Delhi Commonwealth Games cycling medalist Hayden Roulston has been ruled out of the New Zealand team for Glasgow with an achilles tendon injury.
Roulston will return to Christchurch after being forced to abandon on stage five of the prestigious Criterium du Dauphine in France this week.
He suffered from a sore right foot and then developed an achilles injury in his left foot as a result of over-compensation. After being caught up by a crash on stage five, he abandoned the race.
The Trek Factory Racing rider said although he was hopeful of recovering from the injury in the next few weeks, his lack of competitive racing would leave him ill-equipped to be fully competitive in Glasgow.
“I can’t be sure that I would be 100 per cent recovered, although this is more niggling injury than serious,” Roulston said.
“Even if I came right quickly, I need international races to get in prime shape. A race like the Commonwealth Games is not something you can contemplate off training.
“I would not go just to make up the numbers. That’s not fair on me or the others. If I can’t be certain of being in shape to win the race, then I don’t want to start.”
Roulston said will return to Christchurch for the birth of his second child.
BikeNZ high performance director Mark Elliott says he is disappointed for Roulston, who he believes would have been a prime contender with the course in Glasgow suiting his attributes.
Elliott said Roulston had shared some thoughts on potential replacements, and BikeNZ would make a decision closer in the coming weeks, with a number of the riders still competing in Europe.
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