No record for Olympic tandem

Four years ago athlete extraordinaire James Cracknell’s competed in a rowing race crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a tiny two-man boat, but had to settle for second place on a technicality. He trekked Earlier this year to the South Pole, but was clipped at the finish line by a team of Norwegians.

This week present Cracknell with yet another disappointment, after his cycling partner, knee-troubled Rebecca Romero had to pull out of their Land’s End to John O’Groats world record attempt.

The Olympic gold medallists duo, had hoped to be recognised as the fastest mixed-sex tandem team to cycle the length of Britain.

But just north of the tiny Scottish village of Johnstonebridge, their dream came to an abrupt end. Romero, 29, winner of cycling gold in Beijing last year, started feeling “discomfort” in her knees and the challenge’s organisers advised her to withdraw.

“It was a difficult decision to make because of the commitment she’d put in, but in the long run it’s the right decision,” said the team doctor, Bentley Waller.

An exhausted Romero noted that while she hated quitting, she knew she might avoid permanent damage by not risk pushing herself too hard thus guarding her cycling career. She plans to take part in the 2012 London Olympics.

“I’m gutted. I’d been doing some preventive physio work because of some tightness and discomfort in my knees, but it was decided the volume of work was too much, and there was no time to recover… and my knees are part of my day job. I’m really disappointed. Before today I didn’t have any pain, and I really wanted to succeed. It’s such a shame, but these things happen”, said Romero.

The twice-gold-Olympian Cracknell, added: “She’s hugely devastated. It was frustrating, it wasn’t easy. Telling her [it was over] was a job no one wanted, but it had to be done.”

 
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