TRIATHLON: IAN O'RIORDAN on how this day last week, Bryan Keane was on a winning roll, then a 40kph collision with a car brought a shuddering halt to his season

THIS DAY last week Bryan Keane was riding his time-trial bike on the main Cork to Cobh road at about 40kph, pressing hard, focusing on his last three triathlon races of the season, in Mexico, Korea and then Hong Kong. Moments later he was rolling around on the roadside, shouting a series of curse words too explicit to print here, blood emerging from his hands and legs.

Next thing he remembers he’s being driven by ambulance to Cork University Hospital. Over the following days Keane underwent reconstructive surgery on a fractured knee cap, and some stitch-work in other areas of his legs.

He quickly realised his triathlon season was prematurely over; Keane now realises he’s lucky his life didn’t end the same way.

He’d been hit, side-on, by a car travelling at a similar speed. His € 10,000 bike was effectively crushed, while he was sent flying off the side of the car. His helmet was split in two places.

It’s one of the inherent dangers of the swim-bike-run routine and yet Keane – who has emerged as Ireland’s leading triathlete over the past two years – had so far walked away from all bike crashes. Not this time.

“When I look at the damage done to my bike, the damage done to the car, I know I’m lucky to be here talking about it,” said Keane – who was released from hospital on Tuesday, and is now recuperating at home in Cork.

“So yeah, I got away lucky in that sense.

“I’ll see the consultant again on Monday, and I’ll know a bit more then in terms of the timeline to get back. But I’ll want to be weight-bearing on it as soon as possible, to limit the muscle wastage. Then try get back into some exercise. Being so fit should be help. But my triathlon season is over, and it will be three months or so before I’m back to full training.”

That is the plan, although no one is entirely sure whether or not this accident will result in further implications.

At 30, Keane was on target to qualify for the London Olympics, and the last three races in Mexico, Korea and Hong Kong all offered Olympic-qualifying points. Having initially focused on running, and then swimming, Keane went full-time into triathlon two years ago, winning the 2009 European Cup event in Athlone, and just the previous Saturday, had defended his Lost Sheep Triathlon title in Kenmare – winning by over 20 minutes.

“Right now there are two steel pins, plus some metal wiring, in my knee,” he explained.

“Fortunately there was no tissue damage as well. I’ve been told that Seán Óg Ó hAilpín had a similar injury (back in 2001, after a car crash), and in some ways there would be more demands on his sport, with all the turning and jumping in hurling.

“But I don’t know about the repetitive stress of running, doing 100-120km a week, on top of the cycling and swimming. But I got a good surgeon in Cork, Dr Rehan Gul.

“He knew what he was dealing with. I made sure of that, because this was actually my livelihood I was dealing with.”

The hospital experience was fairly traumatic in itself:

“I spent the first night on a trolley, in a corridor. That’s our health system. But the nurses were great.”

Yet Keane doesn’t bear any ill-feeling towards the driver of the car:

“He was very shook up, and I don’t hold any grudge towards him. It was just an unfortunate accident.

“This is a setback, but things had still been going well in recent months, so hopefully I can get back as soon as possible. The goal of the London Olympics is still there.”