Lydia Boylan has been called up to the Irish team to replace Mary Costelloe for next week’s An Post Rás na mBan after the latter’s road crash injuries failed to heal in time.
Costelloe was knocked from her bike while training in Dublin recently when a car door opened in her path and the US-based rider sustained torn rotator cuff in her left shoulder, strained calf muscle and a torn hamstring.
The injuries healed sufficiently for her to win the Sprint title at the national track championships last weekend where she beat Boylan to the gold medal.
However, the rigours of a five-day, 400km stage race were thought likely to place too heavy a demand on her not yet fully repaired body.
As a result, the Ireland management have called up Boylan, who added the 500 Metre Time Trial title to her Sprint and Scratch race silver medals in Sundrive Road last weekend.
The London-based Dubliner rode for Ireland in last year’s An Post Rás na mBan, finishing runner-up to Kamilla Sofie Vallin of Denmark by just six seconds.
Ireland manager Gillian McDarby said that it was a tough decision to rest Costelloe but important to consider her long-term health and recovery.
“Mary did the track thinking she was okay and the intensity of the efforts tore her calf muscle even further plus she pulled both her hamstrings due to overcompensation.
“I spoke to her Physio on Tuesday morning and I decided that we needed to put Mary’s recovery first. She could have started but the intensity of the racing would result in further injury thus putting her off the bike for a long time and possibly resulting in causing long term injury.
“It was a tough decision but the right one for Mary and we both agreed that.”
In other team news, Canadian Veronique Fortin has replaced Sarah Piner in the DID Electrical squad. The 2011 Canadian National Champion finished 25th overall in this year’s Giro d’Italia.
