A dangerous road crash for a schoolgirl cycling team last month gave a couple of its Rotorua riders more determination to succeed at the national secondary championships, writes Alison King.
They finished with a silver medal but two Rotorua cyclists had a golden race, bouncing back from a crash that threatened to curtail their season.
Brigitte Allan, 15, and Maggie Allan, 17, made up two-fifths of the Waikato Diocesan School for Girls senior A cycling team that competed in the National Secondary School Road Cycling Championships this past weekend.
On September 10 the team were cycling near Taupiri when they were hit by a van. Maggie was the first to be struck and ended up under the vehicle. Brigitte had dropped back from the group and witnessed it.
"I'd dropped off because the speed was a bit much, so I saw it," Brigitte said. "It was scary and I had to step away.