Not for the squeamish! Cooper took to Instagram to explain that he had done a ‘Buck Shelford’ and torn open his scrotum in the savage OTB.

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For New Zealander Anton Cooper this weekend’s World Cup race at Mont Sainte Anne is one he will remember, for all the wrong reasons. The Trek Factory Team rider unfortunately crashed out of the race on the last lap after a mistake on the notorious Beatrice rock garden descent. The fact that Cooper crashed out whilst in second position and challenging for his first ever World Cup win would have been devastating enough but as the post crash footage shows, a wincing facial expression gave some indications as to the location of his worst injury.

Writing in his picture caption, “I’d also like to thank the Kiwi legend Buck Shelford for the inspiration to make it to the finish line with some torn manhood, nothing a few stitches couldn’t fix!”. Buck Shelford was a legendary eighties All Blacks rugby captain who had his scrotum torn at the bottom of a ruck in a match and got the team physiotherapist to sew it back up so he could carry on playing.

Just like Shelford Anton Cooper continued the race, once he had retrieved his bike from below the track. Incredibly he still finished in a credible sixth place, just one minute forty seconds behind eventual winner Mathias Fluekiger of Switzerland. Talking afterwards Cooper explained, “It’s gutting because I felt strong and I came so close, but that is racing. I’ve got a sore arm and shoulder but nothing too serious. I’m hungrier than ever to win one of these things soon”

Cooper’s crash left him nattered and bruised in some very painful places.

Cooper intends competing in the final race of the 2018 World Cup at La Bresse, France on August 24-26.