Cyclist who flew off road into a ditch determined to finish Tour de France

Lawson Craddock was about halfway through the first stage of the Tour de France when he hit a roadblock.

“Just the rider in front of me I guess dropped a bottle,” he said. “I hit a bottle and went shooting off the side of the road straight into a ditch, hit a spectator on the way down and pretty much knew immediately I did some damage.”

The 26-year old Texan fractured his scapula and needed nine stitches above his eye. Some might have quit right there, but No. 13 kept going.

Andrew Dampf / AP

On Thursday, Geraint Thomas led the 21-stage Tour de France after 18 stages. Craddock is three hours and 46 minutes behind, last on the board. But he’s off the charts somewhere else.

Craddock has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the cycling track back home where he got his start. He’s raised more than $138,000 so far for a track that was badly damaged in Hurricane Harvey.

“That’s just what Texas is all about, really,” he said. “I saw everyone supporting each other after Harvey and that really touched me.”

He has the support of his family during the race in France, posting on Instagram that had the chance to stop to give my dad a hug.

So now, the more pain Craddock endures, the more opportunities he opens up. The more he falls back, the more he pushes others forward.

“If someone looks back in 20 years and says ‘Oh, Lawson he’s a great cyclist,’ I truly won’t be proud of that,” he said. “I don’t want to be known as a great cyclist I want to do what I can in a position that I’m in to help out others and really spread the love of cycling.”