Good wishes for Paul Crake
17 November 2006
by
Michele Nardelli
Anyone
who was really following Team UniSA- Australia will remember Paul
Crake’s trojan cycling efforts earlier this year. Firstly in the hot
hilly Stirling to Hahndorf stage with a break way out in front of
the pack that he maintained for a good part of the race before being
overtaken in the last minutes of the race. It won him Most
Aggressive Rider.
Then in road-melting heat as companion to Russel van Hout in what was one of team UniSA’s sweetest victories with a first and second place get in the Willunga to Willunga stage.
Paul is a dedicated sportsman switching from the quirky but demanding stair climbing to cycling in 2002. He was winner of the Empire State Building climb five years in a row and still holds the world record of 9 minutes 33 seconds for that event.
Paul has been riding this year for the Italian team Naturino Sapore di Mare based in the Lake Como district, grappling with learning Italian and keeping fit and competitive in what is a tough sport. He has kept in touch with UniSA, sending regular updates on his progress.
So this week the news of his terrible accident in New Zealand has been a big shock. We had all hoped he would be riding with Team UniSA-Australia again in 2007.
The 29 year old was racing in 8th stage of the Powernet Tour of Southland when a freak gust of wind blew five cyclists off the road.
Paul has sustained serious injuries - fractures to his cervical vertebrae and a fracture to the T5 thoracic vertebrae and dislocations through to T7. He has undergone surgery and will be in hospital in Christchurch for another six weeks before undertaking rehabilitation.
We wish him a speedy recovery.