Alex Cataford | From Ottawa to Quebec at the Giro

On January 23, 2014, Alex Cataford had just left for training in Tucson when he hit a car coming out of a side street. The driver had not seen him. The cyclist suffered multiple jaw fractures, broke a cervical vertebra and lost six teeth.

Simon Drouin
The Press

Cataford was hospitalized at the University of Arizona Medical Center for five days before returning home to Ottawa. He underwent three operations to replace the shattered jawbones. He spent six weeks with a wired jaw, drinking through a straw. The plates that were grafted to him are the only memory he has of this accident.

“That year, I thought several times that it was the end of my career, that I would not start cycling again,” said Cataford, reached by phone in Girona, Spain, on Tuesday.

“Eventually, with the help and encouragement of my family, I was able to resume without pressure. And eight years later, look, I just finished the Giro. »

The Israel-Premier Tech (IPT) team member completed his first major lap at 101^e row, Sunday, in Verona. On his first two tries, falls had forced him to retire prematurely. At the Vuelta last year, he broke his collarbone in the second stage.

The only Canadian rider present at the Giro took part in a 141 km breakaway on the fourth stage, the one leading to Mount Etna.

As a domestic, he mainly rode to catch breakaways and prepare for the sprints of his teammate Giacomo Nizzolo. Following a third and a fifth place, the Italian sprinter retired after the second week, judging himself short of power.

“I would say I accomplished what I wanted,” Cataford said. I come out of my Giro quite happy and satisfied with what I did there. »

Among his highlights is the final ascent of the Marmolada pass, the highest peak in the Dolomites, through thousands of tifosiand Sunday’s ultimate time trial, which his wife was able to follow in the team car.

His roommate was Reto Hollenstein, a 1m97 Swiss giant. [37 ans] and he was on his 10^e great turn. He shared many of his experiences, so it was good to have him with me. »

A tougher moment? A mid-mountain stage in Lombardy. “I just suffered all day. On paper, it wasn’t one of the most difficult days, but it can often take us by surprise. I started struggling from the start. I managed to get through it correctly and complete the stage. »

The final week of racing was an experience in itself. “It’s just how tired you are and everyone else is tired. This last week is certainly unlike any other race. There are days when you don’t feel well. But as long as you keep pushing the pedals, you’re going to make it all the way. »

The Quebec circuit

Like many of his Ottawa Cycling Club teammates, including his friend Michael Woods, Cataford cut his teeth on the Quebec circuit, which is closer and above all more competitive than in Ontario.

Recruited by the late Jean-Yves Labonté, the six-time Canadian junior champion (road and track) played his first professional season with Garneau Quebecor in 2013. He finished second in the defunct Tour of Alberta, rubbing shoulders with big names for the first time. like Cadel Evans, winner of the Tour de France two years earlier.

“That’s maybe where I first realized I could become a professional racer and do the biggest races in Europe,” said Cataford, who switched to French halfway through the interview.

In 2014, he was to accompany Woods in the Italian formation Amore & Vita. With his accident and the concussion, he hardly touched his bike of the year. He therefore played the next four seasons on the North American circuit, first with the Montreal team Silber Pro Racing, then with UnitedHealthcare, in the United States.

In 2019, Cataford joined Guillaume Boivin at Israel Cycling Academy, where his ex-coach Paulo Saldanha works. He moved on to the WorldTour the following year with the rest of the team, to which was added the Quebec multinational Premier Tech.

Eight years after his terrible accident, he now pedals with Woods, whom he reunited with at IPT, and Chris Froome, who has four yellow jerseys in his wardrobe.

“He doesn’t take himself for another at all, he is really nice, underlined Cataford. Sometimes you forget that he is not only one of the best of our generation, but of the whole history of our sport. Riding with a champion like that is very cool. I’ll be able to talk about it for the rest of my life. »