Breakaway cry foul

BREAKAWAY Cycling Club have lodged a formal complaint to the TT Cycling Federation (TTCF) surrounding a crash which caused one of its members, Chris Govia, to suffer a broken collarbone and other injuries during a 15-lap Division Two event at Wednesday’s Beacon Cycling on the Avenue.

The local club claim that a cyclist from another domestic club may have wilfully impeded the former National Road Time Trial champion during the race causing the 40-year-old rider to fall off his bike and sustain severe injuries to himself and major damage to his bike.

This incident however, did not take place along Ariapita Avenue where hundreds were gathered around the finish line. It occurred along Fitzblackman Drive, one of the streets being used for the circuit race and was recorded via a Go-Pro camera which was attached to another competitor’s bicycle. The footage was then uploaded to Facebook and shared multiple times, with scores of outraged citizens claiming the cyclists’ actions were “deliberate”, “unsportsmanlike” and “intentional’.”

Following careful examination of the footage, Breakaway have now requested the local cycling fraternity to conduct an official investigation into this matter and take disciplinary action against the cyclist. They have also asked for the removal of any titles that were presented to the said cyclist after the race, compensation from the “offending cyclist” for all medical expenses incurred by Govia and reimbursement from the “aggressor” for all damage to equipment incurred as a result of the crash.

Following the crash, Govia was rushed to West Shore Medical Centre where he underwent a general examination, several x-rays and injections. The doctor then revealed his collarbone was completely broken and dislodged with surgery pending. With his left arm in a sling and enduring excruciating pain, the ex-national mountain bike title-holder believes this may just well be the end of his cycling career.

“I’m hanging in there,” he said. “I need to clear my head before I do surgery. I also won’t be able to return to work until it’s completely healed and that may take a lengthy period of time. I damaged my collarbone two years ago and this would be the second time I’ll be doing surgery. The doctors would have to remove the metal plate and screws and this may cause my collarbone to become too porous and is a definite risk for me to ever ride again.” Looking back on the race, Govia said there were just about three more laps to go before the finish. Having led the bunch in previous laps, he opted to lay back a bit, recover and resume his medal chase.

“We were all riding at a controlled pace. No one was jostling for positions or anything because there was still much to be done before the end (of the race). I just felt a nudge and the bike was taken from under me. There was no way I could have anticipated or stopped it (from happening),” he added.

The seasoned national cyclist believes the TTCF should take steps to ensure these incidents don’t happen, even if it involves the banning of cyclists to set an example. He thinks that unsportsmanlike behaviour has been a problem with some of the younger and inexperienced local riders recently.

When contacted for a comment on this matter yesterday, promoter Michael Phillips, said it is now in the hands of the TTCF Disciplinary Committee as the event was sanctioned by the fraternity.

“They (TTCF) would have to have a conversation with the involved clubs and teams about riding in such an aggressive manner. Riders have different skill levels, body sizes and these things come into play during races. No official protest was lodged on the night of the event because the video footage only surfaced today (yesterday). However, I hope Chris recovers quickly as he is an exemplary cyclist,” said Phillips.