Cycling: Health problem ends Roulston's career

Hayden Roulston celebrates a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in March. Picture / John Borren

The cycling career of New Zealand's Hayden Roulston is suddenly over because of a serious heart condition.

World class Ashburton rider Roulston had his worst fears confirmed after tests at Christchurch Hospital today revealed he was suffering from a potentially life-threatening condition.

He has arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD), which leaves him sometimes short of breath when resting and which can have fatal consequences for sufferers when under stress.

Roulston, 25, has been advised to give the sport away, something he was forced to reluctantly accept.

"This is the worst news anyone could ever get given, being told they can't do something they love. Especially me, this is all I know," Roulston told One News last night.

"All I wanted to do was go through to Beijing (2008 Olympics) 100 per cent and now I can't do it. It's a huge shock."

The condition has impacted on the careers of other elite athletes.

It ended the career of Christchurch triathlete Scott Ballance three years ago.

Roulston's immediate thoughts were to stay with cycling, believing he will look at coaching avenues.

"It's been 15 years of my life and I'd love to give something back."

The injury ends a career which had scaled heights overseas on both the track and road but which was marred by two incidents away from the sport last year.

Roulston's cycling CV is an impressive one but it would have been even better if he hadn't struggled so often with injury or illness as a professional.

Success

He won a team pursuit bronze medal at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, around the time he was tasting enormous success as an amateur based in France.

He signed his first professional contract with French giants Cofidis in 2003 and went on to secure a number of notable results in Europe.

That same year Roulston teamed with Greg Henderson to win a Madison silver at the world championships in Germany.

The pair were seventh in the same event at the 2004 Athens Olympics but Roulston's personal troubles began soon afterwards.

He was found guilty of a drunken attack on two bar staff in Christchurch in June 2004 and fined $800. An appeal later failed.

Roulston was worried the conviction would jeopardise a contract signed with leading American team Discovery Channel but he was allowed to join the team, headed by Tour de France great Lance Armstrong early last year.

More negative headlines followed last October when he was arrested outside a Timaru bar and admitted to a charge of behaving in a disorderly manner, likely to cause violence against people to continue.

Roulston showed remorse for the second conviction and was allowed to continue with Discovery.

However, a month later he quit the team citing "personal reasons".

Roulston appeared to be putting his forgettable year behind him when he signed a professional contract with a smaller American team alongside Henderson.

In January this year he won the Tour de Vineyards around Nelson, raced strongly at the national track championships and convincingly won the Wellington-Wairarapa cycling classic.

Two months later he stormed to the points race silver medal at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

- NZPA