Simon Gerrans breaks collarbone

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/dec/22/simon-gerrans-breaks-collarbone

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Australian cycling star Simon Gerrans has broken his left collarbone in training, ruining his home season.

The Orica-GreenEdge rider was to undergo surgery on Monday afternoon, a day after crashing while riding his mountain bike.

The accident means Gerrans will not defend his Australian road championships and Tour Down Under titles early next year.

The accident occurred while Gerrans was training on a mountain bike in Victoria.

“About half way through my mountain bike ride I became a little unstuck, came down and landed pretty heavily on my left side,” he explained.

“I knew straight away as I hit the ground that I had broken my left collarbone.

“From there I had a little bit of a walk to get down to a point where I was picked up by a four-wheel drive and went directly to Mansfield hospital to get cleaned up and have the x-ray to confirm.”

A statement on Orica-GreenEdge’s website said the rider would target a return for the spring classics, which begin in March.

“Unfortunately it doesn’t matter how well the recovery goes from here, I don’t think I am going to be in any condition to be racing at a high level in January,” Gerrans said.

“With that in mind I think it is better to take my time, make sure the recovery goes well and get all the rehab done so I don’t have any ongoing issues.

“It’s a big blow not to be able to line up in the national championships and Tour Down Under and defend my titles. They are races that I really enjoy and I know how important they are to the team.

“Looking on the bright side, what it does do, is force a bit of a break now and mean that I can work towards some goals later in the season and be a lot fresher.”