Sawyers Gully cyclist Peter Selkrig is back in the winner’s circle, less than a year after he was seriously injured in a collision with a caravan.
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Selkrig won the 50-54 age category of the World Endurance Mountain Bike Organisation (WEMBO) 24-hour solo world championship in Rotorua, New Zealand from February 20 to 21.
The event is involves riders racing for 24 hours straight to complete as many laps of a course as they can.
Prior to the WEMBO, Selkrig also won the veterans category of the Mongolia Bike Challenge, a seven-day stage race that is only open to professionals and high-level amateurs.
After that he travelled to Denmark for the Masters World Championships, but while riding he succumbed to a tyre puncture that essentially ruined his race.
Another trophy in the cabinet came from the Transcumbres event in Argentina, where he finished first in the masters 50-plus category.
Selkrig broke his pelvis and received abrasions on April 24, 2015 when, while riding his bike, he was clipped by a caravan that was being towed by a vehicle, on Wine Country Drive at Nulkaba.
At the time Selkrig didn’t know if he’d ever ride again, but thanks to strong prior fitness levels, his recovery has been swift.
The accident made Selkrig hungrier and he was determined to get back to his elite level.
Not long after the accident he was back on the bike; six weeks later he was training again, and by 12 weeks he had regained equal loading on his legs while riding.
“I never lost that much fitness,” he said.
“It affected me more mentally than physically.”
As a result, he doesn’t do as much road biking as he used to, but said the cross country training is more beneficial to his racing anyway.
The world champion now looks forward to the last round of the 2015-16 Suburu National Series this weekend, which he is currently leading.
He is also gearing up for the eight-day Absa Cape Epic in South Africa, the largest full-service mountain bike stage race in the world.
This will be Selkrig’s second time competing in the Cape Epic, after placing fourth with racing partner Garry James in last year’s event.