Cycling: Roulston set to miss Tour de France

Hayden Roulston. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand cyclist Hayden Roulston is back racing after almost four months on the sidelines but has virtually given up hope of taking part in this year's Tour de France.

The Team HTC-Highroad rider, who injured his lower back and left shoulder when he was knocked off his bike by a car while training in Spain in early April, finished the five-day Ster ZLM tour in the Netherlands yesterday, his first race since the crash.

The Ashburton 30-year-old finished 34th on general classification, but was to the fore on the final 191km stage around Etten-Leur, battling gales to help secure the stage victory for teammate Leigh Howard.

It was a welcome return to competition for Roulston after a season blighted first by flu and then a longer than expected rehabilitation from his injuries.

"I felt great again, and it's such a nice feeling. I don't know how I'm so good already considering the time I've had away from racing," he said on his blog.

But Roulston expected his stop-start season would count against him making the nine-strong team for the 21-stage epic over 3430.5km from July 2-24.

"I won't be waiting for a call, I know I've missed a lot of racing, but I am fit enough, fresh enough to go that's for sure. But the best men now have to go, so I will probably miss the tour," he said.

Roulston was left off the HTC-Highroad team for the Tour de France last year after riding in the 2009 edition for his previous team Cervelo.

The double medallist on the track at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 was targeting a stage win in coming races in an attempt to salvage something from his season.

"I'm focused and committed on getting onto that podium. When and where is yet to be determined, but the old me is back, and that is already a huge thing," he said.

Fellow New Zealander Julian Dean, who failed to finish the final stage of the Ster ZLM tour, is expected to be named in the Garmin-Cervelo team to compete in cycling's feature event for the seventh time.

Another New Zealander waiting for the call from his team boss is Team Sky's Greg Henderson who, at the age of 34, is seeking his first Tour de France start.

Henderson won stages on Paris-Nice and the Tour of California earlier this year and completed the nine-stage Tour of Switzerland yesterday, a traditional warm-up for the Tour de France. He is understood to be on the shortlist for selection

- NZPA