News.com.au: Friends mourn cyclist Gillett - 18 July, 2006

Amy Gillett’s former Australian cycling teammates have honoured the Olympian on the first anniversary of her fatal training accident Germany. Members of the national women’s team spoke fondly of their friend and colleague after an emotional memorial service in the town of Zeulenroda, near the scene of the tragedy.

Gillett was killed and five of her teammates seriously injured when an out-of-control car ploughed into them on a training run. Three of the surviving cyclists attended a press conference today in the German hospital where they spent several months recuperating. “She had so much talent and she was just an amazing person,” one of those injured, Katie Brown, said in a tribute to Gillett today.

Kate Nichols, who has resumed her riding career, also told how the injured riders felt it was important to return to the site. “I really wanted to come here to remember Amy and pay my respects, but I also wanted to come here and create some new memories,” Ms Nichols said. “Just coming back here is important,” fellow rider Louise Yaxley agreed before being overcome with emotion. Gillett, who had represented Australia in rowing at the 1996 Olympics, was 29 when she died.

Her parents Denis and Mary Safe made their first visit to the site of the crash this week. They also joined with the injured riders and Amy’s husband Simon Gillett, plus friends and members of the cycling community at the crash site today. A stone plaque was unveiled carrying messages in English and German which describe what happened on that terrible day. Cycling Australia’s high performance director Shayne Bannan has referred to it as the loss of a generation of Australian women’s cycling.

Alexis Rhodes and Kate Nichols are back racing, but Katie Brown, Lorian Graham and Louise Yaxley have not resumed full training. “Basically we lost a generation of women’s cyclists within our structure – there’s been a real rebuilding process by the women’s program and individuals,” Bannan said this week.

“The anniversary will be the opportunity, of course, to pay tribute to Amy and also a really good opportunity for the whole group to get together and talk about the planning, talk about the lead-in to Beijing and how we’re going to move women’s cycling forward once more.”