Two days before she was due to make history in starting the women’s Tour de France, Megan Armitage has announced that she has been forced to withdraw from the race. The Offaly rider disclosed the news on social media, saying that she had been involved in a serious accident on Thursday.
“Not the news I wanted to be writing this morning. Unfortunately I was hit head on by a bus yesterday during training,” she wrote on Instagram. “It is with massive regret to tell you guys that I will no longer be racing the Tour de France Femmes this coming weekend.
“As for everyone, this race meant a lot to me and I was proud to have the opportunity to be on the start line. It was really a dream come true.”
Fortunately she is not seriously injured, but has had to play things safe in relation to concussion.
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“I was lucky and walked away completely fine. As much as I tried to find a way to race this weekend, I ultimately have to listen to the doctors and look after my noggin. I will put my focus on being in the best condition possible for the next races.
“Thank you to Arkéa Pro Cycling Team for looking after me and helping me yesterday. Wishing all my team-mates an absolute ripper of a weekend.”
The Tour de France Femmes will begin in Clermont-Ferrand on Sunday and run over eight days. The current edition of the women’s Tour is in its second year, following several years as a one- and two-day event.
A women’s race run by the Tour de France organisers was previously held between 1984 and 1989. It is thought that no Irishwoman competed in that event, although Susan O’Mara and Marie Eribo did participate in the Tour of the EEC Women in 1990, a separate stage race held to replace that early women’s Tour.
It is unclear if Armitage’s concussion will affect her participation in the world road-race championships. She was named this week as part of a 20-rider team for the various road events, with Armitage scheduled to compete alongside 2022 national champion Alice Sharpe and current champion Lara Gillespie in the women’s road race on August 13th. Gillespie is eligible for the under-23 medals in that event.
She recently won two European under-23 titles on the track, taking the points race last Friday and the multi-event Omnium on Saturday.
Also named for the championships are six riders for the men’s road-race on August 6th. Sam Bennett and Ben Healy are the top-ranked riders on the squad, with Ryan Mullen, Rory Townsend, Dillon Corkery and Cormac McGeough likely to play a support role. Healy and Mullen will compete in the men’s time-trial five days later.
Darren Rafferty and Dean Harvey will contest the under-23 men’s time-trial on August 9th, then go on to join Jamie Meehan, Odhrán Doogan and Aaron Wade in the road-race on August 12th. Kelly Murphy will contest the women’s TT on August 10th.
There will also be junior teams travelling. Seth Dunwoody and Liam O’Brien plus Lucy Benezet Minns and Áine Doherty will contest the junior men’s and junior women’s road races on August 5th.
Benezet Minns and Doherty will ride the junior women’s time-trial on August 10th, while O’Brien and Adam Rafferty will be in action in the junior men’s time-trial the following day.
The team will be based in Stirling in Scotland, which is also the location for the time-trial events. The road-races will start in various locations and end in Glasgow.
