July 29/04 7:04 am - Shep Crash, 'Toona, Michigan Track, McEwen Broke Back

Posted by Editor on 07/29/04
 

Shep Report

Wrestling match gone wrong

Do you ever get the feeling that someone is trying to tell you something but you just don't get it? I could go on about how many issues I've had this year but most of you know. After a couple wicked training days in Whistler I developed 'an issue' with regards to having the ability to sit on my seat. Get the drift? After a few hospital visits I was given two choices: surgery and missing the next two rounds of the NORBA series or cutting away half of my seat and praying the inflammation goes down with meds. Hey, I'm leading the short track series and 2nd in the XC so you know what the choice was.

Now for the rest of the story!!

After a killer, one hour standing hill climb I decided to turn around and coast in an effort to break in my new seat position. Every bump reminded me to never do something that will have me thrown in prison. Nearly home I signal a left hand turn and initialize the corner but realize 'Joe small-cock' in his jacked up 4x4 is running the stop and not looking my way. Figuring I'm tough due to the hill I just climbed, I thought I would try and wrestle his 2004 Dodge Ram 2500. I did not succeed. Got sucked under the front wheel and, to add insult to injury, I guess he ran the bike over with his rear wheel as well, but I was knocked out for a few seconds. Police, ambulance and a hospital visit. Cuts, bruises a really sore neck and back but no broken bones; only a broken spirit. His response to the incident, 'What were you doing?' The picture will tell the rest of the story but bottom line is I'm lucky to be alive after this!!

shep


Tour de 'Toona - Altoona, Pennsylvania

Stage 3 - Johnstown to Altoona Road Race 98.7 miles/158.3 km

Men
1. John Lieswyn (Health Net - Maxxis) 4:02:59
2. Chris Horner (Webcor Cycling Team) at s.t.
3. Matt Crane (Team Snow Valley) 0:35
4. Ben Brooks (Jelly Belly/Aramark)
5. Will Frischkorn (Colavita Olive Oil)
6. Robbie King (Louis Garneau Racing)
7. Tim Larkin (Ofoto)
8. Jason McCartney (Health Net - Maxxis)
9. Peter Baker (Team Snow Valley)
10. Chris Rozdilsky (Organic Athlete)

14. Dominque Perras (Ofoto) all s.t.
19. Charles Dionne (Webcor Cycling Team) 0:47
80. Chris Gruber (Outdoor Lighting) 39:01

GC
1. Chris Horner (Webcor Cycling Team) 6:47:49
2. John Lieswyn (Health Net - Maxxis) at 0:08
3. Jason McCartney (Health Net - Maxxis) 0:42
4. Scott Moninger (Health Net - Maxxis) 0:43
5. Matt Crane (Team Snow Valley) 0:57
6. Justin England (Webcor Cycling Team)
7. Will Frischkorn (Colavita Olive Oil) both s.t.
8. Marc Hagenlocher (Webcor Cycling Team) 1:00
9. Doug Ollerenshaw (Jelly Belly/Aramark) 1:08
10. Mark McCormack (Colavita Olive Oil)

15. Dominque Perras (Ofoto) 1:23
27. Charles Dionne (Webcor Cycling Team) 1:49
80. Chris Gruber (Outdoor Lighting) 43:00

Team GC
1. Health Net presented by Maxxis 20:25:16
2. Webcor Cycling Team at 0:23
3. Ofoto 2:04
4. Colavita Olive Oil 2:36
5. Team Snow Valley 2:45

Women
1. Lynn Gaggioli (Velo Bella) 4:46:07
2. Tina Pic (Genesis Scuba)
3. Magali Lefloch (Quark Cycling Team)
4. Lyne Bessette (Quark Cycling Team)
5. Leigh Hobson (Team Biovail Cervelo)
6. Liza Rochetto (Aquafina/CRCA)
7. Genevieve Jeanson (Rona)
8. Kathryn Curi (Rona)
9. Kim Anderson (Victory Brewing)
10. Andrea Hannos (Rona)

