Wilson breaks hand on Tour of Bejing eve
Climbing specialist out of WorldTour race and Jayco Herald Sun Tour
Garmin-Cervelo's Matt Wilson is a late withdrawal from the inaugural Tour of Beijing which starts today, following an incident in training.
Wilson, part of a line-up which included Jack Bobridge, Heinrich Haussler, Michel Kreder, Cameron Meyer, David Millar, Andrew Talansky and Johan Vansummeren for the WorldTour event, reportedly crashed during a training ride on Tuesday on an oil-slicked road which resulted in a broken hand.
The 34-year-old is on his way home to Melbourne, leaving Garmin-Cervelo a man down for the five-stage event.
The injury will also rule Wilson out of next week's Jayco Herald Sun Tour, which he won in 2007. Having grown up not far from the Tour's penultimate stage which will take in Arthurs Seat, Wilson who will join GreenEdge in 2012, is disappointed
"The boys and I had talked about it and I had set myself for it," Wilson told the Herald Sun.
"Getting injured in a race is one thing but training accidents are frustrating – it's a crazy sport."
It's been a frustrating season for the courageous Australian, after he was forced to retire from the Giro d'Italia following a battle with a stomach virus.
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Wilson will not be replaced for the Tour of Beijing and Cyclingnews has contacted the team regarding a replacement for the climber for the Jayco Herald Sun Tour.