Australian rider Amy Gillet has died after she and other riders from the Australian women's team were hit by a car during a training ride in Germany on Monday. Three other team members are reported to be in critical condition after being helicoptered to hospital, and the remaining two have less serious injuries. The other riders involved are Katie Brown, Lorian Graham, Kate Nichols, Alexis Rhodes and Louise Yaxley; all are being treated in hospitals in Leipzig and Zwickau.

The team was riding along the Landstrasse between Zeulenroda and Auma (Kreis Greiz), reconnoitering the course of the opening time trial of the Thueringen Rundfahrt stage race which was scheduled to start today. A car driven by an 18-year woman entered from a slip road on the opposite side of the road. The driver, who had passed her test just four weeks before, apparently lost control of the car and crossed into the lane where the team was riding, hitting all six riders.

The first stage of the Thueringen Rundfahrt has been cancelled. A service of commemoration will be held instead.



farkin hell !!

So Australia isn't the only country which lets imature, incompetant drivers out onto the roads after doing a three point turn and answering a few basic questions like which lever is the hand brake? It's a bloody scandal.

Crikey!

I shall be taking extra care tonight on the ride home.

Man, that sux the big one. Makes me think downhill mountain biking is a safe option.

Update from cyclingnews.com

Based on information made available, the latest information on the team is as follows:

Alexis Rhodes - still in the intensive care unit and her condition is described as "critical". Alexis is understood to have multiple fractures in the thoracic region (the part of the trunk between the neck and the abdomen);
Lousie Yaxley - now stabilised, but her condition is still considered "serious" (which is one level down from "critical");
Katie Brown - at first it was thought Katie may lose a leg, but Fredericks said surgery on her leg was considered successful. In "serious" condition and in recovery after sustaining multiple fractures;
Lorian Graham - in a "satisfactory" condition. Understood to have both collarbones broken, plus broken hands, as well as knee and leg injuries;
Katie Nichols - in a "satisfactory" condition. Had severe deep tissue damage including torn tendons, but again, surgery was considered successful.
Amy Gillett - deceased.

Absolute carnage ! If these girls keep riding they have more guts than me after being in something like that.

absolutely terrible.

very sad day.

yep, can say that again.

Not even Ride mag in the mailbox when I got home can cheer me up tonight, even with my favourite road bike on the cover :(

Cadel top 10 after a nice ride. It's a shame the stage win was never really going to be on, but that's racing I spose. I never thought I'd look forward to an ITT stage in the tour, but I just might be slightly interested this time around :D

yeah, hopefully he can maintain something but the they are so close in time around 10th place it could go either way. He was obviously going for time gap, not the stage, he did tons of work to keep the pace up in that group of 4.

Stueys turn tonite, but I reckon he'll have plenty of company and there'll be keen interest from CA and DVL at the front of the peleton.

Germany's Jorg Ludewig, who rides for Domina Vacanze, said that Evans' tactics had not been to their liking at all.

"Evans' tactics were out of order," he said.
"He's lost a potential 10 allies after that stunt. None of us were very happy about it. I certainly won't be talking to him."

wanka ...

What was that about?

When anyone from Domina Vacanze actually wins something, then we might listen to them.

LOL

He's complaining that Evans attacked the leading group, why, I do not know. Evans is racing for a great GC place, Domina probably wanted to TRY and get a stage win by keeping the group together over the climb. He's an idiot basically.

is that in reference to the breakaway, or somthing that happend at the end?

Come on guys, he's right. Evans should have known better than to actually want to race. GC riders should always aspire to staying on Lance's shoulder in the relative comfort of the peleton for the entire three weeks. :rolleyes:

here's the story....

Evans makes 'new enemies'

From Justin Davis in Pau, France

July 20, 2005



AUSTRALIA's Cadel Evans made "10 new enemies" as he finished fourth on the 16th stage of the Tour de France overnight.



But Lance Armstrong had a blissful day as he continued his countdown to a seventh consecutive Tour win.



The American coolly countered a brief attack by German rival Jan Ullrich as Spaniard Oscar Pereiro took the 16th stage ahead of three breakaway rivals.



