Late on Thursday February 9th the cycling community in Girona, Spain went into a slight panic. News that one of our own, Molly Weaver, had been struck by a car while out riding started to circulate and other riders in town played telephone games to try and find out how she was and if someone had contacted her parents. A lot of cyclists in town live alone, and ride alone, but due to the close knit community they are never truly alone. When Molly arrived at the hospital via helicopter she was greeted by faces she knew.
Molly sustained multiple broken bones including a fractured neck, 5 broken vertebrae, 4 ribs, a broken shoulder and sternum. Along with a punctured lung and stitches, it’s safe to say Molly came out worse than the car. The doctors in Girona, along with her team doctors, have her projected recovery time at 6 weeks for her back and neck, which are the most important parts of the injury to pay close attention to.
There are good and bad moments, especially when the injuries are so many, but Molly is optimistic that she will be back to racing before the season is over. She is already itching to get back on her bike and out on the road, but is aware that she needs to be careful and pay attention to making a full recovery beforehand.
It is still unclear what happened in the crash. There were only two witnesses to the incident; Molly and the driver, and as Molly was knocked unconscious on impact we only have the driver’s testimony to go on. Regardless of who is at fault, when you’re out there on the road, behind the wheel or behind your handlebars, keep your eyes up and ears open and watch out for each other.
