Amy Gillett
The more I read about this incident, the sadder it gets. A team wiped out by a learning driver who lost control.
And here in the US, there are those, particularly radio talk show hosts and columnists who advocate running cyclists down for sport. I hope Howie is dancing with glee over this.
From this week’s RBR Newsletter:
Aussie Women Recovering
The July 18 accident that killed one Australian national team woman and put 5 others in the hospital is being called the worst training tragedy ever for an elite group of cyclists. The women were on a pre-race “leg stretcher” in Germany when a young driver lost control of her car and hit them head-on.
Amy Gillette, 29, died at the scene. But there is better news for survivors. Two of the most seriously injured have been taken off heavy sedation and are conscious again. Louise Yaxley, 23, woke up on Saturday (5 days after the accident) and Alexis Rhodes, 20, came to a day later. Both riders are still immobilized and face further surgery as part of a long recovery process, according to cyclingnews.com.
The other women — Kate Nichols, 20; Lorian Graham, 27; and Katie Brown, 21 — have been sharing a hospital room and are improving. They are expected to be released in the next 10 days for flights home.
The Amy Gillett-Safe Cycling Foundation (Safe was her maiden name) has been established to provide support for the rehabilitation of her 5 teammates, begin a scholarship program for young women cyclists and promote road safety
awareness. For information about donations, e-mail acf.info@cycling.org.au with “Foundation” in the subject line.
July 28th, 2005 at 3:27 pm
Well… that’s thoroughly depressing. :^(
It’s tough, because a bicycle is not the same as a motorcycle, which can keep up with the speed of other traffic while on the road. (This is why they’re safer there, not that “loud pipes save lives” nonsense.) Bicycles, you have to pass them, and since I don’t even trust other cars when I’m /driving/, cyclists are really at a disadvantage with regards to safety.
As for the loudmouths, they’re best to be ignored.
July 31st, 2005 at 9:48 am
The really disturbing thing about this is, first, it was a learner driver. Where was the adult in the car?
Plus, just the sheer size and scope of the thing. It’s not unheard of for a rider to be hurt or killed. Garrett Wonders [photo], a ride from George Hincapie’s South Carolina team was struck from behind & killed by a pickup truck a couple of years ago and there’s now a criterium held in his memory every year.
Even Lance Armstrong himself has written in his books about being run off the road by pickup trucks trying to play chicken.
It’s losers like Howie Carr that legitimize this sort of thing and make into a fun game.