Cycling: Roulston's injuries to be assessed

Hayden Roulston. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand professional cyclist Hayden Roulston is to be assessed by a doctor to determine the extent of injuries he suffered after being hit by a car in Spain.

The national road race champion had just completed a training ride near his base in Girona in northern Spain when the accident occurred yesterday.

"We just didn't see each other," he said. "We were both going slow which was probably a good thing. I was seconds from home."

Roulston, 30, hurt his lower back and his left shoulder, but did not break bones in the fall. He has difficulty bending over and moving his left arm higher than his shoulder.

The South Canterbury cyclist is due to compete in the Vuelta Ciclista this week in Spain as preparation for the Paris Roubaix one day classic in France on Sunday.

The HTC Highroad professional, who finished 10th in the classic last year, has had a disrupted start to his European campaign with illness curtailing his involvement at the Tirreno-Adriatico in Italy after two stages.

"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.

"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 before travelling back to New Zealand for a short break.

He is then due to do some high altitude training in Boulder in the United States as preparation for the Tour of California in May.

- NZPA