AMANDA INVOLVED IN BIKE CRASH

Yesterday morning (Saturday February 26th) Amanda was riding on the regular Noosa bunch ride when she became tangled in a bike crash involving several cyclists. The incident occured when a member of the bunch was trying to overtake some riders on the outside and as he accelerated out of the saddle his gears skipped causing him to rocket sharply sideways into young Swiss ITU athlete Marc Widmer which in turn took them both down. Unfortunately for Amanda it was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and with nowhere for her to go she was taken down along with others behind her. The bunch was swapping turns in a paceline so the speeds were hovering around 45km an hour when they crashed so injuries were widespread.

I was actually on a different ride with Belinda and Justin Granger and Eduardo Sturla heading towards Maleny when we got a phone call saying Amanda had been involved in the accident. As chance would have it I was only several kilometers away from Nambour hospital which was the most likely place she would be taken so I was able to ride there and actually arrive before she did!

Thanks to many of our friends that were riding in the bunch Amanda was in good hands. Complaining of very sore ribs and hip they stabilized her at the scene and didn't move her till the ambulance arrived. Amanda was taken to Nambour hospital along with Marc who had a suspected broken collarbone and wrist. The other cyclists did not need to be taken to hospital but most suffered bad road rash. Amanda spent several hours in the hospital and after X-rays were taken it was discovered she had fractured ribs on her right side. We were relieved to find that her hip and pelvis did not have any breaks or fractures as it it looks likely in the beginning.

The tragic thing for Amanda is we were due to leave to New Zealand on Monday for her to compete at next weekends Ironman New Zealand in Taupo. She had worked hard in her training and was looking forward to a good race there after the disappointment of having to withdraw from Ironman Wisconsin with a broken wheel. For those that know Amanda she has a strong will and while she is upset to miss the race next weekend it hasn't stopped her from looking forward to her next Ironman in Brazil at the end of May.

A big thanks goes out to Charmbo, Tim De Vries, Robb Major and Dan MacPherson and others for looking after Amanda at the scene. Kirsten our friend visiting from Germany for everything she has done since the crash and again Dan for taking time out of his Saturday to drive out to Nambour to pick us all up and get Amanda home safely after she was released from hospital.

Many thanks to all the people that have sent messages, emails and phone calls with their concern. It really lifted Amanda's spirits to have the support and love!

Amanda's bike doesn't look so good after the crash

Why you should always wear a helmet kids!