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Media Release

January 14 2008

UniSA’s special jersey auction to support Crake’s rehab

Auction raises money for injured cyclist - Paul Crake UniSA will again be conducting an online auction of special TDU memorabilia to help support 2006 UniSA-Australia team rider Paul Crake.

A latecomer to cycling, Crake’s talent on the road and in the climbs had seen him rise rapidly in the sport and he was snapped up by professional Italian cycling team, Naturino Sapore di Mare.

Crake was injured in a freak cycling accident while racing in New Zealand in November 2006 and is now accessing specialist treatment in Europe in a bid maximise his recovery. He has been confined to a wheelchair since the accident.

This year UniSA will auction memorabilia of special significance to long term followers of the Tour Down Under and especially Team UniSA.

Item one is the Century 21 Most Aggressive Rider jersey worn by Patrick Jonker in 2004 when he won the tour and Team UniSA won the team’s classification. The jersey is mounted, framed and signed by Jonker.

Item two – the “All Stars” jersey, is a special one for all the cycling autograph hunters out there. It is a 2007 Team UniSA-Australia jersey signed by a host of cycling greats – Robbie McEwen, Olympic Gold medallists Stuart O’Grady and Brett Aitken, Simon Guerrans, Baden Cooke, Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis, World Road Champion Laurent Bouchard, Triple World Champion in the 1000m time trials Shane Kelly, Olympic and Commonwealth gold medallist Ryan Bailey, Allan Davis, Matt White and Pat Jonker among others. The jersey is framed and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Team UniSA Supporters' Club Captain, Patrick Jonker says he hopes people will provide generous support for the auction.

“We all love cycling and enjoy the spectacle but the down side is clear when there’s a serious accident like the one Paul has suffered,” Jonker says.

“Paul has been an especially determined and committed athlete – first as a world champion stair and mountain climber and then as an emerging champion in cycling.

“It is a huge adjustment from being a professional athlete, to being confined to a wheelchair. At this stage Paul is exploring every opportunity to improve his health outcomes and regain as much mobility as possible. We are just hoping people will take this opportunity to bid generously on these jerseys so that we can help Paul with his ongoing rehabilitation expenses.”

Jonker says the “All Stars” jersey is a one in a million.

“You won’t find a jersey like this in any memorabilia shop – it’s signed by cycling stars from the world stage and some of our most loved local heroes – it’s a rare find and deserves some strong bidding.”

Bidding for the jerseys opens on January 15 and closes on January 28 2008. Supporters can bid online.
 

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