A Scottish cyclist has made history by becoming the first Scot to win the prestigious Tour de Feminin – just a year after a serious road crash left her fearing she might never race again.
Kate Richardson, 22, claimed the top spot on the podium in the gruelling four-stage race through the mountains of the Czech Republic, capping off a remarkable comeback.
The Glasgow rider had been on a final training session ahead of last year’s Tour of Britain when she was struck from behind by a 4×4, suffering a fractured scapula, concussion and severe road burns in June last year.
She only realised what had happened when the driver approached her at the roadside – not with concern, but with verbal abuse.
STV News“I tried to bounce back like it was a normal injury,” Kate said. “But a few months down the line, I realised it wasn’t a normal situation. I needed more support than just trying to get back on the bike.”
The physical recovery was tough, but it was the mental toll that truly challenged her.
“I was scared to ride on the road. I just lost my love for the sport. If you’d asked me in January, I didn’t think I’d be in front of a race again.”
She returned to competition after nearly a year of rebuilding both her body and confidence, and is now celebrating a landmark victory.
Her win at the Tour de Feminin marks not just a career high, but a personal triumph over adversity.
“I had no idea what direction my career was going in,” she told STV News.
“But it all happened pretty quickly, I finally got into a rhythm with racing, I did some local and national races and built it back up.
“To pull that off, in that team, with some of my best friends who really rode out their skin to help protect me in the jersey on that final day.
“It meant so much to me and my family who have lived through the last year with me.
STV News“I wouldn’t’ ever want to wish to relive what I’ve been through but it’s not until you’ve been through something like that do you realise how strong you are.”
A rising star of Scottish cyclist, Kate took gold in the Individual Pursuit and the Team Pursuit in the Manchester Velodrome at the British National Championships in February last year.
Just three months later, and weeks after a crash on the road in the Netherlands, she stormed to the front of the Lincoln Grand Prix – the oldest road race in the UK.
Now she hopes to continue her success on the track at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
STV NewsKate said: “I’d like to think I could be a medal contender in a few events.
“We’ve got people like Katie Archibald and Neah Evans, it’s a very established team.
“If my family were in the crowd and we could win, and hear Flower of Scotland, that’s pretty epic, that’s what dreams are made of.”
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