I would like to take a break from the normal blog and make a serious post. I started to put this in a normal message (about my ride last week), but decided it should have is own post - I will continue as usual tomorrow.

Yesterday, Monday July 18, was not a good day for Women’s Professional Cycling around the world. And seeing as I have quite a vested interest in the sport, I thought I should mention it here. While pre-riding the course for the upcoming Thuringen Rundfahrt (sort of a “Tour of Germany” for women), the entire Australian National Team, aged 20, 23, 22, 20, 27, and 29, was hit head-on by a car, killing one rider immediately and severely injuring all 5 others. The team was descending a hill when a car driven by a newly licensed 18 year old German girl lost control and entered their lane, striking all 6 riders. The rider killed, 29 year old Amy Gillett, was an Olympian in 1996 and was still one of Austraila’s top female riders. The opening stage of the race, scheduled for today, was cancelled and a memoriam was held instead.

This isn’t meant to scare anyone or make them worry even more about cyclists we know and love ourselves, because these accidents happen from time to time, in Europe, America and everywhere else. The only thing we can do is to make sure that as riders and drivers, we are always fully aware of our surroundings, and we always ride and drive within our means and abilities.

Team AIS

Team AIS