When she crashed during the third stage of the Tour of Burgos last May, Laury Milette was far from expecting all the complications that would follow.
Her head had hit the ground heavily, but the cyclist from the French team Komugi Grand-Est did not feel any symptoms of concussion in the hours following the fall. It was only a few days later that headaches and dizziness resurfaced.
“I didn’t have any clear symptoms, in hindsight, I should have started the recovery process right away to make sure I came back quickly. I could have maybe healed in two weeks, let’s say, but we’ll never know,” Milette mentioned in an interview with Sportcom.
The Quebecer still took part in the first stage of the Tour de Bretagne less than a week later, an individual time trial where she ranked 70th.e. However, she withdrew from the second stage the next day.
It was at this point that Laury Milette understood that a long rest would be necessary to return to the top of her form as quickly as possible. An interminable wait for the 21-year-old athlete.
“I went back home to Gatineau for a while and it wasn’t an easy time. I was only able to start training again in mid-July, in Europe. It was gradual and as soon as I had symptoms, I stopped. At first, I was riding Zwift with my head down so as not to look at the screen while hoping that things would get better,” she explained.
“It was my first major injury, the first time I had so much adversity in my career. It’s certainly a lesson for the future, we shouldn’t take it lightly. It was important for me to share my story as well so that the young cyclists from Outaouais who follow me are aware of the importance of taking all precautions with a concussion,” added Milette.
One of Milette’s biggest disappointments was missing the Canadian Track Cycling Championships where the under-23 title was, according to her, within her reach.
“I was in denial about my situation for a long time. I wanted the U23 title in mid-June, I felt like it was my year and even a week before the race, I still believed I could take part. It was difficult, very difficult.”
Back to the Tour de l’Avenir
Laury Milette finally returned to competition at the beginning of August by participating in a criterium, then in a one-day race in Switzerland. All in order to fine-tune her preparation for the Tour de l’Avenir.
“I wasn’t sure I would do the Tour de l’Avenir, I didn’t know if I would be fit enough to do it, but in the end everything lined up well. I used these two small races to get back into the peloton and to test the intensities.”
The form was there for the Quebecer who, despite a course that did not necessarily favor her at the Tour de l’Avenir, managed to stand out by finishing 34the rank in the general classification, notably taking 21e rank in the second stage.
“It was a mountain race, so I didn’t necessarily expect to be in the running for the win, but we had a great team. I had a well-defined role as a teammate from the start, and that really suited me, it allowed me to quickly set myself goals. It went better than I hoped, I didn’t really work on my punch in the final stages, I would have liked to do better in the sprint, but 21eI’m happy with that under the circumstances,” Milette said.
During this event, Milette also had the chance to work alongside Ontario’s Isabella Holmgren, junior cyclo-cross world champion, gold medalist in the under-23 mountain bike World Cup and mountain bike Olympian.
Holmgren also put on a show at the Tour de l’Avenir, finishing second in the final standings while also winning the best climber’s jersey.
“Isabella is really impressive, it’s motivating to work for her. Finishing second at the Tour de l’Avenir is no small feat! She did a great job in the climbs and what’s more, she’s not at all selfish and she’s super nice,” concluded the Quebecer.
Jazmine Lavergne finished in 58th placee rank of the general classification of the Tour de l’Avenir which was won by the Frenchwoman Marion Bunel.
On the men’s side, Léonard Péloquin ranked 109e while Jeremiah La Grenade concluded the event in 115e place.
Now assured of being fully recovered from her injury, Laury Milette will remain in Europe for a few races before returning home on September 21 for the Tour de Gatineau.