The highs and lows of being an elite-level cyclist have been perfectly illustrated over the past 10 days by English track rider Will Tidball, who went from winning gold in the team pursuit at the Commonwealth Games to having a massive splinter removed from his bum after crashing.
The 25-year-old, who has also been a track world champion, had an eventful time in Glasgow, where he was a late super-sub for the race that earned him a gold medal, after England’s Josh Charlton was sick on his teammate’s bike in the aftermath of a qualifying round.
His surprise inclusion helped propel the national team to victory in the final against Australia, with a performance that also saw the four-man lineup set a new Commonwealth Games record.
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On his penultimate day of racing at the Games, however, Tidball was brought back to Earth with a bang, when he crashed and skidded along the wooden deck of the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, collecting a 7.6cm splinter in his backside in the process – an injury that required medical attention.
“I just had nowhere to go and then I ended up on the floor and had a three-inch splinter in my backside, that wasn’t particularly nice,” Tidball told the BBC.
The Devon-based rider was supposed to be competing the following day, but the shrapnel had other ideas. “I raced the next day but I had to pull out after the splint went into my glute, then suddenly I wasn’t on my best form,” he explained.
“I had to have surgery with a doctor, who scalpel-ed it out. I had stitches,” he continued. “But the good news is I have got a gold medal and then a massive splinter to put next to it… a little souvenir.”
On Instagram, Tidball wrote last week: “Sports the greatest humbler… From gold on Thursday to getting this removed from my bum tonight. I’ve had better Saturday nights.”
Back at home, Tidball will make an appearance in Exmouth at 7pm on Thursday, with members of the public having been invited to join him for a meet-and-ride at the Exeter Aces cycle speedway. Note: this is a BYO tweezers event.
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