After a brutal pre-season crash left him sidelined, Roulstone is determined to come back stronger than ever
It’s fair to say Roulstone’s preparations for the new season were far from ideal. A crash while training in January fractured two vertebrae in his neck, leaving him unable to stand up for five days. The recovery has been slow, meaning the 20-year-old missed preseason testing, as well as the first two races of his second world championship season. Yet that setback has done little to dampen Jacob’s expectations for the year ahead, as he tells AMCN…
Can you tell us about the crash which led to the injury?
It wasn’t the best way to start the season – missing preseason testing and the first two races. I had a simple front tuck at Turn 7 at Jerez in mid-January which resulted in me fracturing two vertebrae in my neck. As I was rolling through the gravel, I tweaked my head. The training I’d done to that point was really good. I was the fittest and strongest I’ve ever been and feeling really good on the bike. It was a scary situation. I was with my trainer (Xavler Artigas). I can’t thank him enough because mum and dad were in Australia at the time. It’s been a rough time, very tough mentally. Watching everyone training and racing on TV while I had to sit there and do nothing… It’s very challenging. Luckily, I’m very mentally strong. I work with a mental coach and that’s helped me get through this period.
How important was it to remain patient with this type of injury?
It’s a bone at the end of the day. You can’t really put a time on the recovery – it’s just a long process. Although I’ve been sitting on my arse for the past six weeks, I’ve been walking and doing light elastic band work. Only in the last few days have I been able to push to my full potential and start training properly. It has been difficult telling myself to just relax and be patient.
Has this injury set-back been the toughest moment of your career?
100 per cent the hardest time of my career. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions. The injury was difficult. Sitting for five days straight without being able to move was tough. The first day I wasn’t able to eat because they weren’t sure when I was getting surgery. It wasn’t a pretty time. But I can’t think everyone enough for their help and support.
What are your aims for this year?
My goal is still to fight for the championship. We know it’s going to be difficult because I haven’t had time on the bike or time training. I am a bit behind. I’ll struggle with speed at the start. But anything’s possible in racing. It’s like having two DNFs, and people have won the championship with two DNFs before. I nearly threw the remote at the TV when I was watching the first race, it was so frustrating. But it really motivated me and made me think I can fight at the front this year. I’ve been able to reflect on a lot of things and it’s just made me more determined to fight for victories and podiums.
It must be a relief to have a return date…
Since I had the surgery, the timeframe was (a return in Austin). It’s six to eight weeks after the surgery that I’ll be able to ride. I’ve had my vision locked on that. I love the Texas vibe. I’m working with Troy Lee Designs this year, so it’ll hopefully be awesome to meet all of them. Someone is saying Texas will be a good GP for me to return at. I’m really hungry to get racing. Of course, it needs to be safe. Although the surgeon has given me the green light, I have a check-up with Dorna GP doctors and hopefully it all goes well.
