A risky decision<\/p>\n
Surgery was the only option, one carrying a 30 percent chance that Dinham might never walk or ride normally again. \u201cIt was a bit scary. But I couldn\u2019t live like that. Most days I couldn\u2019t walk for more than a few minutes without pain.\u201d On 13th May this year, surgeons in Sydney operated. Six weeks on crutches followed, then painstaking rehabilitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first few rides on the home trainer were 50 watts for 15 minutes,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI really had to start from nothing. Eight weeks after the operation I could finally ride outside again and from there I built up slowly: increasing duration then intensity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout, friends and medical staff kept him going. \u201cI was lucky to have incredible people around me. My friends in Sydney supported me a lot and made plans which I could still be involved in without stressing the injury. For sure without the team, my doctors and physios, my trainer and coach; I wouldn\u2019t be here. For someone without that support I had, solving this would be nearly impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Never letting go of the dream<\/p>\n
Despite the setbacks, quitting never crossed his mind. \u201cI wanted nothing more than to keep cycling. As an Australian it\u2019s so hard to make it as a pro in Europe, and I\u2019d sacrificed so much. I started racing when I was four years old. I couldn\u2019t imagine doing anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
To fill the empty days, Dinham enrolled part-time at university and even took up some swimming. \u201cI realised how important sport is for me, how much being healthy means. Now, riding again with friends in Nice, it feels like I have my life back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eyes on Malaysia<\/p>\n
Dinham\u2019s goals for Langkawi are simple: regain the feeling of racing in a peloton. \u201cI have zero expectations in terms of results,\u201d he says with a smile. \u201cI just want to push my limits again. Honestly, I\u2019ll probably be the most excited rider on the start line. Getting that email with the flight details was surreal. I\u2019ll have to set a reminder, so I don\u2019t miss the plane to Malaysia,\u201d he laughs. Looking ahead, the plan is to finish Langkawi and then Guangxi, build through the winter, and start 2026, ideally at home in Australia, ready to race.<\/p>\n
For someone who once mixed it with riders like Pogacar, Van der Poel and Van Aert at the 2023 World Championships, the next step isn\u2019t about podiums. It\u2019s about gratitude and perspective. \u201cIf I can look back after Langkawi and know I gave everything, I\u2019ll be happy. I just want to do my best and enjoy being back racing with the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
From the icy climbs of rehab to the humid roads of Malaysia, Matt Dinham\u2019s return is a quiet triumph: proof that persistence, patience and the right people can bring a career back to life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A risky decision Surgery was the only option, one carrying a 30 percent chance that Dinham might never…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":163310,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-163309","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}