John Degenkolb may be the happiest rider at the Tour of California. That may seem like an odd statement to make about a professional cyclist who was involved in a life-threatening collision with an errant driver while on a Giant-Alpecin team training ride in January. But on the eve of the Tour of California, Degenkolb’s first stage race of the season following his recovery, the 2015 Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo winner said he was just happy to be alive and racing his bike.
“I’m feeling good again,” Degenkolb said Friday afternoon in San Diego ahead of the Tour of California’s opening stage on Sunday. “First of all, I’m very happy to be here. I’ve had some pretty tough months behind me now, and I’m happy to start my first stage race.”
Degenkolb was one of six Giant-Alpecin riders involved in the crash when an automobile ploughed head-on into the group. Degenkolb and teammate Chad Haga suffered the worst of the injuries, with Degenkolb nearly losing an index finger that required extensive surgery to repair.
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While all of the riders involved in the crash have returned to competition [Haga recently finished 12th in the Giro d’Italia’s opening time trial], Degenkolb’s injuries were some of the slowest to heal. He started his first race just two weeks ago at the GP Frankfurt.
“It was good but I wasn’t able to finish,” he said. “I hope I can stay in the race here. It’s a tough parcours so it will be very hard.”
But nothing in California will likely be as hard as the months-long recovery process Degenkolb has undergone. Aside from needing time to repair himself physically, the psychological trauma of the crash also required patience and good timing.
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