Claims upset Williams

Christchurch cyclist Alan Williams is annoyed at being painted as a reckless villain for his part in the crash that forced defending champion Hayden Roulston out of the Tour of Southland on Monday.

Williams has been vilified on websites since the accident and was threatened after the accident by New Zealand representative Gordon McCauley, who was also involved in the crash. He also referred to Williams as a C-grade rider.

Things got so bad on Tuesday that the organiser of a cycle race on the West Coast, that Williams had entered, left a message to say "don't bother turning up".

That decision has since been reversed after Roulston intervened on Williams' behalf. Roulston was more angry at officials after the accident and rang Williams on Tuesday to say there were no "hard feelings".

Williams has not heard from McCauley and does not expect to.

"I don't think he and I would ever get on that well."

Williams said the insinuations were he crashed into the bunch at high speed, but he says the facts were different.

He was in a breakaway of seven riders at the head of the field and behind them was a major crash involving 40 riders. Officials then caught up with the leading bunch and "neutralised" the race.

"Hayden and Gordon McCauley were in a group that caught us as the officials slowed the race down. We were travelling at 20-30kmh when I saw a friend up ahead and went to ride between Hayden and Gordon to talk to my friend.

"I touched handlebars with Hayden and we went down.

"I wasn't racing at the time as has been stated," said Williams.

He was piqued at McCauley's description of him:

"That C-grade rider was in the sprinter's jersey at the end of the first day and was still wearing it when he pulled out yesterday."

Williams pulled out on Tuesday after crashing himself.

He was riding a borrowed bike with the breaks switched to the opposite sides.

"I went into a corner aggressively and hit the break expecting it to be the front one, but it was the back break and the bike slid from under me.

"I thought it best then to pull out of the tour."

It was a wrench. His goal was to hold the sprint jersey until the finish of the tour on Saturday.

Aged 23, Williams has been racing only two years and while he is serious about the sport he has no designs on a professional career.

A civil engineer, he has a full-time job and said his career was important to him.

"If someone said `try cycling for two years to see what you can do and there is a job waiting for you if it doesn't work out', I might try and see what I could do.

"But I'm not willing to give up my career for cycling."

- © Fairfax NZ News