Baffling injury setback to preparation

Press, 27 May 1981, Page 44

Baffling injury setback to preparation

The last few days have been a worrying time for the Healing national cycling team to compete in the ( » world junior championships,’ and particularly its secondyoungest member, Craig Griffin. The Kawerau 17-year-old had a serious setback in his preparation with a rather mysterious elbow injury. All he could relate it. to was a crash just before the track nationals at Levin. “It came up into quite a large lump, and then an infection,” said Griffin yesterday. . The team coach, Wayne Thorpe, considered it could have been also related to strain. “It was just like water on the elbow, or some form of tennis elbow,” said Mr Thorpe, “and it had everyone rather baffled.” However, the team’s official doctor. Dr Brian Heywood of Christchurch, put Griffin on to a five-day course of antibiotics, anil that has started to have an effect. "He’s still able to ride his bike, but he has missed a couple of training rides,” said Mr Thorpe, “but he has been well and truly off co-

lour, and although he was pretty disappointed with his performance, I consider he did very well in Papanui’s time trial championships last Saturday.” The entire New Zealand team of six contested those club championships, for which only Craig Adair was eligible for a title, and there were very worthy performances, particularly by Del Woodford, the youngster of the party, and Adair himself. Toni Horne ended Blair Stockwell’s long reign with an outstanding time of 58min 15s, compared to Stockwell’s 58min 555. But then came Woodford, in 59:32, and Adair, 59:59.7 after two stops to wind up spokes which had pinged loose. The second junior after Adair was Nicholas Wolsev, in a smart 60:26, and Peter Turnbull did 61:48. The third senior was John Hughes in 62:04, Griffin himself did 61:55.5, a more than creditable time in any circumstances: Paul Leitch 60:28 and Laurie Buckton 63:44, with the other national team man, Blenddyn Wills getting a slow puncture.