Australian track cycling coach Tim Decker recovering from brain surgery as riders fly to New Zealand to prepare for Olympics
Tim Decker thought he was fine after crashing his bike and hitting his head. But the cycling coach from SA was rushed into emergency surgery last Monday with bleeding on the brain – and the operation likely saved his life.
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Australia’s head track cycling coach Tim Decker is recovering from emergency brain surgery as his riders fly to New Zealand to ramp up preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Decker had bleeding on the brain known as a subdural haematoma after crashing his bike and being knocked unconscious, and was told it would have been life threatening had doctors not operated last Monday.
The head coach of Australia’s men’s and women’s team pursuits, which are gold medal contenders for Tokyo, is now recovering at home and is not allowed to drive or ride for three months.
Both TP squads are the current world champions and the men’s are world record holders.
Decker will be missing from both UCI track world cups in New Zealand this week and in Brisbane from December 13, but is grateful the injury was diagnosed and the surgery a success.
It is almost five years to the day since the father of two had an almost identical operation on the opposite side of his brain after another cycling crash.
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“It’s not ideal timing, but I’ve got to look at it as an opportunity to get a bit mentally fresher and be ready to go when I’m allowed back at work,” Decker said.
“What has held me in good stead is we were very well planned, we are planned right through to January and that included rider turn strategies.
“And also my staff are very good at their jobs and are able to implement everything that needs to happen.
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“It’s not funny, but we had actually planned for a scenario of what would happen if I wasn’t there on race day, if I had to step away from calling them on the track, and now it’s happened so it’s a good test.”
Decker was on a group ride on September 25 when there was a crash in front of him and he went over the handlebars and hit his head.
He was knocked out and taken to hospital by ambulance where he had a CT scan, spine scan and chest X-ray and released five hours later.
But four weeks later his wife Michelle noticed changes in his personality and ordered him to see a doctor before flying to Glasgow for a track world cup.
Scans found a bleed on his brain and a check-up two weeks later showed it had not improved and he needed to “shut down” to allow it to recover.
That meant not using his phone, not watching TV or exercising and having no contact with his athletes.
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do, it was near impossible,” Decker said.
“It was a bit to do with the (Tokyo) Games coming up, but it (coaching) is what you do and I felt like my world had been ripped from under me because the athletes are a part of your life.”
Decker only lasted a week when he continued to feel “a bit off” and further scans showed the brain bleed had doubled in size, compressing his brain and he was in theatre within an hour.
Surgeons told him had he left it much longer, the pressure on the brain could have killed him.
“The surgeon said it was ready to blow and the outcome could have been much worse obviously,” his wife Michelle said.
Decker is an A grade club cyclist in his own right and last year rode an incredible 812km in 24 hours as part of a charity event known as ‘Revolve 24’ just outside of Adelaide.
Glenn O’Shea and Matt Gilmore are stepping in to coach the men’s TP in New Zealand and Brisbane, while Jason Bartram will coach the women’s squad.
Australia is fielding a full-strength men’s team including world record holders Kelland O’Brien, Sam Welsford, Leigh Howard and Alex Porter.
Cameron Scott will join them in New Zealand and Luke Plapp in Brisbane.
reece.homfray@news.com.au
Originally published as Australian track cycling coach Tim Decker recovering from brain surgery as riders fly to New Zealand to prepare for Olympics