Siobhan Horgan’s plan to launch an all-out assault on the early months of the European season in the hunt for ranking points towards the Olympics have been dealt a blow after she fell and fractured her wrist in a race in France at the weekend.
The Cork rider, who was placed in the A1/A2 Ras Luimni just over a week ago, came down in the Cholet Pays de Loire (1.2) yesterday, Sunday.
It appears she fractured her radius but only realised the extent of the injury after getting back on the bike, regaining contact and finishing 29th. The GSD Gestion rider was part of a group of just over 30 that finish 45 seconds down on French lone winner Audrey Cordon (Vienne Futuroscope) in the 116km race.
“I was fifth at the front of the group going around a corner after around 25km and four out of the five of us went down,” she told stickybottle.
“I think there must have been oil on the road. When you are that far up the group you obviously think you are going to be OK, but…..”
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Horgan said while she was able to continue she felt she had banged her head and hand hard in the fall and after continuing for a period she suspected she may have broken her hand or wrist.
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“In the end I couldn’t stand up (on the pedals) so I didn’t even contest the sprint. I went to a hospital in France yesterday and they thought it was a fracture in my wrist so I have a cast on my right arm now. I was due to ride a World Cup race in Italy next weekend but I just changed my flights and came home because I won’t be able to do it anyway.”
She added she is due to see a specialist in her native Cork on Friday and is hoping she may be able to race again the weekend after next.
“I’m trying to be positive about it but I guess it’s the turbo trainer for me for at least the next few weeks. I was going to ride a race in Ireland the weekend after next anyway so I am hopeful I will still be able to do that; or it will Ras Mumhan after that. I guess I will just have to see how the examination goes on Friday and I’ll know after that.”
Writing in her stickybottle blog just last week, Horgan said she was still hopeful of getting enough UCI points in the months ahead to push her into the top 100 riders in the world and into the Olympic qualification slots.
Her spill on Sunday is an unwelcome disruption at a time when she was clearly going well.
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