12. Erinne Willock (Rona)
14. Amy Moore (Quark Cycling Team)
15. Felicia Greer (Webcor Builders)
18. Susan Palmer-Komar (Genesis Scuba)
19. Sandy Espeseth (Victory Brewing)
21. Manon Jutras (Quark Cycling Team)
22. Nicole Demars (Victory Brewing) all s.t.
31. Kirsten Robbins (Victory Brewing) 2:31
47. Jennifer Stephenson (Team Biovail Cervelo) 6:34
72. Julia Farell (Team Biovail Cervelo) 40:57
73. Anna Garnett (Team Biovail Cervelo) s.t.
77. Rhonda Guzda (Team Biovail Cervelo) 51:30

GC
1. Lyne Bessette (Quark Cycling Team) 7:50:58
2. Lynn Gaggioli (Velo Bella) at 0:10
3. Susan Palmer-Komar (Genesis Scuba) 0:20
4. Erinne Willock (Rona) 0:21
5. Genevieve Jeanson (Rona) 0:23
6. Tina Pic (Genesis Scuba) 0:26
7. Manon Jutras (Quark Cycling Team) 0:31
8. Brooke Ourada (Victory Brewing) 0:41
9. Sandy Espeseth (Victory Brewing) s.t.
10. Magali Lefloch (Quark Cycling Team) 0:42

13. Felicia Greer (Webcor Builders) 0:56
14. Leigh Hobson (Team Biovail Cervelo) s.t.
16. Nicole Demars (Victory Brewing) 1:03
18. Andrea Hannos (Rona) 1:08
20. Amy Moore (Quark Cycling Team) 1:15
32. Kirsten Robbins (Victory Brewing) 4:37
37. Jennifer Stephenson (Team Biovail Cervelo) 7:58
70. Julia Farell (Team Biovail Cervelo) 43:16
77. Anna Garnett (Team Biovail Cervelo) 1:11:34
78. Rhonda Guzda (Team Biovail Cervelo) 1:20:04

Team GC
1. Rona 23:34:30
2. Quark Cycling Team at 0:02
3. Genesis Scuba Pro 0:16
4. Victory Brewing 0:46
5. Team Basis/Ford 8:48

13. Team Biovail Cervelo 50:11

Team Cervelo Biovail Report

With weather that finally cooperated for us, today's stage ended under sunny skies, a welcome change for all. Today we were back in Johnstown for a 158.8km point-to-point race that ended in Altoona.

At the beginning of the stage it was apparent that the riders' legs were feeling crisp from the efforts that were put out yesterday. With the first climb of the day just a few km's into the race, the group stayed close together. The first QOM came at the 57.5km point, where Lyne Bessette of Quark was first over the top followed by Genevieve Jeanson and Leigh Hobson taking the 3rd spot. The final QOM of the day came 118km into the race, with Lyne again 1st over the line followed by Genevieve, Erinne Willock of Rona and Leigh in 4th.

Team Biovail-Cervelo riders Jen Stephenson and Leigh Hobson stayed with the front group. Leigh finished with the lead group and was 5th overall for the stage. The rest of the team worked hard and finished well with groups that came in just after the leaders. Team Quark, Genesis Scuba, and Victory Brewing all tried their hands at pushing the pace today to keep the race fast. As the riders entered the last 15km of the race, attacks came one after another resulting in a fast tempo leading to the finish.

Following today's stage 3, Leigh is sitting 3rd overall in the Queen of the Mountains competition and 14th in the overall GC, just 56 seconds behind leader Lyne Bessette. Tomorrow's stage 4 will see us heading to Hollidaysburg for a 96.6km road race. With the points race heating up, expect this one to be a battle!


Michigan Track Racing

Rochester Hills. Michigan -- NAS-TRACK TEAM RACING 's mid-season Championship is the finale to its Friday Night Race series and will feature eight two-man teams racing head-to-head for 1 1/2 hours starting at 7 pm Friday, July 30th on the Velodrome at Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills.

