Sometimes, Plan B is wiser than Plan A -- or at least healthier.
Olympic gold medalist and triathlon pioneer Simon Whitfield could skip the running portion of the elite triathlon at the world championships this weekend in Budapest after a German driver caused him to crash on his bike Tuesday and Whitfield damaged his knee.
He may wind up "doing a domestique" for teammate Kyle Jones, pacing him through the swim and cycling sections of the race before letting Jones take charge in the 10-km run.
"I've had the season I've been avoiding for the past 14 years," Whitfield said in a conference call Thursday. He hasn't been on the podium but spent a lot of time on a therapy table. Whitfield's best finish in 2010 was in fifth spot at the season-opener in Sydney. He's now picking his spots as a senior athlete.
"I'm still looking forward to the challenge of London. I still feel I have a lot left in my tank."
Whitfield, the two-time Olympic medal winner and former Commonwealth Games champion is still spry at 35, but not quite quick enough to get out of the way of an obstinate driver last Tuesday at Saarbrucken, Germany, west of Frankfurt, where the German Olympic training centre is located.
"It was really a stupid accident," Whitfield said of the incident, in which emotions played a big role. The Canadian said the German tried to edge him off the road as the bicycle lane was ending.
"I banged on the side passenger window to tell him I was there." said Whitfield, whose bike jumped the curb, clipped an electrical box and catapulted him over the handle bars.
He said he almost came to blows with the angry and upset driver. Thoughts of his daughters calmed Whitfield, while the driver looked for scratches on his car. Ultimately, a police officer settled the dispute with no charges.
Whitfield, continued to train in the water and rode on a borrowed bike. He has been waiting until a Friday jog to test the knee for running. "The knee hasn't been co-operating," he said.
He was already making plans in case he cannot complete the men's elite race Saturday -- helping out Jones as Colin Jenkins of Hamilton, Ont., offered to do for him at the Beijing Olympics. "Why not, if it's not going to hurt me? It's about putting our best athletes forward."
Whitfield, of Victoria, and Paula Findlay of Edmonton, who races Sunday, are the top marquee Canadians in the championships. They lead a group of 186 Canadian athletes competing in a variety of race disciplines: elite; Under-23; juniors; Para-Triathlon; age-group categories; and aquathlon.
Whitfield and Jones, of Oakville, Ont., compete in the men's elite race. Findlay, currently eighth in the women's standings, is the lone Canadian in the women's elite event Sunday.
Kirsten Sweetland and Jeff Philipps of Victoria and Andrew Yorke of Caledon, Ont., are Canada's entries in the world under-23 championships Saturday.
Alison Hooper, Matt Sharpe and Christine Ridfenour of Victoria, Alexander Hinton of Kingston, Ont., Joanna Brown of Carp, Ont., and Cole Stewart of Langley, B.C., comprise the Canadian team for the world junior championship Sunday.
Findlay, 21, became the first woman to win back-to-back world championship series races, plus a World Cup, International Triathlon Union Pan-Am Cup and the Canadian national championships this season.
"Paula's come in very, very early, while Simon's been able to maintain his performance after many years," said triathlon high performance director Kurt Innes. "He's a legend, but the story gets better that we have others coming through. The springboard of (Whitfield's inaugural Olympic gold) in 2000. Winning gold, you inspire a nation."