CYCLIST Ciara Horne will proudly take to the track and road in Glasgow to represent Wales but at the start of the year she feared her Commonwealth Games dream was over thanks to a Duffryn pothole, writes Chris Kirwan.

The 24-year-old, who lives in Langstone, was riding to the National Velodrome in Newport from the Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff with her teammate Hayley Jones when she took a tumble on Lighthouse Road.

She suffered a broken right collarbone and went under the knife in January to have a plate inserted in her shoulder.

“I was pretty concerned that could be it,” said Horne. “The lorry driver who swerved to miss me asked me ‘what are you training for in the rain?’ and when I told him the Commonwealth Games he said you might not be going to that now.

“But he was brilliant support and it was a bit of a team-bonding exercise because Hayley didn’t know what to do, I said ring an ambulance and she asked what number!

“Everything had been going so well and I had a great winter of training, so I was absolutely gutted. But everything happens for a reason and I am stronger than ever on the bike now and looking forward to Glasgow.”

The rehab and hard graft paid off on Monday when Horne, who started cycling in 2009 when a shoulder injury ended her swimming career, was named in Wales’ 17-strong team for Glasgow.

“It’s a huge opportunity and I am exceptionally proud to represent Wales in my first Commonwealth Games,” she said.

“A lot of hard work has gone into this; we are in a massive training block at the moment and are permanently tired.

“A lot of hours have been spent on the road and track and a lot of time and effort has gone in from all the cycling staff at Sport Wales, there is a huge team behind us hoping to help us get on that podium.”