Tom Weeden says returning to the TT course after last year’s Glen Helen crash was a mental battle as much as a physical one.
The rider spent several days at Noble’s Hospital before further surgery in the UK.
That crash left him with: “Two broken legs, tib fib, tib fib and then my right leg and broken ribs, hand, back, very beaten up,” he said.
Weeden admitted his first timed session was a struggle. “I thought my bottle went to be honest,” he said. “I just needed a couple of laps under my belt and get that fear out of my head.”
He described the unique demands of the Mountain Course. “You’ve got to be skimming walls and dragging your elbow on the bushes to try and straight line things.”
Back on the Bike
Weeden first got back on a bike in Thailand riding enduro, then returned to a race bike in Spain. “The boots were so restrictive, and it was digging right into the screws, and it was painful. But when the adrenaline’s going, I don’t really notice it.”
Such has been his TT so far, a breakdown on the mountain during a Super Twin session, led to an interest experience as he caught the tram back with a fellow passenger giving him “a couple of starbursts”.
Weeden’s aim for race week is clear: “I want to go quicker than I’ve ever gone before.”