Counting the costs

IT WAS the ride that ended Brendan Canty’s future as an accountant, but reinforced his glittering one as a cyclist.

Canty suffered every rider’s worst nightmare in last January’s national championships in Buninyong, when he celebrated a lap early, thinking he’d won the 183.6km race.

“Well, there’s 16 laps next month. This year there was 18 and I celebrated after 17, so if anything I hope I don’t wait too long this time,” Canty joked of the 2018 edition.

“I lost my career as an accountant because they mentioned on TV that I was working part-time in an accounting firm (Pitcher Partners) and I couldn’t count to 18, which was quite ironic.”

On a human level Canty can laugh about what took place on that sweltering Sunday afternoon outside Ballarat.