SMH: Graham makes brave return to track

Lorian Graham said she had goose bumps as she prepared for her first race after the devastating accident in Germany that killed one of her training partners and injured four others. The former national road champion yesterday made her return to competitive cycling in front of a home crowd in Brisbane in the 2006 Grand Prix Tour criterium.

Graham was one of five cyclists seriously injured when an out-of-control car ploughed into them on a training run near the German town of Zeulenroda last year. The accident claimed the life of fellow Australian Institute of Sport cyclist Amy Gillett.

After five surgical operations, Graham said she was glad to return to competition.

“My expectation was just starting and finishing today and just to have the crowd, my local town, behind me was just amazing,” she said. “Coming up to the start line, preparing for the fact that I’m on my bike, it just gave me goose bumps.

“It hurt every lap, every second – but it’s so great to be back amongst it.”

While Graham did not finish among the places in the criterium, reigning women’s champion and one of her teammates also injured in the German accident, Alexis Rhodes, won the race.

The other cyclists injured in Germany were Kate Nichols, Katie Brown and Louise Yaxley. Graham said she still had some “dark moments” after last year’s accident and chose not to make her return in an open road event.

“That is the big challenge because motorists and their attitudes haven’t changed and I’m the one who has to re-adjust to all of that again,” the 29-year-old central Queenslander said.

“So growing that kind of confidence and stepping back into a race like a criterium, it is a safer environment, so I was quite confident in that regard. When you are racing with elite women you know you are safe and they will do right by you.”

To overcome her nerves, Graham said she focused on the basics.

“As with the start of any race you’ve always got those nerves and I just wanted to know I got my foot in the pedal right,” she said. “It’s always a concern if you fumble a bit and then the race is off before you know it – it was just concentrating on simple things.

“Once I got going it was down to business as usual and after a couple of laps I felt like I had never left the circuit, so it just feels so natural and I’m absolutely thrilled to be back out there again.”

Graham said she plans to do as much riding as possible in the lead-up to the road nationals in Ballarat next month.