James Lowsley-Williams admitted he is battered and bruised after his crash on a rain-soaked stage three of the Tour of Britain.
But the 25-year-old, from Tetbury in Gloucestershire, has vowed to fight on in the hope his injuries will ease today.
The Cotswolds ace will be on the grid for the 165km stage from Mansfield to Newark-on-Trent, which begins at 11am.
He will then take another look at the knocks he suffered just 10km into yesterday’s action, when he misjudged a right-hander in the wet.
Lowsley-Williams, who is keen to ride on home roads on stage seven from Hemel Hempstead to Cheltenham, said:
“It’s not the greatest feeling crashing hard then having more than 100 miles of hard racing to do in front of you.
“But the adrenaline kicked in and I soon found myself back in the front of the bunch.
“I have got a fair bit of road rash and a swollen knee but I’m hoping it will loosen off during today’s stage.”
Lowsley-Williams admitted it had always been the team’s intention to get Harry Tanfield up the road.
But after a number of failed moves, he saw an opportunity and took it – only to misjudge a corner moments later.
He refused to panic, though, getting himself back in before assessing his injuries and going on to finish in the main bunch.
Lowsley-Williams, who starred in the opening breakaway at the Tour de Yorkshire in April, added:
“The beginning of the race was fast, with Harry and I taking turns to cover the breaks.
“I was feeling good so tried an attack 10km in but unfortunately that attack did not last long as a right-hand corner caught me by surprise.
“I was carrying a fair bit of speed at the time and in those conditions the brakes don’t work so well!
“I soon found myself sliding on what felt like an ice-rink from one side of the road to the other.
“I got up and pushed on, making the effort to get back into the peloton before assessing the damage.”
Tanfield did make the day’s break in the end, emerging with the award for the most combative rider.
He will wear the red numbers on today’s stage, from Mansfield to Newark-on-Trent, which is once again live on ITV4.
Video credit: ITV Cycling
