CLANCY IS TAKING ON THE WORLD, ONLY 12 WEEKS AFTER BACK OP

ONLY three months ago, Ed Clancy could barely walk, so the fact he is riding at this week’s Track World Championships in London is nothing short of remarkable. Diagnosed with degenerative disc disease after a terrifying bout of paralysis during a training camp in Tenerife, the double Olympic champion feared his career was over, that his hopes of a medal in the team pursuit in Rio this summer had gone. ‘My whole career was in doubt,’ said an emotional Clancy. ‘In Tenerife, I suddenly couldn’t walk. I had drop foot in my right leg because the nerve was so compromised.’ Clancy, 30, had back surgery 12 weeks ago. ‘When I came out of that operation and could walk again, anything was a bonus,’ he said. ‘If I can ride a bike again, great. If I can make a career out of it, even better. ‘From the back surgery, we had two weeks of solid rest. Two weeks were spent trying to walk, two weeks were riding a mountain bike, trying to get into a road position. Then I spent five or six weeks training on a turbo trainer properly and only the last 10 days back on the track.’ Such is his talent, Clancy has shown enough form to at least get a ride in one of the qualifying rounds this week — which has prompted his team-mates to call him a freak of nature, given that he was unable to even sit down at a recent meal in a restaurant. ‘Before every championships, we have a dress rehearsal,’ he said. ‘You turn up and show what you’ve got. It was a big day for all of us but it was surprisingly good for me. ‘It’s not the best I’ve ever gone but, 12 weeks after fairly serious back surgery, I’m over the moon. ‘I went to one of the top surgeons. The first question I asked him was if the surgery means I can’t kick a football around the garden with my kids in the future, then I’m out of here. ‘But he seems to think that if we manage the problem, I can carry on for another four years.’