Cole drops out of the World Cup
New Zealand downhiller Cameron Cole broke his wrist in the treacherous conditions of the weekend’s World cup in Champéry, Switzerland, where the fourth of six events in each downhill and cross-country was held. The weekend was plagued with torrential rains with turned the downhill course into a mudslide.
"It was just a stupid crash," said Cole. "I was trying one of the gnarlier lines at the bottom of the course - it was quite a bit quicker - a high line on the outside of a corner and I got the line okay, but when it joined back onto the mainline it was very boggy, and I just got sucked up in it and went over the handlebars and flying down the track, over the top of my bike."
22-year-old contender Cole, riding for Maxxis-Rocky Mountain, is out of the overall competition for the UCI World Cup after breaking the scaphoid of his right hand.
"I put my hands out, and the right one must have gone straight into a rock because there was a big cut in the palm just before the wrist. I landed on my head as well. My bike went flying over me - luckily the bike was still on the track and not down the bank, so I sprinted to the finish line and did all the big jumps at the bottom and didn't feel too much pain.”
The New Zealander is crossing his fingers, figuratively, hoping he heals in time for the World Championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada, which take place days after the 6th weekend of the world cup, held in New York at the end of August.
"If I can get my wrist operated on this week I think I could be okay for the World Championships. Once you have a s***w in the scaphoid it heals a lot quicker and a lot more effectively. That will only happen if I can get home, or maybe in France. That would mean a four-week healing period. I have a s***w in my left wrist and it healed quicker than they said it would."
The first three events of the downhill World Cup saw Cole finishing the top ten every time, twice on the podium. Despite a 35th place finish in Champéry, the rider still stands in sixth overall.
"It's bad timing, but this happens with what we do. I don't really want to go to the Worlds and just run 40th or 50th. I'd rather go there in the form I know I am in."
Cole has some experience with injury, after suffering a spectacular crash in 2007 when he broke the scaphoid in his left wrist. He was left with three dislocated bones, broken ligaments and a concussion, and had to take the entire season off.
"In 2007 my crash was massive and it was my first big injury, but it taught me what to expect to come back from it and how to handle this one,” said Cole. “But this crash was just a silly one and won't knock my confidence."
The New Zealander had been building his confidence through a long string of top results, a trend that followed him through the World Cup until now. The muddy condition left many injured, some needing to be airlifted from the course, and slowed the forward momentum of the surviving cyclists to a crawl. Bad weather has been plaguing the World Cup, and Cole had previously said that the 3rd event was the worst weather he had ever competed in – until Champéry.
"I am happy with what I have done so far this season. I thought about this after the race yesterday - it's good to get this sort of thing out of the way while I am young - each time you have a broken bone and time off the bike you learn from it. I am 22 and my career could be as long as I want it to be. Series leader Greg Minnaar is 28 and Steve Peat is still performing well at 36."
Cole will have to miss the fifth World Cup event, this weekend at Val di Sole. He plans to schedule his surgery by next week.
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