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Found this on www.cyclingnews.com, damn tram tracks :-/
iTeamnova setback as McKenzie crashes during training
By Gerard Knapp
One of the favourites for the upcoming Australian national road title and leader of the recently launched iTeamnova.com, David McKenzie, has suffered a serious setback following a crash on a training ride in suburban Melbourne this morning.
McKenzie suffered lacerations to his face and quad from colliding with a parked truck, and will be prevented from any riding for at least two weeks, with a return to competition some four-to-five weeks away. McKenzie was set to enter the Australian national road racing title this weekend, then the Tour Down Under, as well as lead iTeamnova.com in the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia next month.
The Victorian rider had recently secured the first podium for iTeamnova.com with a win in stage 4 of the Skilled Geelong Bay Classic and was said to be in excellent form for the nationals.
This morning he was on a training ride with team-mates Allan Iacuone, Russell Downing and Dominic Perras when Downing's front wheel ran into a tram-line on Hawthorn Road, Caulfield. As Downing hopped his front wheel out of the track, he bumped McKenzie, who was riding alongside.
"He said to me 'I felt we were OK after that and I'd recovered'," said John Trevorrow, a director of iTeamnova who spoke to McKenzie before he underwent surgery. "But as Dave straightened up, his arm clipped a car's wing mirror, which pulled the bars around and he ran straight into the back of parked truck."
Trevorrow said they were fortunate to be travelling at only 25-30 km/h, but McKenzie hit his head and leg on the gardening truck, requiring some 20 stitches to the laceration on his chin which had been gashed to the bone, while his quad also received a similarly serious gash.
Ambulance drivers were quick on the scene, with one of the ambulance drivers - coincidentally - a former elite rider. The owner of the truck was so upset he drove one the riders back to their flat with the team bikes.
"I really do believe that Dave and Stuey (O'Grady) would have fought out the (Australian road) title this weekend," said Trevorrow. McKenzie is a former winner of a stage of the Giro d'Italia - while with the Linda McCartney squad - and winner of major Australian one-day races. His promising career was thwarted with the failure of the LM team in early 2001, leaving McKenzie without a contract for all of last year.
But in the latter half of 2001, McKenzie's partner Susan Stewart commenced the hard work to create the subscriber-funded iTeamnova.com that was launched in December. The future was looking bright for an emerging Division 3 squad that will base itself in Belgium from March this year.
"It could have been worse," said Stewart, the driving force behind iTeamnova.com. "He's alright and that's the main thing."
Although the timing of the accident could not come at a worse time, Stewart remained philosophical: "That's how cycling goes, doesn't it."
