Joseph Breaks Wrist in Practice for Olympic Mountain Bike Decider

The Olympic aspirations of mountain biker Rosara Joseph received a blow when she broke her wrist in practice for this weekend’s UCI World Cup in France.

The 30 year old Rabobank Giant professional suffered the injury in preparations for Monday’s race at La Bresse, which is the final qualifying opportunity for the London Olympics.

Joseph, locked in a battle with fellow New Zealander Karen Hanlen for the solitary spot in the team for the cross country, has broken two bones in her wrist.

She told BikeNZ that she has been taken to hospital where she will have a screw inserted into the wrist.

Joseph, who finished in the top 10 at the Beijing Olympics, expects to be out of action for six weeks to eight weeks.

“It’s a real blow for Rosara who was getting back to best form,” said BikeNZ’s Andy Reid. “I understand that La Bresse is an extremely challenging course both physically and technically and it is very disappointing news.

“That said, we are still looking for a really strong showing from Karen this weekend to show that last week’s 26th placing, on the back of some mechanical problems, was an aberration. And we definitely do not want any more injuries.”