Double injury rules Crosbie out of Dakar rally
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday November 10, 2017 12:44
Crosbie ruptured his mid-aspect right lateral abdominal rectus muscle, leaving him with a retraction of 8.5mm. The rider is also nursing a broken left hand.
Crosbie told Mmegi Sport yesterday that the past three weeks had been hectic. He said the first injury occurred in March while racing in South Africa, where he hurt his hip. He said despite the injury, he took part in the 2017 Toyota Desert Race thinking that the injury had healed, only for it to flare.
“After the Desert Race, I went for an operation. I thought the injury was healed but it was not. Three weeks ago, I went to see a specialist in Pretoria. I have torn all of my stomach right muscles. I have damaged the nerves that go down to my waist, all from the same injury. The doctors recommended that I should rest and not do the Dakar Rally 2018. It is painful to pull out of the race,” he said.
Crosbie said it was an emotional decision to pull out of the Dakar Rally. He became the first Motswana to take part in the Dakar Rally early this year.
The latest injury occurred when he tried to disengage a trailer, which hit his left hand, breaking three bones in the process.
This resulted in pins being inserted to heal the fracture. “That forced me to do rest and do no exercises. It is not nice because I had to face my sponsors and inform them that I am no longer doing the Dakar 2018. I have also informed the Dakar Rally organisers and asked them to move the funding to Dakar 2019 and they have agreed. They know sport comes with a lot of injuries,” he said.
Crosbie said he has had injuries before, but the current ones are the worst. He said it has been nine months trying to deal with the stomach torn muscles. Crosbie said he has a doctor’s appointment in January, where the stomach injury would be assessed.
He said next week the pins will be removed, which would leave him in a cast on his hand. Crosbie said they went with a new way of speeding the recovery process.
“We would take it from there after the doctor’s greenlight. I can then start training and preparing for next year’s races. The first biggest race is in Morocco to be held in April. The other big race is in China in September,” he said.
Crosbie is also eyeing the 2018 Desert Race and the South Africa National Championships. However, Crosbie said his job, as a project manager at Wharic Construction requires visiting project sites, which means he cannot fully focus on the injuries.
He is determined to train extra hard after the injuries heal. Crosbie said the programme cannot be the same as it was before the injuries. “You cannot force an injury to heal faster, but it is up to how your body responds,” he said.
Regarding the China rally, Crosbie said the pressure is not much compared to Dakar. He said the rally is meant to be a stepping stone towards the 2019 Dakar Rally.