Cycling: Roulston quits Discovery team

New Zealand Olympic cyclist Hayden Roulston has quit his glamour American Discovery Channel team citing "personal reasons".

Roulston confirmed his resignation today, but declined to elaborate.

"There's nothing I want to say," he told NZPA.

Discovery Channel announced that Roulston, 24, had been released from his 2006 contract at his request.

According to the cyclingnews.com website, Roulston personally made the request of team manager Johan Bruyneel just weeks before the team's annual December training camp in Austin, Texas.

The website reported there was no reason given.

Roulston missed much of the 2005 season -- his first with Discovery Channel -- because of illness and injuries, but in a recent interview he said he was looking forward to 2006.

"Although it was me who asked to leave the team it was still a very hard and emotional decision to make," Roulston was quoted as saying on cyclingnews.com.

"The team has been nothing but supportive through this very difficult year and I thank them for that."

Roulston was convicted of disorderly behaviour last month after becoming involved in a brawl outside a Timaru bar on October 16.

A Discovery spokesman said then that the Ashburton rider would stay with the team.

Discovery had earlier warned Roulston to keep out of trouble after his conviction on a similar charge last year.

Bruyneel told cyclingnews.com he respected Roulston's honesty and appreciated him "reaching out to me".

"We all wish him the best."

Roulston this month pulled out of the New Zealand track team for the Oceania championships starting in Wanganui on November 30.

BikeNZ high performance manager Michael Flynn said Roulston, who was named for the endurance events, was just back in training and not ready to race.

He did not heal well after an operation in April to remove a recurring cyst and Roulston returned home from Belgium in August after missing a number of races with Discovery.

Roulston later said injuries and his most recent court case had nothing to do with his decision to quit.

He was sick of racing in Europe.

"I've just decided I want to do something different," he told radio station NewstalkZB.

He said while his Discovery contract was a "lucrative deal" money did not buy happiness.

"So I want to do what makes me happy.

"Hopefully I'm going to ride in America with an American team and maybe come back and start riding the track again."

Roulston said he wanted to make the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team for Melbourne in March and had his sights set on the world championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

- NZPA