Cyclist Steele von Hoff rides incredible journey from broken spine to Games debut

SEVEN weeks ago cyclist Steele von Hoff broke four vertebrae in a high speed racing crash but refused to give up on his Gold Coast dream so started training on a recumbent bike lying down in a neck brace.

SEVEN weeks ago Australian cyclist Steele von Hoff broke four vertebrae in a high speed racing crash but refused to give up on his Gold Coast dream so started training on a recumbent bike lying down in a neck brace.

Desperate to wear the green and gold at his first major Games at the age of 30, cycling’s ‘Man of Steele’ has produced a superhuman performance just to be on the start line in the men’s road race at Currumbin on Saturday.

Every painful pedal stroke he did after the accident in February was geared towards this moment which has finally arrived.

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Australian cyclist Steele von Hoff makes his games debut at age 30. Pic: Adam Head

“Things were looking a bit grim but I didn’t want to give up,” von Hoff said.

“I was in the hospital for two nights then in a neck brace for two-and-a-half weeks but ended up only having six days off the bike before I was back on the ergo (trainer).

“I started off on a recumbent bike that I had made many years ago just to get the legs spinning again.

“It’s a stationary bike that you lie down in so it doesn’t put any pressure on my back.

“I used to race these recumbent bikes so I sourced that bike that I’d made many moons ago and rode that for three days before I graduated to stationary trainer for another week before I cracked and got out on the road.

“Then I got busted by my dad, who just so happened to be coming home at the same time I was heading out, and mum wasn’t impressed, but geez it was good to get the wind in your hair again.”

Steele von Hoff suffered four cracked vertebrae in a racing crash seven weeks ago.

In the early stages of his recovery, von Hoff still needed help getting out of bed and although this weekend’s 168.3km road race will be his first competitive hitout since the crash in Melbourne, he is confident his fitness will be up to scratch.

“I’m hoping I’m back up there (full fitness), I haven’t had any races to gauge that but whenever I pin numbers on I always rise to another level,” he said.

“I’ve had a crew that’s been really supporting me and fighting hard to get me here so I’m super stoked.

“It’s been quite the progression, the Cycling Australia guys have been looking really closely at me and seeing some of their specialists and they’ve been monitoring how the recovery is going.

“I’ve been doing everything right, my diet is spot on, I’ve had people looking after me in terms of my masseuse at home has been treating me twice a week, I’ve had physios keeping a close eye on me, my coach Mark Fenner has been watching me and we’ve realised sometimes you have to take one step back to go forwards.”

Dubbed ‘Man of Steele,’ von Hoff trained with his broken spine.

Von Hoff is a former national criterium champion and WorldTour rider who now races for Australia’s top domestic team Bennelong SwissWellness.

He rode the Tour Down Under, Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and Herald Sun Tour to open this season before his accident at a club race at Sandown.

Australia’s men’s team has multiple options to win the road race on Saturday. Von Hoff and reigning national champion Alex Edmondson can both sprint while 2006 gold medallist Mathew Hayman, Cameron Meyer, Mitch Docker and Callum Scotson all have big engines and are capable of anything.

Originally published as Cyclist Steele von Hoff rides incredible journey from broken spine to Games debut