O'Loughlin may miss Tour of Ireland

An Post Sean Kelly's David O'Loughlin may have to miss his home Tour of Ireland due to injuries suffered in a serious crash in stage four of the Sachsen Tour in Germany this past weekend.

The Mayo native fell heavily after a collision with another rider and had a minor operation on his face in Germany before flying back to Dublin on Sunday. He is currently hoping to recover for the August 21 start in Ireland.

"It's a nasty injury but also looks bad as it is his face," An Post team manager Kurt Bogaerts said. "He collided with a rider in front of him but it was not David's fault, there was nothing he could have done.

"It's not looking great for David in terms of being ready for the Tour of Ireland in a few weeks, but you never know as it is a while away, so we will just have to wait and see. The team and sponsors wishes him well and hopes he has a speedy recovery."

The team is also hoping for a quick recovery of Paidi O'Brien, who suffered a serious injury training last month.

O'Brien injured his hand when he was on a training run the day after the National Championships, where he had placed third behind winner Nicholas Roche and O'Loughlin.

"It's a bad injury to my hand but I am hopeful of being fit in time for the Tour of Ireland," O'Brien said. "It's not looking great but I'm getting physiotherapy and every day I can see improvements. I got back on the bike last week and trained a few times, so you never know, but I really hope I can recover and take part in the Tour as it's a massive race."

The three-day Tour of Ireland takes place on 21st to 23rd August.