High-speed crash puts end to Roche Rás hopes

ANDY ROCHE, winner of the title in 1997, has been forced to pull out of next week’s FBD Insurance RÁS following a disastrous crash 500m from the finish of Sunday’s Rutland GP.

The Murphy & Gunn/Newlyn rider was set to round off his Rás preparations in style as he grabbed the lead from Rob Sharman in a two-man sprint to the line but his wheel got stuck in a rut on the cobblestone finishing straight and he broke his collarbone in a crashing fall.

“It was nothing short of an absolute disaster,” Murphy & Gunn Team Manager, Declan Byrne, said. “So much of our plans had been hanging on Andy. With him in the line-up I would have expected us to win the team time trial because he is a super time triallist.”