Launceston mountain biker Sam Fox has bounced back from a week in hospital to land a spot at the world championships.
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The welcome news came less than a month after an accident in training left the teenager nursing a lacerated liver and kidney and facing six months off the bike.
I’ve got a lot of medical assistance and it helps that my dad is a GP
- Sam Fox
Mountain Bike Australia did its bit to cheer him up when it named the under-19 Australian cross-country team to compete at the UCI world titles in Cairns from September 5-10.
Fox was the sole Tasmanian among the team of 12 headlined by national champions Cameron Wright and Katherine Hosking.
The former Riverside High and Launceston College student was delighted with the call-up.
“Australian selection has been a dream of mine for years, and it's amazing to see it come true,” he said.
The 16-year-old won the Oceania championships in March and added a third place at nationals in Queensland before contracting glandular fever and crashing on a jump near Frankford.
“Apparently glandular fever affects the response rate so I did not really have the skills to hit the jump, had the wrong line and went over the handlebars.
“I felt winded but thought I’d be able to keep going after a bit, but the pain did not die down and I ended up in hospital for a week.”
Fox sustained a 10-centimetre laceration to his liver and kidney but said he is ready for the race against time to be ready for Cairns.
“I was told I’d be off the bike for six months from the time of the accident. That takes us to late September and the champs are early September so we’ll see how it goes.
“I’ve got a lot of medical assistance and it helps that my dad is a GP.
“I’ve got an indoor trainer and I’m back in the gym so I should have the fitness and just have the skills to work on.”
He hopes to return to the same event next year as a second-year under-19 and push for a podium finish.
Riverside High School and the Tasmanian Institute of Sport were among many to send congratulations on social media to Fox, who also won the Tasmanian all-schools championships at Kate Reed last year.
Porte chilled
Launceston’s Richie Porte (BMC) finished the opening stage of Switzerland’s Tour of Romandie in 24th, recording the same time (4:33:10) as home-nation winner Michael Albasini (Orica-Scott).
The 32-year-old sits 49th overall after clearing five categorised climbs on the 172-kilometre leg from Aigle to Champéry.
Campbell Town’s Will Clarke (Cannondale-Drapac) was the last rider home and sits 150th overall, 17:30 behind Italian leader Fabio Felline (Trek-Segafredo).