Sam Hill out ’til autumn

World Cup circuit golden boy and Team Chain Reaction Cycles/PayPal rider Sam Hill was a hot favourite at Lourdes earlier this month – or at least he was, until this happened shortly beforehand:

“The weekend before the first World Cup I was getting in a few DH runs at my local track just getting settled in on my new race bike. I washed the front end out on a loose corner and slammed my shoulder and arm into the ground.”

Yep, we’ve all been there – just-riding-along to down-in-flames (although possibly – in fact, definitely not quite as stylishly as the Aussie ripper). Unfortunately Sam’s injury was worse than originally thought and he’s undergone surgery to fix detached/damaged shoulder ligaments, so will be out for a few months while he recovers.

Team manager Nigel Page said: “This past winter Sam had been training harder than ever and was in the best shape of his career ready to try and reach his goals this season. His fitness showed in the first EWS race in Rotorua where he placed ninth overall and won the final stage there. So, Sam’s first goal to win the World Cup overall this season has come to an end before it even started; this sport can be very unfair sometimes, but he… will be working towards his second goal of the season, which is the World Championships in Vallnord at the beginning of September.”

Healing vibes and get well soon wishes from everyone at Singletrack, Sam – we’re looking forward to seeing you back out there very soon 🙂