Swiss cyclist Nicole Hanselmann rallied the hashtag #womenpower after officials at the Spring Classic in Belgium stopped her to allow the men’s pack to pull away.
Race officials called it a “neutralization.” Twenty-seven-year-old pro cyclist Nicole Hanselmann called it an “awkward moment.” By in large, the internet is calling it an “outrage.”
During the first race in a series of prestigious road races in Belgium, Hanselmann tore away from the women’s field and stretched out to a 2-minute lead — just 18 miles into the 75-mile race, according to CNN.
Not only that, but Hanselmann’s blazing pace also wiped out the 10-minute head start the men’s field had. In an Instagram post after the race, Hanselmann said she started to see the ambulances at the tail of the men’s field.
“[Maybe] the other women and me were [too] fast or the men [too] slow,” she commented. Whatever the case, race officials made the call to hold Hanselmann — and the entire women’s field — for 5 minutes to allow the “very slow men’s race” to distance itself.
It certainly accomplished that. But it also destroyed Hanselmann’s momentum.
No Timeouts in Cycling
Could Hanselmann have maintained her lead for another 57 miles? It would have been very hard to hold off the peloton alone. But sadly, we will never know if she could have had the race of a lifetime because she was stopped by officials.
“It was a bit sad for me because I was in a good mood and when the bunch sees you stopping, they just get a new motivation to catch you,” she told Cyclingnews after finishing 74th place.
Woman Stopped for Catching Male Cyclists
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
— OmloopHetNieuwsblad (@OmloopHNB) March 2, 2019