Today I followed my human instinct and not my racing instinct. I stopped to check on my teammate after a nasty crash just meters from the finish. I didn't think twice about doing it and I don't regret it but, doing the right thing, lost me three minutes even with the line in view
"I followed my human instinct" - Lucinda Brand criticises UCI after being given 3+ minute time loss tending to teammate after horrific crash within final 3km
CyclingFriday, 17 May 2024 at 13:00
In the bunch sprint finale of stage 1 at the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas, Lucinda Brand's teammate, Elisa Balsamo was a victim of a horrific crash. Seeing this, Brand stopped what she was doing and immediately headed over to tend to her friend.
"Today I followed my human instinct and not my racing instinct," recalls the Lidl-Trek star in a post-stage reflection to her official X (Twitter) account. "I stopped to check on my teammate after a nasty crash just meters from the finish. I didn't think twice about doing it and I don't regret it but, doing the right thing, lost me three minutes even with the line in view."
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With Balsamo suffering "a fractured nasal bone and concussion" according to an update from the official social media pages of the Lidl-Trek, Brand was as mentioned, eventually clocked as crossing the line over three minutes down. Curiously though, had Balsamo managed to remount her bike and cross the line, she would have been given the same time as the stage winner due to the 3km rule.
The fact that Brand wasn't given this benefit has left the Dutchwoman questioning the UCI. "If Barzi had been able to finish, she would have got the same time as the group," she notes. "So why should caring for others in that moment be treated any different in the eyes of the UCI?"
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