New Zealand cyclist Eddie Dawkins spent the biggest race of his career fighting to keep his crocked bike on the track before settling for a 1km time trial bronze at the Commonwealth Games.
Gremlins in the handlebars prevented Dawkins from producing his best in the four-lap test of power yesterday, with the Invercargill gold medal hope bowing to outstanding Australian winner Scott Sunderland.
He also finished just 0.09 seconds behind Malaysian silver medallist Mohd Rizal Tisin in a time of one minute 02.777 seconds.
He may have been the winner of New Zealand's first medal at these Games but rising sprint star Dawkins later cut a disconsolate figure, unhappy with a time he has bettered routinely in training.
Some frantic adjustments to get the handlebars properly aligned as he sat on the start line took his mind off the job, he admitted.
And the steering problems contributed to him clipping a sponge marker on the inside of the track's black line as he stormed to the finish.
Dawkins, 21, didn't believe bronze would have been silver if he had avoided the marker.
"It wouldn't have slowed me down that much, it wouldn't have put me into the silver medal by not hitting those markers," he said.
Attention will turn to fixing ongoing issues with the handlebars before he contests the team sprint.
"They've been turning a little bit over the last couple of training sessions and I've been trying to get it right," he said.
"It was pushing me up the track because my hands are going towards the right ... it took some of my concentration.
"But you can't blame it on that. At the end of the day, my legs just weren't in it."
