British cycling star Mark Cavendish knew he'd seriously injured himself when he crashed out of the Ghent Six Day event in Belgium last weekend - but forced himself to hide the pain.
That's because Cavendish, 36, knew his wife and children were watching, and didn't want to panic his family after surface water caused him to take a sickening tumble on the track dubbed the 'wall of death.'
The 'Manx Missile' had headed into the final day of the competition in fourth place with partner Iljo Keisse, but carnage ensued after Kenny De Ketele swerved up the track ahead of him, taking Lasse Norman Hansen's wheel, causing the Dane to tumble to the deck before an unseated Cavendish went into the back of him.
There, he was treated in ICU and has since been released, and has now given his version of events, as well as an explanation as to why he put on a brave face with wife Peta Todd, 34, and the couple's four children, Finn, 15, Delilah, nine, Frey, six, and Casper, three, all watching on at the Kuipke Velodrome.
"When I crashed I knew I’d done some damage and was in a bad way, that scares you. But the kids were there and my instinct was to stand up so they’d know I’m ok," he told The Sun.
"I walked back to the cabins we stay in at the velodrome and when they’d gone I was stretchered off to hospital.
“It was a freak accident caused by water on the track after a rider spilled his drink. There was a slip of wheels in front which started a chain reaction and caused the crash. I landed on a bike, broke my ribs and ripped a hole in my lung.
“The hole is behind my heart, which complicates things and makes it harder to monitor, because it doesn’t show on X-rays, but I’ll survive.”
And Cavendish, who this year equalled Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins at the Tour de France, is targeting a swift return.
"As professional sportspeople you know your body well enough to know what it means and what the recovery time is. We’re used to broken bones and lungs heal quite quickly, so I should be back in the saddle in a few weeks," he added.
