"I can't imagine losing a teammate so close to me" - Audrey Cordon-Ragot on the tragic death of Melissa Hoskins

Audrey Cordon-Ragot returns to competition this Friday with Human Powered Health during the Santos Tour Down Under in Australia. Just ahead of the race, she shared some of her thoughts with Cyclism'Actu.

"I did not do any specific heat preparation for this race. I suffered a lot from the heat in 2018, it looks better this time. I'm not in my best shape yet but that was expected. I am in a progress phase to get to the classics as best as possible. It’s another way to prepare for the season by racing here rather than training in Spain."

"I wanted to do a block in the hot conditions that we will probably find in France at the time of the Olympic Games where I hope to compete in the road race and the time trial. In regards to the general classification, I will ride for my teammate Ruth Edwards who won this race in 2020," she adds about her own ambitions in Australia.

The race will begin with a minute of silence in memory of Melissa Hoskins. What goes through Cordon-Ragot's head in this context? "There was a lot of talk about it in the media in France too. For me, it was a big shock. I could not believe it. I immediately sent a message to Nettie to ask her 'how are you doing' because I know they were very close. I can't imagine losing a teammate so close to me, so, in these circumstances... It's so tragic that it's difficult to have an opinion, we don't know more, we're just all shocked by the news and we think of her children and her family."