"I'm not a hero, no no no.”
Lawson Craddock may not have invited the attention, but it's not going away. Each morning and afternoon a new throng of television cameras gather outside the EF Education First-Drapac team bus, eager to put some words to the grimaces, to tell one of the stories of the 2018 Tour de France.
It's a story we know well – there's just a different character in the lead role. Stretching back to its very beginnings, the tapestry of La Grande Boucle has been coloured by tales of suffering, of perseverance, of – as much as Craddock might protest – heroism. We're told as children that when it comes to sport, it's the taking part that counts, and with the Tour de France the notion that simply reaching Paris is an achievement in itself, worthy of a sort of unconditional respect, still endures.
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In case you’ve somehow missed it, Lawson Craddock fractured his left scapula – his shoulder bone – and suffered a laceration above his eye in a crash on the opening stage. He got up and finished the stage with blood encrusted on his face. He has since persevered, barely able to support himself on the bike, finishing dead last most days. On Sunday came his biggest challenge, on the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix, but he made it through. He may be the lanterne rouge – in last place overall – but he's still in the Tour.
Craddock is hopeful he can continue to recover and put in some shifts for Rigoberto Urán in the second half of the race, but he’s also now riding for a cause beyond himself and his teammates. The night of the crash, he pledged to donate $100 for every stage he completed to the Alkek Velodrome in his native Houston, Texas, which was damaged by Hurricane Harvey last year. That now stands at $800, but donations from the general public have now reached a staggering $93,000.
"The guys who are working on me and the people that are donating to the good cause for the velodrome, they're the heroes, not me," Craddock added. "I just get inspiration from them."
Safety first
Massage table
Medication
Mental health
Team spirit
Hell of the North
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/pushing-past-the-pain-getting-lawson-craddock-through-the-tour-de-france
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