I often follow cycling on TV, I was a keen cyclist in my youth. I hung on to my Claude Butler, for a few years after I bought my first car. A friend and I used to do the "Brighton Run," on warm summer days. It was only about 40 miles from our homes. I enjoy watching track cycling. British riders have had a lot of success over the years. Last night was the final of the Champions League. The last track event of the year. In the second round of the Women's Keirin, our rider Katy Marchant was one of the six competitors. The race involves the riders following in line a motorcycle, until it reaches the required speed after three laps and then pulls off the track. The race is then on for a total of six laps. It is, a legitimate tactic to try to push other riders out of the way, shoulder to shoulder. There's always a possibility of an accident, with riders often colliding and ending up sliding off the track Towards the end of the race, Katie drew alongside the German rider, Alessa-Catriona Propster as she attempted to pass her, this boxed in the German girl, who tried to push Katy out of the way. This is what happened. Their cycles must have become locked together. Katy is the one furthest away from the camera. This a new higher at 1.4mtr plexiglass or whatever barrier, which cost £250,000 to prevent riders coming off the track and ending up in the spectator seats. It's happened before. But it didn't work. That's Katy, landing on her head, with her bike, the other girl and her bike, on top of her. This could have been very serious, fortunately, some spectators and Propster, had only minor injuries and Katy just a broken forearm. They need to re-think the barrier, as accidents like this are not uncommon. Track speeds get progressively higher. The track has a steep camber. It's not like ice hockey, where players regularly get pushed into the barrier and then bounce off. Here, the riders were travelling at high speed up a steep incline. The barrier will have given a bit, but then helped to propel the riders up in the air and over. Hopefully after this crash, Katy will recover and be able to ride again next season, but at 31 she might decide to call it a day.