Teams accumulate points in five races on the night's schedule. The feature events are the Madison Team Race -- one of 50 laps, the other 100 laps, around the 1/8th of a mile oval that is banked 44 degrees in the turns. During the Madison, the teams exchange places with their partners using a one-handed hand sling while racing at speeds up to 42 mph.

The Friday Night Race Series has been featured on PBS-DPTV Ch. 56 at 11 pm Saturdays and 5:30 pm Wednesdays, a schedule that continues through August 7.

Friday's ticket features current overall leader in the points Andre Champoux of Ypsilanti paired up with Ray Dybowski, currently 5th in points; Second on the list is Pio Apostoli of Toledo matched with the sprinter, Nick Laughton of Rochester Hills. Dave Koesel of Livonia, currently in 3rd, races with Rippin Ronnie SInk of Rochester, who is returning from a crash two weeks ago. Strong man Tony Bruley of Rochester Hills teams up with the #1 rider in the U.S. Armed Forces Steve Mlujeak, stationed at Selfridge.

Also in the running are Cullen Watkins teamed with Matt Walp, both of Royal Oak; Rob Good and Taylor Martin, both of Canada; Steve Geerligs of Howell and Jim Houston of Lake Orion.

The season continues in August with a NAS-TRACK Emerging Racers Event Friday, August 6 and the Detroit 6 Day featuring NAS-TRACK's Top Teams for six days from August 10-15th. On Friday, Sept. 3 the season concludes with the SOUPerBOWL of Cycling.

For more information on the NAS-TRACK Team Racing please contact chairman Dale Hughes at 248-951-3705.


McEwen Rode Tour with Broken Back
Courtesy Cycling Australia

Queensland's Robbie McEwen, 32, today revealed he rode to victory in the sprint competition of the Tour de France with a broken back.

McEwen is adamant the injury will not disrupt his bid for Olympic glory.

"Hey if I can ride the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Champs Elysees and win the green jersey with a broken back then one day in Athens is no problem.

"I can ride and after a couple of easy days this weekend I'm going to keep riding and everything should just get better and better."

McEwen, who claimed the green jersey, two stage wins and spent a day in the yellow leader's jersey, suffered the injury in a nasty crash one kilometre from the finish of Stage 6 in the first week of racing in the 3,391km 21 day race.

"I crashed within the last kilometre and landed on everything," said McEwen, who also crashed on stage 5 and during a mountain stage in the Pyrenees . "I had skin off from head to toe and then something hit me in the back.

"Not sure if it was a bike or a rider but it left a couple of very nasty bruises and fractured my L1 and L2 lumbar vertebrae."

McEwen went to a Dutch hospital today for an x-ray and cat scan which revealed the fractures, known as transverse process.

"Today was the first chance I found time to go to the hospital and I have to say I was relieved to hear the diagnosis because it explains why I was in so much pain in agony for much of the Tour," he explained.

"The two fractures are in the bones which are like little wings that come off your vertebrae," he said. "The scan also showed that new bone is forming so the healing process has begun.".

The plucky sprinter battled on despite the injury adding victory in stage 9 to his win in stage 2 and amassing enough sprint points throughout the three weeks to claim the green jersey title for the second time in three years.

"The pain was bad and I was really suffering in the last days of the tour but I didn't want to tell anyone because I didn't want my rivals to get a sniff of it," he said. " Victor Popov (physiotherapist) was able to work on everything around it to get me good enough to start each day but after one big sprint my back was stuffed again and for the last sprint in Paris I could hardly ride."

McEwen says the diagnosis was not a complete surprise because Australian Popov, had told him it was the likely problem.

"Victor, who has spent three years as team physio with the Brisbane Lions, said he was pretty sure it was fractured lumbar vertebrae," said McEwen. "We decided it was probably better not to know for sure until after the Tour because with or without treatment the injury would heal itself eventually."

McEwen says his wife Angelique was not quite as blase about the injury.

"I came home from the hospital and said to the Missus Å’come and give the hardest tour rider a hug'," he said. "When I told her why she was stunned."

McEwen's feats on the Tour de France have moved him to 11th in the world rankings released this week.