Dan Lloyd fights on in Bessèges, aims towards Oman despite crash

England's Daniel Lloyd (Cervélo TestTeam) continued on and finished Etoile de Bessèges today in Bessèges, France, despite crashing in the first stage Wednesday. He said that he feels better each day and is ready for his next appointment, the Tour of Oman.

"It hurts more off the bike, than on it," said Lloyd. "I have not had great legs since the crash. The hit on the head gave my body a bit of trauma and I haven't been feeling myself. I will get through it, have a few days rest and hopefully by Oman I will be feeling a lot better again."

Lloyd was helping position his Cervélo team-mates in the final kilometre of stage one when the crash occurred. Two tangled riders swerved in front of him and left him with no choice but to ride off the road, where he crashed headfirst into a tree.

Doctors confirmed he had no broken bones and he was able to continue in stage two. He finished with the main group in yesterday's stage to Alès, which included two category one mountain passes.

"It is a training race really, but the French riders are up for it as they are racing in their country," Lloyd explained. "The big-name riders are holding back and you can't really tell how they are going.

"It is easy to get carried away when it's the first race of the year and it's the first time you pinned numbers on in a few months, but at the end of the day it's not the biggest race of the year. If you can hold back, then it is probably a bit better."

Lloyd's big races are the Classics, staring with Milano-Sanremo, March 20. First stop, though, is home in Bournemouth where he will have a check up with his physiotherapist and then the Tour of Oman, February 14 to 19.