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Australian cycling’s search for the next Cadel Evans remains an elusive quest, with Robert Power now facing up to two years out of competition.
His unusual injury and Campbell Flakemore’s surprise retirement earlier this month highlight how rare it is to find riders in this country who can contend in the three-week stage races such as the Tour de France.
Power, 20, is expected to make a full recovery and eventually start his professional cycling career.
“In the past, we’ve been extremely lucky to have the flow of talent in our national teams,” said Cycling Australia national performance director Kevin Tabotta.
“We’re dealing with a couple of circumstances now that aren’t uncommon in a lot of sports.
“Sure, it’s a challenge for us, but it’s not all doom and gloom.”
Now that Evans has retired, Richie Porte is the Australian most likely to become a contender in the Grand Tours.
But after Porte there is a gap.
When Evans called time on his stellar career earlier this year, Flakemore, Power and Jack Haig were three of the young riders touted as potential Tour de France stars.
Last year, Flakemore won the under-23 time trial world championship and Power finished second overall in the Tour de l’Avenir – a key race for riders who might develop into Grand Tour specialists.
Haig also was runner-up at this year’s Tour de l’Avenir.
But after a year of pro cycling, Flakemore has decided the sport is not for him.
Then Power’s unexplained knee soreness returned when he resumed training.
He and Haig are due to start their pro careers next year with top Australian team Orica-GreenEDGE.
Power underwent testing at the Australian Institute of Sport and was diagnosed with bone marrow oedema syndrome, which looks like a bone bruise on an MRI scan but has no obvious explanation.
Orica-GreenEDGE team doctor Peter Barnes said it is the first time he has seen a young athlete with the condition in 40 years of sports medicine.
“The frustrating thing for him as a young athlete is that he can walk, run and jump with no pain at all and is perfectly normal to clinical examination,” Dr Barnes said.
“What we do know, however, is that it will heal itself in time.
Tabotta compares Power to Orica-GreenEDGE star Esteban Chavez, who is starring after a serious race crash ruined most of his 2013 season.
“The Chavez example is spot-on,” Tabotta said.
“He will return to the world stage, because he’s an absolute talent and he has something that a lot of other bike riders would only dream about.”
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