Crash inury forces Hoy out of Track World Champs

Injuries he sustained in a dramatic crash racing in the keirin during the Copenhagen rounds of the track world cup mean Sir Chris Hoy will not compete in the UCI World Track Cycling Championshis in Poland later this month.

Hoy suffered what is know as a 'degloving injury' in the high-speed crash, which happened in the closing stages of the World Cup Keirin Final two and a half weeks ago.

Roger Palfreeman, the GB team doctor, explained the nature of the problem: “This type of injury is quite serious and pretty rare. It's when the skin and the underlying tissue and fat get separated from the underlying muscle. The tissues are not bound down as they should be, which has created a space for fluid to collect in. The fluid can be drained off, but every time Chris exercises or gets on his bike, the tissues are tearing again and the fluid's coming back in to that space. He needs to give himself a decent amount of time to let the injury heal, which is why we've advised him not to compete in the Worlds.'

Chris has modified his training programme and received ongoing treatment to his right hip in a bid to make it to the world championships. However, he was advised today by the GB medical team that he should stop training and riding his bike, in order to allow his hip enough time to heal properly and to avoid further damage.
 
Chris said: 'I'm hugely disappointed that I'm not going to be riding in the Worlds. I've been really lucky in my career so far and this is the first time I've had to miss a major championship event due to injury. I'm glad it didn't happen this time last year and I'm still totally focused on being in the best shape possible for London 2012. This doesn't affect my long term aim of defending my titles and I'll hopefully be back in training and competition in the near future. I wish the team the best of luck in Poland.'