Back in action: Shepparton's Liam Edwards will compete in the Elite Men’s Road Race at the Road National Cycling Championships.
Photo by
Cycling Australia
Shepparton cycling export Liam Edwards would have thought competing at the Road National Cycling Championships was a world away some two and a half years ago when he suffered career threatening injuries in a serious car crash.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
But through countless hours of dedication and a fierce determination to get back to the elite level of cycling, the 22-year-old will take his place in the Elite Men’s Road Race and tackle the notorious Mount Buninyong circuit at Ballarat.
This race will be extra special for Edwards as he also makes his debut for Sydney-based National Road Series team Après Velo Racing.
Edwards said he was excited to link up with his new squad as he began a new chapter in his cycling journey.
“It is always going to be interesting starting up with a new team having been out of the National Road Series and out of high-level racing with COVID and the injury for the last couple of years, but I’m feeling where I’m starting to hit that age where the body is starting to mature a bit more,” Edwards said.
“I haven’t met all the team, but have talked to most of them online and a few in person and they all seem like good blokes, so it is going to be great motivation heading into the 2022 season.”
Back on the bike: Liam Edwards never thought he would be back competing at the elite level after suffering career threatening injuries in a 2020 car crash.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Kicking off the new campaign with the 185.6km race around Mount Buninyong, he said he was going into the event with an open mind and one simple goal.
“I think it is kind of a ‘see how I go’ kind of thing for me this weekend, if I can finish, that is a win for me,” he said.
“It has been the same course for a few years now and it really is a brutal one, you go up that Mount Buninyong every lap and it is about a five-minute climb, I’m expecting nothing less than it to be a brutal day of racing.
“Every year there is about 30-35 that finish, so if I can be part of that group that would be absolutely amazing.”
While climbing the mountain and finishing the race presents an incredibly tough challenge, for Edwards it doesn’t nearly compare to the intense period of rehabilitation he endured to get back to elite level racing.
“It has all been a bit of a blur really, it still feels like the accident was only a few months ago really,” he said.
“I had the accident in October 2020 and at that stage I didn’t think I was going to ride again, but I got on the bike pretty much a couple of weeks after and my form was pretty poor, and I think I only did 20 minutes on the indoor trainer.
“The nationals then came up for the Paras and I managed to be able to be in that selection and got the win in the C5 and it was pretty emotional looking back on where I was a couple of months earlier.
“To be able to ride and now have enough strength to race again is incredible, from where I’ve been it is just great to have the opportunity to race at an event like the nationals this weekend.”
All smiles: Liam Edwards (middle) stands on top of the podium after winning the C5 Para-cycling Australian Championship.
Photo by
Cycling Australia
Now in a position where he is fronting up against the absolute elite in road cycling, Edwards said it was a ‘’pinch yourself’’ moment knowing he is back doing what he loves at the top level.
“It is unreal to be back on the bike, let alone racing at a high level, looking across seeing full-time pros it is pretty incredible and scary at the same time,” he said.
“But if I eat well, ride well and just try to stay out there and give it my all who knows, but it is just unreal to be back racing and to see those kinds of riders it is awesome.”
He also made sure to mention the incredible support he has received from his hometown Shepparton community.
“They have been incredible, even when the accident happened, they were always supportive and I received a lot of messages,” he said.
“The Shepparton Cycling Club have been great with my recovery and getting me back on the bike, at the end of the day it is just sport, but it is also a great mental relief, so it has been great to have a social group to ride with.”
Edwards is not the only Shepparton Cycling Club product set to take part in the championships this weekend, with Byron Woods (under-23), Didak Lee (under-19) and Myles Higgins (men’s masters) set to take on the notorious Mount Buninyong circuit.
