Star cycling defector Matt Richardson has been sidelined because of injury, denying the Glasgow Commonwealth Games of one of its top drawcards. The Kent-born star’s showdown with former teammate Leigh Hoffman shaped as arguably the biggest story of the Glasgow Games. He would have competed in the team sprint when the track program starts on Thursday night (AEST). “The Aussies want me to smash him, the Brits want him to smash me and that’s the way it goes,” Hoffman said when the Australian cycling Games team was announced. Richardson, Hoffman and Matt Glaetzer, who has retired, won Australia a breakthrough bronze medal in the team sprint at the Paris Olympics.