British Cycling coach Justin Grace has lifesaving liver surgery

published 4 November 2016

British Cycling's head sprint coach Justin Grace underwent lifesaving surgery on Wednesday when he received a liver transplant.

The New Zealander, who has previously coached his own nation and France before joining BC two years ago, had reportedly been on the transplant waiting list for a while after suffering from liver failure.

On Wednesday he was admitted to St James Hospital in Leeds and underwent successful surgery that day. He tweeted on Friday that he is out of intensive care.

British Cycling have known about his health for some time and PA report that he has contacted colleagues at the national governing body urging them to sign up the NHS organ donor register, if they haven't already.

Grace remains in hospital and is therefore absent from this weekend's Track World Cup in Glasgow. It is likely that he will will return to work on a part-time basis before Christmas and full-time in 12 weeks.

Grace was one of the coaches who oversaw Great Britain's domination of the track events at the Rio Olympics where every rider won a medal, with six golds in total.

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Chris first started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2013 on work experience and has since become a regular name in the magazine and on the website. Reporting from races, long interviews with riders from the peloton and riding features drive his love of writing about all things two wheels.

Probably a bit too obsessed with mountains, he was previously found playing and guiding in the Canadian Rockies, and now mostly lives in the Val d’Aran in the Spanish Pyrenees where he’s a ski instructor in the winter and cycling guide in the summer. He almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.

British Cycling coach Justin Grace has lifesaving liver surgery

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