Being sick did not stop Hayden Roulston from collecting silver in last night’s Commonwealth Games 168 kilometre road race.
Hayden Roulston
(Photo: Marin de Ruyter, Nelson Mail; click to enlarge)
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Well executed New Zealand team tactics saw the double Olympic medallist and his Kiwi team mates nearly get rid of all of the field’s strong sprinters, including the world’s premier sprinter and 15 times Tour de France stage winner – and Roulston’s HTC Columbia team mate – Mark Cavendish.
Roulston developed stomach problems and was “crook as a dog” on the morning of the race and had even contemplated not racing but said the drive of racing for New Zealand was very motivating.
"The whole plan was to make things as hard as possible on a flat course," Roulston said.
Marc Ryan, Sam Bewley and Gordon McCauley led a six-man break in the early stages of the race before it was reduced to two.
McCauley joined Northern Ireland's David McCann in a breakaway at the front of the race for more than two hours.
They were eventually caught, but Roulston and Jack Bauer were in the chasing bunch and with 40 kilometres remaining Bauer went on a solo attack.
Bauer was eventually caught and with one 14 kilometre lap remaining it was down to a group of eight riders which split halfway around the lap into two with Roulston in the leading group of four.
Australian Allan Davis managed to bridge across to the leading four and was the strongest in the final sprint being lead out by Countryman and fellow quick man Chris Sutton, to claim the gold ahead of Roulston.
Roulston now plans to take a short break before building up to race for a Calder Stewart composite NZ team in the Powernet Tour of Southland early next month.
