Travis Meyer (Garmin–Cervélo) has undergone successful surgery on his leg that has stopped him from riding comfortably at a professional level this season. The Australian has had problems with an artery in his leg that caused him pain, particularly when trying to climb or time trial.
“The injury I had is called External Iliac Artery Endofibrosis,” he told VeloNation. “It is when the main artery in your leg becomes blocked which significantly restricts the blood flow to your leg, causing serious pain and lack of power.”
Meyer first noticed the problem early in the season until it became progressively worse. It affected his performance with him being unable to finish races in April and May. His last race he took part in was Bayern-Rundfahrt at the end of May, which he finished in 112th place.
The young talent sought the advice of veteran Stuart O'Grady (Leopard Trek) who suffered from the same problem in 2002.
“He basically told me to be careful with my recovery, and not get back into it to fast. He also said it made a massive difference to his cycling post surgery, so this gives me confidence for the future.”
The operation means that Meyer won’t recover in time to race for the rest of the year. “Yes, this basically means my season is over,” he said. “I need to have a good two months off the bike, followed by another month of no more than 60 kilometres a day. By the time I can start training properly and be race fit, it will be too late to race again this year. I also do not want to rush back into it too fast as this can cause problems later on.”
Last year’s Australian road champion has showed maturity beyond his 22 years through the rehabilitation process. Despite the face that his contract is up at the end of the season, he hasn’t showed any signs of panic.
“At the moment I am contracted with Garmin–Cervélo until the end of 2011. I am 100% committed to them and do not know what the future holds.
“Right now I am just focusing on getting my health back to normal.”