It’s always a sad thing to miss out on European race days, but we (the female racers) needed to make a powerful statement. The safety conditions of this race became progressively worse as the week went on. I confess that at first, I had no problems with the craziness of this Italian race. I just thought that’s how it was supposed to be. After hearing the opinions of Marianne Vos and Georgia Bronzini, I realized the conditions were crazier than usual.

I can’t count the number of times  I heard my competitors scream obscenities and perform sketchy maneuvers in order to avoid colliding with an automobile(s). Instead of focusing on the race, we were playing one giant game of wack-a-mole. Each racer a mole; each automobile a hammer.

I can only hope this boycott has sent a powerful enough message to race organisers and the UCI. Our safety should be of the utmost importance, because the idea of a bike race means nothing without us.

An article on the entire debacle by a fantastic writer, Jen See:

http://www.bicycling.com/news/pro-cycling/riders-abandon-giro-della-toscana-over-safety-concerns

Press release from Orica-AIS’s director, Martin Barras, about the meeting between the riders, directors, race organiser, and UCI officials:

http://greenedgecycling.com/news/in-his-own-words–ds-martin-barras-on-withdrawing-from-toscana