‘A big head-knock’ – Georgia Baker recalls long battle with concussion

Georgia Baker has revealed the horrifying signs of a heavy concussion that prematurely ended her season final 12 months. 

The 30-year-old took a quick respite following the Paris Olympics and had simply acquired again right into a rhythm when she was hit from behind by a automotive on a coaching journey in Spain. 

“It took me about three months to recover from the concussion,” Baker instructed Cyclingnews on the Cadel Evans Nice Ocean Highway Race. 

“I couldn’t race just about the final finish of the season, so my final race was truly the Olympics.”

The Liv Alula Jayco spearhead says she’s match now however learnt lots about concussions via the terrifying expertise, from sensations that derailed her means to coach even indoors, to having imaginative and prescient issues. 

“It’s a kind of issues the place you are taking two steps ahead, one step again, and then you definitely’re forwards and backwards once more, that’s how I felt. It was a giant head-knock,” she mentioned. 

“Then I had some issues with my imaginative and prescient in my left eye, and that was the primary difficulty. They thought perhaps I had one thing improper, like a retinal tear, so I needed to get some extra data from different docs to verify I used to be clear to race, or clear to begin coaching once more.

“However general, it took me a very long time to recover from feeling nauseous. I’d exit coaching or on the ergo and I’d simply really feel actually sick the entire time.”

The game has positioned extra of an emphasis on concussion and concussion protocols lately, and Baker was grateful for the way savvy her workforce was to it. 

“The attention and the mind a part of it – that’s a brand new factor,” she mentioned. “It’s like a special symptom, it’s not a typical symptom, so we’re studying lots with that.”

The previous Commonwealth Video games gold medallist skipped the Australian nationwide street championships in Perth earlier this month, to proceed constructing her base for the Tour Down Beneath, the place she made her 2025 season debut. 

Baker completed second on the ensuing Schwalbe Ladies’s One Day Traditional in Adelaide, South Australia, after which third on the Surf Coast Traditional in Geelong, Victoria. She performed a workforce function on the Cadel Evans Nice Ocean Highway Race, the place her speedy and prolonged household confirmed their help from the group. 

“With the crash, my pre-season was a bit of bit delayed,” Baker mentioned. 

“I really feel like I’m simply stepping into some good type now. My function over the summer season was simply to work for the workforce. To have the alternatives the final couple of races was actually thrilling and in addition I wished to do the workforce proud. That’s been actually rewarding.”

Baker has taken confidence from her marketing campaign in Australia as she builds towards the spring classics – her first massive goal for the season.  

“These races actually set us up effectively I feel for the cobbled classics,” she mentioned. 

As her outcomes counsel, courageous Baker hasn’t skilled any worry getting again on the bike and into racing after her heavy head-knock, however stays vigilant, as all the time, in coaching. 

“Clearly out coaching on the street I really feel like I’m all the time actually conscious as a result of, , you hear some horrible tales and a few horrible accidents have occurred,” she mentioned. “After I’m out coaching, I all the time really feel like I’m very conscious of what’s round me. 

“However, yeah, I suppose racing I change mindset and it’s a bit of bit completely different now.” 

Baker is ready to give attention to a full street programme this season, after competing on the monitor on the Paris Video games. She hasn’t dominated out a future return to the velodrome for the LA 2028.  

“If I wish to do some monitor sooner or later it will likely be extra bunch stuff. With workforce pursuit, I feel that I’ll depart that behind and transfer ahead to the street and the bunch.”