Evans enraged his 11-strong group of breakaway companions by attacking 8km from the Aubisque summit, but went on to lose his advantage and then practically led the four stage leaders into the finish at Pau.



The Aussie, aiming for a top 10 spot, was never likely to win a sprint finish and it was no surprise when Pereiro popped out from behind his wheel with 200m to go to claim victory.



Despite being a threat to those riders aiming for a top 10 finish, Evans managed to slip into the group which had formed early in the stage.



They had been hoping to build a solid lead on the chasing bunch in a bid to contend the stage victory among themselves, and so Evans' presence was rather unwelcome.



But the 27-year-old former mountain bike champion decided not to stay with them. His speedy attack left his group trailing and he eventually raced over the summit with a 48sec lead on Pereiro, with Lampre's Mazzoleni not far behind.



Germany's Jorg Ludewig, who rides for Domina Vacanze, said that Evans' tactics had not been to their liking at all.







"Evans' tactics were out of order," he said.

"He's lost a potential 10 allies after that stunt. None of us were very happy about it. I certainly won't be talking to him."



Meanwhile, Armstrong began the day with a 2min 46sec lead on Italian Ivan Basso, of the CSC team, with 1997 race winner Ullrich in fourth place, behind Michael Rasmussen, nearly six minutes adrift of the six-time winner.



After the 16th stage – the last real chance for any of his rivals to claw back time in the mountains – Armstrong's lead held firm. Pereiro, who had been beaten to the finish by American George Hincapie on the most difficult Pyrenean stage on Sunday, encountered what appeared to be a puncture on the descent of the Aubisque Col shortly after he had overtaken stage leader Evans.



A stone had found its way between his wheel and bike frame but, despite a short stoppage, he caught Evans who had been joined by Italian Eddy Mazzoleni and Spaniard Xabier Zandio in the race towards the day's last medium-sized climb.



"I came into the race hoping for a good result in the general classification but the first week was very difficult for me and a lot of riders had the same idea," said Pereiro, who finished 10th overall last year.



"So after I spoke to (teammate) Santiago Botero, who I've been working for here, he said it was fine for me to go for a stage win."



Armstrong did it easy on a day which included the final Col of the race, and of his career – the 16.5km long and unclassified-rated Aubisque.



Ullrich had attacked, more likely in a bid to see if he could steal any time from Rasmussen and Basso, in the top part of the climb but the German's progress was kept in check – both by the conditions, and Armstrong.



"I tried to attack at the top of the Aubisque, and looked back a couple of times to see if I had any chance of taking a lead," said Ullrich.



"But there was a bit of a headwind and I saw that Armstrong didn't look too bad. But I'll still be fighting all the way to Paris."



Armstrong said that Ullrich would not have got very far.



"I have to be honest and say that was probably my best day on the bike," said the American, who after the race pulled on the yellow jersey for the 78th time.



After tonight's (AEST) stage, Armstrong will equal French legend Bernard Hinault's 79 days in the race leader's tunic.



"I don't know why, I don't have an explanation for it but I was just totally confident and the team was very strong.



"I know that from time to time we joke about (riding as if there is) no chain on the bike. Today, there was no chain."

Obviously his definition of 'allies' is different to the one in the dictionary.

Good on Cadel for having a go, I reckon.

You know what gets me, is that it's plainly obvious what teams need to do to get someone on top of the GC, yet Discovery is the only one who have figured it out.

All the other teams are more concerned with in-fighting and being the best 'team' and not concentrating on picking a GC contender and supporting them totally.
That's what Discovery is - a bunch of patsies all there just to support Armstrong.

I've just read his posting on his personal diary from where the quote was lifted. It looks like they made a pact to work together to stay away and everything was humming along nicely. But then Cadel jumped out on the climb which put the escape group in a really bad situation: GC riders would try to catch Cadel. That meant that the (now) chase group were likely to be swallowed up. Poor dears had to do some work.

The crux of his problem appeared to be that Cadel broke the pact. My heart goes out to him

as it was, the chase group didn't get swallowed up even though they were half chasing Cadel. If he had stayed in the group and they were only a few minutes ahead, some of the other teams (Rabo, Gerolsteiner, T-Mobile) may have had a real chance to catch the lead group to eliminate any possibility of Cadel overtaking them in the GC.

