Nine months after her brutal crash at the Tour of Britain, Whitehorse native Mara Roldan is slowly finding her way back. The Team Picnic PostNL rider returned to racing at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, diving straight into the chaos of the Belgian opener after months away from the peloton.
“It was a roller coaster,” the 22-year-old said. (Roldan just had a birthday, too.) “It was amazing just to be back with my teammates in that environment. Hearing people scream my name from the side of the road, riders coming up to me in the peloton saying it’s nice to see me back. Racing was really a special feeling.”
Comeback hits snag
The comeback hasn’t been smooth. Roldan flatted on the same Holleweg cobbles that had caused her problems last year, and just as she was building momentum, more bad luck struck. Near her home in Sittard, The Netherlands, she was hit by a driver, leaving her with a concussion.
“It was very scary,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been struck with quite a bit of bad luck.”
Recovery this time has meant more than just rest. After treatment in Switzerland, Roldan has been working on her vestibular system and her eyes—a therapy aimed at retraining balance, coordination, and spatial awareness.
Swiss treatments helping
“I’m feeling so much better since my treatment,” she said. “It is not 100 per cent yet, I’m still working on it. I’ll be going back to Switzerland next week for one last session, but I’m back outside doing some easy endurance, just getting back on my feet a bit.”
Even the simplest activities feel like milestones. “Just being able to go to a café or the grocery store without having to wear noise-canceling headphones and feeling overwhelmed… it’s the best feeling,” she said. “I’m able to socialize again, be outside again. It does demand more energy from my brain and body than normal. But it’s a day-and-night difference from where I was two weeks ago. I’m celebrating the small progress and feeling very optimistic.”
Lots of season left
With the racing season still long, Roldan remains hopeful. “Hopefully I’ll be fully back after the last treatment,” she said. “But I’m taking things day by day and seeing how it evolves over the next couple of weeks. I just want to get back to feeling like myself in a race again.”
After months of highs, lows, and setbacks, just getting a little sense of normalcy is victory enough for Roldan. But fingers crossed, we can see her back on the…
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