Bone disease edges Boardman to career-close

Add as a preferred source on Google

Sydney: The golden days have turned to autumn in the cycling career of Britain's Chris Boardman as he struggles against the onset of osteoporosis.

After finishing 11th in the Olympic time trial on Saturday, Boardman, agold medallist on the track in Barcelona, admitted, ''It's getting harder and harder to perform at this level.''

He clocked 59 minutes and 32 seconds over the 46.8 kms of the centennial park circuit - one minute and 52 seconds slower than surprise gold medallist,Russian Vyatcheslav Ekimov.

Boardman has been struggling for two years against a bone disease called osteopenia which is the precursor to osteoporosis, the more severe version.

He acknowledged, ''I seem to be more and more fragile.''

Unable to take any treatment such as testosterone because it would show in any anti-doping test, Boardman has battled on. ''My body is just not recovering from the training I have been doing,'' he said. ''It's a bit difficult to take when you have won events like this and have been up there with the best.

''To be just an also-ran is not easy but I suppose it happens to everyone. It's a bloody good thing I am retiring in four weeks' time.''

There is one objective to go before the curtain comes down on a career that began with gold in the 4 km individual pursuit on the Olympic track in 1992, and embraced the world hour record, world titles on track and road, and wearing the leader's yellow jersey on his Tour de France debut in 1994.



(c) Reuters Limited.