Hayden Roulston (HTC-Highroad) in his new 2011 New Zealand champion's jersey(Image credit: Jean-François Quénet)
Hayden Roulston (HTC-Highroad) at the start(Image credit: Daniel Simms)
Hayden Roulston wins the 2011 Elite Men’s National Cycling Champs.(Image credit: Pete Bruggeman)
New Zealand road champion Hayden Roulston will find out overnight how bad his injuries are after being hit by a car while training in Spain over the weekend.
The accident happened only metres from his home after he had just finished a training ride.
"We just didn't see each other," Roulston said. "We were both going slow which was probably a good thing. I was seconds from home."
Roulston has injured his lower right side of his back and his left shoulder, which took the brunt of his fall. He has not broken any bones but has difficulty bending over and moving his left arm higher than his shoulder.
The double Olympic medallist will visit a doctor for further scans overnight and will then be in a better position to discuss his immediate racing plans with his HTC-Highroad team.
Roulston has had a challenging spring campaign in Europe which has been affected by illness and now the crash.
"It's been a disappointing and really frustrating three weeks," he said. "But I know things can only improve and I'll know more about the extent of the injuries after another visit to the doctor."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Roulston was due to race in the Vuelta Ciclista this week as a build up to this weekend's prestigious Paris -Roubaix one day classic, a race he finished 10th in last year racing ill.
"I had a good result in Paris Roubaix last year when I was really sick and know I could have gone much better than the 10th I got – it showed I could mix it with the best on those big one day classics and I was really looking forward to mixing it up again this year full fit."
"Being sick recently means I have lost some condition which meant racing this week was important to find some race legs and rhythm for Roubaix. I really was on the way back to good form after recent challenges and was really looking forward to this weekend."
Roulston was due to join his team on Thursday to prepare for Paris Roubaix on Sunday. He leaves Europe on Monday to travel home to New Zealand for a short break before heading to Boulder in the United States for some attitude training ahead of the Tour of California in May.
"I'm really looking forward to coming home for a break, relaxing for a bit, recharging, getting over this crash and refocusing on the rest of the season ahead. There is still a lot to aim for and I'm keen to get the year back on track."
