Teenage cyclist died in his sleep after intense training regime
A TEENAGE cyclist died in his sleep after pushing himself hard in intensive training, an inquest has heard.
Charlie Craig had been chosen to take part in an elite training programme by British Cycling chiefs.
A cardiologist told the coroner he believed huge surges in adrenalin during intense training were likely to have caused the schoolboy to have suffered a series of heart attacks.
But no one had suspected he was dangerously unwell because the 15-year-old showed no obvious symptoms of coronary problems. South Manchester coroner’s court was told Charlie was found dead in his bed on Jan 20 last year by his mother who thought he was just having a lie in.
The son of a retired professional rider who had also had heart problems, Charlie himself never underwent the same tests as his older brother Tom, who was also an elite Team GB cyclist, because he was deemed too young.
Charlie, from Hayfield, Derbyshire, was a member of the British Cycling Team’s Rider Route apprenticeship and was highly regarded in the sport.
“Charlie was committed. He was thinking about cycling as his future,” said his father, who added that the teenager was “sensible” about his training. Charlie never spoke about chest pains or symptoms that would flag up any potential heart problems.
Coroner Chris Morris recorded a narrative conclusion. He said he would be writing to the relevant organisations about the lack of medical screening for junior cyclists. The coroner said he accepted a test may not have changed Charlie’s fate, but added: “All sports have a role to play in reducing the number of young deaths.”