Feature photo and photos below courtesy of Belgian photographer Julien De Bock or otherwise indicated
3 Irish girls have been racing yesterday in Scheldewindeke in East Flanders…A UCI 1.17.3 race for Elite Women with 100 entries…big field and our Megan Armitage (Illi-Bikes) got away solo and took more than a minute “up the road” when disaster struck…at a roundabout, a marshal pointed Megan the wrong way and was not allowed to continue…Megan told me “It sucks a bit when you get away solo with a 1min gap and the Marshall turns you the wrong way. Super bummed… I wasn’t allowed to continue but these things happen! I went to see the comms after the race, but they just said it was bad luck and I should have known the course which is fair. It’s just hard when you presume the Marshall is pointing you in the right direction and the road ahead was blocked by a car. I just wish they had told me as I could have turned! I’m so happy for Imogen she had an amazing race I was cheering her from the sidelines! Canny wait for the next one this young talented lady told me this morning ” Megan’s week didn’t start well in Belgium, after her first race last weekend (which she was 10th) she got some broken parts on the bike…Megan got in contact with me for some contact info …I got in touch with our good friend Freddy Jansegers who is a big supporter of Irish women cycling and ex bike shop owner in Puurs..he got in contact with a mechanic (I think from EVO=PRO) and things been sorted very quick (thanks to all involved) and then this bad luck ..oh well …she is ready to go again!! Back to the race and Imogen Cotter got in the break with a dutch girl Claudia Ongerius (Bingoal CT) and stayed away…it was left to a sprint which Imogen narrowly lost…the peloton had to sprint one minute later for 3rd place in which the other Irish girl Michelle Geoghegan (Isorex) in the race was 37th in the same time. All safe home and that is always the best of the story… well-done girls xx
