLESTONE AGE: 19 BIKE: CERVÉLO R3 PROFESSION: PRO RACER, TEAM DIMENSION DATA CONTINENTAL
Do you remember anything from the aftermath of the accident?
I remember feeling hot liquid running down my neck, and spectators saying something that sounded like ‘Piano, piano, piano’ [gently, slow down]. Then everything went silent.
What was the first thing you thought when you woke up?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2017 من Bicycling South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2017 من Bicycling South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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6 WAYS TO BEAT THE HEAT THIS SUMMER
TOP TIPS TO KEEP YOU COOLER AND RIDING STRONGER... NO MATTER WHAT THE TEMPERATURE.
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RAGE AGAINST THE LYCRA
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6 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT CHAINS
To help you get the most out this crucial drivetrain component, and celebrate just how impressive your loop of metal links really is, we've rounded up six things you might not know about the bike chain.
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EVERYONE KNOWS 52X11 IS BIGGER THAN 48X10. EVEN THOUGH IT ISN'T.
\"The human threshold for 'least noticeable difference' is generally on the order of 10 per cent change of a value.\"
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A CELEBRATION OF JUNK MILES
\"No longer dreading my next bunch sprint, I felt like I belonged on my bike again\"
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KONTREI KUDOS
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THE EASTERN CAPE PASSES ADVENTURE
SOME OF THE HIGHEST PASSES IN SOUTH AFRICA ALL IN ONE HELLUVA RIDE!
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CAFFEINE - THE EXPERT'S PED*
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR EVERY PART OF YOUR RIDE LIFE
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THE RACES ARE FASTER. ARE THEY CLEANER? AND DOES IT MATTER?
THE LAST TWO EDITIONS OF THE MEN’S Tour de France were among the three fastest.
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Perfect Timing
THE SOUTHERN CAPE IS LITTERED WITH EXCELLENT RIDING AND EVEN BETTER COFFEE.