Great Britain cyclist Rhys Britton says he is embracing every opportunity after losing a year of his career to concussion.
The 25-year-old crashed in training in 2023 and says the next year was a “write off”.
He missed out on a place at the Paris 2024 Olympics but returned to international racing at October’s World Championships.
The Welshman will compete at the European Track Cycling Championships in Belgium this week and is looking to kick on.
“It took me about a year to get over [the concussion] and get back to the level I was beforehand,” he told BBC Sport Wales.
“It was great to see the boys go and get a silver medal [in Paris], but it was a pretty difficult time for me.
“It was hard, but it also gives me a lot of motivation to go for the next one and go for this Euros – just kick on from that disappointment and leave it behind.”
A talented teenager, Britton was selected by Team Wales for the 2018 Commonwealth Games aged just 18 – where he finished fourth as part of the team pursuit and helped team-mate Jon Mould to a silver medal in the road race.
He won world bronze in the scratch race for Great Britain in 2021, before competing at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships in 2022.
Everything was going in the right direction. Then, the following year, it happened.
“It was just a crash in training,” Britton continued. “I touched the wheels and it was just a crash.
“We have a concussion protocol and I got to the last stage two or three times and then got pushed back to stage one.
“It’s probably one of the hardest injuries I’ve had, just because there’s not really a time frame on it. Like with a collarbone, you can have an operation on it and you’re fine to go on the turbo and six weeks later you can get back on the road. But concussion-wise, it’s not linear at all, which makes it harder mentally.
“I learned a lot from it. I grew a lot as a person.”
Why? Because it showed how easily an athlete’s career can be taken away.
Britton admits he enjoys his cycling a lot more now, but he remains as focused as ever.
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are already on his horizon, albeit a distant one.
For now, it is about enjoying – and impressing at – his next major event for his country.
The European Track Cycling Championships run from Wednesday 12 to Sunday 16 February in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.
