Meyer shrugs off crash
Travis Meyer's professional cycling career has not been a smooth ride but the 25-year-old says despite being hit by a car earlier this year he never contemplated giving up the sport which has been his life for the best part of a decade.
Meyer was on a training ride in Spain in April when he was clipped by a car pulling out of a nearby carpark and was flown to a hospital in Barcelona.
Initial reports suggested his injuries were career-threatening but further scans revealed he had escaped with two fractures in his jaw and a broken arm. Lying in a hospital bed with his jaw wired shut, Meyer's wife Jenna asked him if he had thought about giving up the sport.
Before he tried to speak, she knew the answer. "She's been really good about it," Meyer said.
"She's always been concerned, as any wife or parent or family member is, but probably a little bit more now. But she knows I'm safe and she knows I want to do it, so she's happy about it."
This year's crash is the rider's second major setback since turning professional in 2010.
In 2011, Meyer was forced off the bike for months after doctors found a blocked artery in one of his legs. It took almost a year for him to regain full strength.
He was cut by World Tour team Orica-GreenEDGE at the end of last season but had started well with new team Drapac this year and was preparing to ride the Tour of Turkey when the accident happened.
Meyer can't remember the crash or much of what happened next, something he said made the decision to continue cycling much easier.
"It's lucky I don't remember, I think," he said. "There's a guy I know here (in Perth) who was hit by a car and he's pretty worried about things now.
"He still rides but he's not very confident. He's pretty scarred by it. Every now and then when I see a car coming from a side road, I maybe brake a little bit more but I can pretty well ride without panicking too much.
"I've been riding nearly 15 years and that's the first major thing that's happened on the road."
Meyer has been back in Perth for the past month and is steadily building up his training to a full load.
He has no long-term physical effects from the crash.
His next race will be in China at the end of next month.
"For me now it's more about getting a bit of racing in," he said.
"If I did nothing until next year I'd be well behind."
