Keagan Girdlestone to make return to racing at Grafton to Inverell
Almost one year since a accident in the Italian Coppa della Pace race came close to claiming his life, Keagan Girdlestone is poised to make his first return to racing at the Grafton to Inverell Australian National Road Series (NRS) event on May 13. The South African born New Zealand resident suffered cuts to his jugular and carotid arteries, preventing blood and oxygen from reaching his brain, during the crash. The 20-year-old also had substantial blood lost and also suffered serious nerve and muscle damage.
"I really believe I'm ready for this. I've had an awesome block of training with solid 30 hour weeks in the lead up. I've gained movement and dexterity in my right arm and I'm lean and super hungry to get back into the NRS for this race. It's a really competitive level of racing and I just want to ride!," Girdlestone said in a statement.
Girdlestone first made his name with several impressive performances in the NRS with the then CharterMason team before moving onto the Dimension Data Continental squad for the 2016 season. He will line out at the Grafton to Inverell with the Team Ultra Racing NRS squad.
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"I am just going there to finish. This is just another piece in the comeback puzzle," he said of his expectations. "That said, since my crash, I've become notorious for wanting to over achieve so the not-so-secret secondary goal is to finish with the bunch - or what remains of it! I'm not going in as a favourite rider nor as a supported one. There's no pressure to perform, so I am going to just enjoy it."
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