A triathlete was sent crashing into a metal barrier by her own team-mate during the cycling leg of a race.
New Zealand Olympian Nicole van der Kaay was racing alongside Scorpians team-mate Alice Betto during the cycling stretch of the Super League Triathlon in Toulouse, France. Many thought the duo would look to work together as Van der Kaay made a move on the inside.
But Betto decided to make the same move at the same exact time, leaning into her Kiwi team-mate and causing the two riders to touch. Van der Kaay’s bike was pushed to the curb, turning her tire around and sending her over the handlebars.
The result was a nasty collision which saw her fly face-first into the top of the metal railing acting as a barrier between the road and fans.
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A visibly shocked Van der Kaay got back on her feet in an attempt to continue but her bike, which went bouncing across the tarmac, sustained too much damage. She was forced to drop out of the race, meaning the Olympian finished the championship series race in 11th.
Meanwhile, Italian team-mate Betto finished in 8th. She fell 90 seconds behind the leader and was therefore eliminated from the remainder of the race.
Do you think the Italian rider's move was deliberate? Let us know in the comments section.
Van der Kaay took to social media after the race to update fans about the worrying collision, stating her teeth were miraculously undamaged.
She wrote: “Extremely grateful for my body to be responding positively post-crash… That could have been super gnarly! My main concerns post-crash are losing my pearly whites & concussion.
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“For now, I have escaped anything major. Thank you all for the lovely messages, I hope to competing at my fullest very soon.”
She went on to defend Betto in another Instagram post, saying: “Hey everyone in the comments this was an accident which unfortunately happens in racing. Alice apologized and is deeply sorry. I’m fine also, no broken bones!”
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