Teniel Campbell sits out Pan Am Road Champs to extend recovery

Pro cyclist Teniel Campbell has been forced to sit out the on-going Pan American Road Cycling Championships in Argentina because of injury.

The European-based TT cyclist was involved in a serious crash during a race in Gent, Belgium in late March and is yet to fully recover. Campbell, who represents Team BikeExchange, suffered broken teeth, a busted chin and had to undergo several dental surgeries.

After her eighth dental operation, Campbell said on Thursday via a Facebook post, that part of her mouth became infected and she now has to extend her recovery period.

The brutal crash also eliminated her from all races which followed, including the Pan Am Championships, which began in Argentina on Thursday.

She posted, “Hoping this is the end of a period that consisted of full on hurdles and what felt like a never ending misery. What I thought was just a quick-fix and small injury post-crash at Gent turned out to be quite troublesome.

“It also in the process disrupted season preparations/goals. That incident really tipped my cup as I was looking forward to reuniting with my national team for the Pan American Championships in Argentina then to be back racing with GreenEDGE Cycling.”

Campbell pedalled to silver in the 90 kilometre road race at last year’s Pan Am Road Champs. She is also TT and the Caribbean’s first female road cyclist to go pro and participate at an Olympic Games (Tokyo 2020).

Although disappointed with her current situation, Campbell believes she will soon recover and get back on the bike.

She added, “Sometimes in life things never go as planned and you constantly need to figure your way around the things that are out of your control.

“There's always something right around the corner that requires you to jump or get knocked down. The faith in God and his missions for me are strong and what’s meant for me won’t pass me.

“However, I am really hoping that some light can shine upon thee in this second part of the season! Thankful to the support I get both internationally and locally and I am looking forward to pinning a number on my jersey again.”