Swiss female cyclist forced to ‘pause’ in a race after catching up with men’s pack

For this female athlete, this bizarre incident was an “awkward moment.”

A breakaway female cyclist said she was forced to stop during a prestigious one-day cycling race in Belgium on Saturday after catching up the tail end of the pack for the men’s cycling event, which kicked off 10 minutes earlier.

Swiss Nicole Hanselmann, a professional cyclist from Bigla Team, said she was halted during the annual Omloop Het Nieuwsblad race after establishing an early sizeable lead in the women’s pack and was in danger of being impeded by the men’s support vehicles.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuhmXSzncxe/?utm_source=ig_embed

“Today was the first spring classic in Belgium. I attacked after 7km, and was alone in the break for around 30 km…,” Hanselmann wrote on Instagram.

“But then an awkward moment happened and I almost saw the back of the men’s peloton… May the other women and me were [too] fast or the men [too] slow,” she added.

Hanselmann continued that she was given a headstart and allowed to resume after a five-minute pause but fell back and eventually finished the contest in the 74th place.

“After the neutralization, I was caught up again and finished the race on the 74th place,” she said.

The racing event also reported in its Twitter account the “neutralization of our women race” because of “very slow men’s race.”

Neutralisation of our women race at railroad crossing in Sint-Denijs-Boekel in #OHNWomen #ohn19 due to a very slow mens race. riders will restart with same timings

— Omloop Nieuwsblad (@OmloopHNB) March 2, 2019

“Neutralisation of our women race at the railroad crossing in Sint-Denijs-Boekel in #OHNWomen #ohn19 due to a very slow men’s race. riders will restart with same timings,” it said. /jpv