A cyclist has been forced to pull out of the Tour of Britain after she said she was struck by a 4×4 and verbally abused by the driver.
Kate Richardson, a road and track cyclist from Glasgow, has enjoyed a decorated early career, including national and junior European championships.
After winning the recent Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix, the 21-year-old was looking ahead to this week’s Tour of Britain.
However, she described how she was hit at “high speed” by a car while training, leading to her suffering a broken collarbone after it had just healed following an injury earlier this year.
Richardson said she also has severe bruising across her right hip and “road rash” – a term used for friction wounds caused when cyclists crash and skid on a road.
In a social media post, Richardson said the crash was “incredibly hard to accept” and “just should have never happened”.
She wrote on Instagram: “I was on a narrow single track road, no more than three metres wide, on a blind bend and clearly the driver couldn’t wait ten more seconds to overtake me.
“He decided to try and squeeze his huge 4×4 past me at a high speed, hitting me hard and knocking me off my bike.
“Initially, he just drove on but turned around and came back later to verbally abuse and threaten me before getting back in his car and driving off again.”
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Richardson said another driver came across her and helped her up and gave her a lift home.
However, due to the crash, she will miss this year’s Tour of Britain, which is taking place from 6 to 9 June.
“This is a lot more than just a physical injury, it was incredibly scary and I count myself lucky that I walked away relatively unscathed compared to what it could have been,” Richardson wrote.
The incident was her fourth serious crash in the last year and she said it would take some time to overcome mentally, describing it as “hugely disappointing”.
In response, Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey said: “Utterly dreadful news, hoping Kate makes a speedy recovery & after the physical injuries have healed she can manage the psychological impact.”
Police were made aware of the incident, which is said to have happened in Yorkshire, and have been approached for comment.
