Women's cycling race halted after leader catches up to men
Nicole Hanselmann had been leading the women's field in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad when she started to gain on the male cyclists.
Monday 4 March 2019 12:06, UK
A female cyclist has described the "awkward moment" she was forced to stop and wait after catching up with a men's race in Belgium.
Swiss cyclist Nicole Hanselmann broke away from the women's peloton and started to close in on the male cyclists, who had set off 10 minutes earlier in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
She had been leading the women's field for over a minute when she started approaching the men's support vehicles.
The road-racing champion was then stopped at a level crossing along with the rest of the female racers just over 30km (18.6 miles) into the 122.9km (76 miles) race.
According to the racing event's official Twitter account, the women's race was neutralised "due to a very slow men's race".
Ms Hanselmann was allowed to resume the race after a five-minute pause and ended up finishing 74th, claiming the stoppage had diminished her momentum.
She wrote in an Instagram post: "Today was the first spring classic in Belgium.
"I attacked after 7km, and was alone in the break for around 30km... but then an awkward moment happened and I almost saw the back of the men's peloton... the other women and me were too fast or the men to slow.
"After the neutralization, I was caught up again and finished the race on the 74th place."
She told Cycling News that "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."
Sunday's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was the 74th edition of the event and is a one-day road cycling race that kicks off the Belgian cycling season.