Rowe tweets SOS to keep hopes alive
Tearful Olympian’s race in doubt after crash misery Briton in third spot overall 22 seconds adrift of leader
It was not exactly the way Dani Rowe had envisaged preparing for today’s fifth and final stage of the OVO Energy Women’s Tour – sending out an SOS to her social-media followers to hook her up with emergency medical equipment.
“Can you help me Twitter?” the London 2012 Olympic gold medallist tweeted last night. “Reaching out for a game ready ice/compression machine in the Telford area. I’m so determined to start tomorrow!
“Please RT!”
You could hardly fault her spirit. But what a shame that Rowe was having to resort to such messages ahead of what should be – what is still – the biggest day of her stage-racing career.
After riding so well all week, rising to second in the general classification on Thursday before switching places with her third-placed team-mate Marianne Vos the following day, Rowe suffered a heavy crash towards the finish of yesterday’s penultimate stage in Worcestershire.
“I was in a good position,” she explained an hour or so later, having limped back to her team bus in tears to be consoled by her family, husband Matt and parents Trevor and Lynn.
“I was close to the front on the right side of the road. It was just a squeezing of wheels, a slight touch. The next thing I knew I was on the floor . . . ”
The good news is that it happened in the final three kilometres of the stage, meaning she did not lose any time on GC.
While Amalie Dideriksen (Boels-Dolmans) won a bunch sprint in Worcester, ahead of Lotta Paulina Lepisto (Cervelo-Bigla) and Vos, Rowe was able to dust herself down and make it back to her bus. She stays in third place overall, 22 seconds behind Sunweb’s Coryn Rivera and eight behind Vos.
But whether she will be in any shape to defend that podium place remains to be seen. At least she does not appear to have broken anything. Rowe was hobbling badly when she climbed off her bike and had visible road rash all down her right leg, although it was her left knee – which had swollen up quickly – that was of most concern. However, after being thoroughly checked out by the medics, the 27-year-old was just about able to sling her leg over the turbo trainer for a warm-down.
“I’m in quite a lot of pain,” she said. “I took a massive whack to my knee. It must have been the kerb. I was trying to get to the front to help Marianne when it happened. I’m going to do everything I can to start.”
She was not lying about that last part, to judge from the SOS tweet posted last night. The shame is that Rowe was so looking forward to today’s stage. Earlier this week, after Thurs- day’s second stage when she moved into overall contention, she said she would “bet her life” she was the only rider who had done a reconnaissance ride of the route from Dolgellau in Snowdonia up to Colwyn Bay.
It is going to be a tall order now for Rowe to keep up with any moves. “This is the first time I’ve been in this position when I don’t know if I’ll be able to put enough power through my leg to be able to stay up with the race,” she said.
“I think it will be a case of maybe taking it a kilometre at a time.”
Where there’s a will – and possibly a Telford-based ice/compression machine – there’s a way.