Sorry i didnt get back to you yesterday C, was stuck in brisbane all day until too late....

Possibility of a night ride is looking slim.....

Here's a rough translation (sorry very rusty german!) of Ludewig's ramblings:

"I will never forget this stage in my whole life. I have tried every day in this tour, have hoped and have begged to get the right escape group. And today it worked! My third tour and first time in the first ten riders of a stage. On the hammer!

It only by chance that I was in this group. Earlier Iglinski from our team had tried, unsuccessfully, to break away. Then at the 26 kilometer mark there was another break. A big group jumped from the field, and I go along with them. In moments like these you don't think a lot. You just pedal as hard as you can. You ask yourself "Are the legs good?" Yes! You gain hope. 30 seconds on the main field. A quick look back. We ease a little and check out the group, working out who is with us. You guage your chances against the other riders. Today I have the transponder for the sending my pulse values and speed to German TV2 which helps, but I don't get anything from the team radio. I get no direct announcements about our lead. But in the group it is a little unsettled. Information about time gaps and the behavior of the field only becomes clear just as we take food and drinks.

An escape group is an alliance on time. It has be harmonious to work, otherwise there is no chance against the field. However, such alliances hold so long as you show no weakness. Those who cannot follow the tempo are out. But I feel good, and my spirits are high. The rest day has given me adequate strength. Cadel Evans is a real danger for our group, as silly as this sounds. He is too well placed in the overall rankings, so other teams with top 10 GC riders won't let him get away. So we need to work hard at a fast pace. Evans goes out alone briefly. My legs hurt like hell, but the the chase-down works. A "non-attack" pact is worked out. We all ride for and with Evans, to keep him out in front. For that he will stay with the group and let us fight out a sprint victory.

The pact functions. The lead rises, but no by so much that the danger of being caught by the field is eliminated. You count kilometer after kilometer. On the first two climbs I take 28 points for the mountain jersey. Before the base of the Col d'Aubisque we have seven minutes over the field. This increase should see us stay clear with 16 kilometers and seven percent of upward slog over the highest evaluation today. Evans attacks suddenly from the back. Clearly he is the strongest of our group and is able do this. However, should one break a pact like that? It blows up our group. I cannot go with them, and by the top I am behind by one and a half minutes, others even more. Can we make ground on the descent? People: indeed I'd be happy win a stage, but I will not risk my life for it. The descent is extremely dangerous because a lot of bends are covered in gravel. I make no ground riding alone or later with Serrano. Before you would rather fall back into the chasing peleton than use up energy unecessarily. Here you can make up a little bit with strength in store.

The anxiety within the main field puts us in the no-man's land. There are no nice words in our group for Cadel Evans, who holds a two minute advantage with three others. New messages are constantly coming out of the field: that T-mobile and Gerolsteiner are dring the peleton in order to minimize Evans advantage and to secure the places of their GC riders. The kilometers tick down. The advantage comes down more slowly than expected. The last little hill hurts without end because Philippe GILBERT pushes up. What will the others do? You make one last effort even though it hurts so much to get out of the saddle. If nothing the effort has brought our octet back together. I long the red devil's clothes here like never before. The field will catch us in the last kilometer for sure. And then it starts. Hello!? We've already coveredy 154 kilometers out in front today and have 2826 kilometers of tour 2005 in the legs. And now we have a sprint finish. The pulse jumps straight into the red zone, the last stroke will be a relief. Pure emotion. I am fast and finished well. I am angry with Evans. I am happy. Above all I am happy that I can dedicate such a success once and for all to my parents, my friend, my fan and also my sponsors who have something in return for their long support.... "

There was a little bit more dribble but I lost interest :)

Ah bloody sook. I'd piss of two if the bunch I was riding with was dragging their ass.

Did you translate that Munchie? Good work. And here we thought you barely had a grasp even on English. :p

you guys see the hour record has been busted?

http://www.cyclingforums.com/showthr...86#post2057186

AltaVista translates whole pages from the web.

So, in other words hes cranky cause he couldnt hang with Evans up the climb? if they hadnt picked up the pace whos to say that the peleton wouldnt have caught them anyways?