'There was nowhere to go': Wiggle High5 pro opens up on terrifying truck crash

The Olympic Games medallist and Commonwealth Champion opens up about her recent near miss

Wiggle High5 rider Annette Edmondson has spoken out about road safety issues after she became the latest pro cyclist to collide with a vehicle on the roads last week.

Her Colnago C60 road bike was completely destroyed - but she escaped without any serious injuries following the incident that took place just outside Girona, where she's based.

Explaining the events leading up to the incident, she said: "I was riding on a small road near Sant Marti Vell outside of Girona, Spain with my friend [ex-pro and 2012 Olympian] Lucy Martin. I was descending down a hill and around a corner when we found a truck on the wrong side of the road, completely in our lane with it's indicator on, starting to turn into a driveway on the right."

"My first reaction was to go right assuming he'd see us and go back into his lane, but he continued to turn. He saw me at the last second and straightened up but it was too late, there was nowhere to go. I couldn't get around him and hit the front of the truck... whilst completely in our lane."

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Edmondson told CW that the driver later said the sun was in his eyes, which prevented him from reacting sooner.

Her photo, at the top of this article, shows the truck's position after the driver had straightened up following the incident:

It's the second run in that Edmondson has had on a blind bend.

In 2016 she collided with a car two weeks before she was due to defend her omnium and team pursuit titles at the World Championships. In that case, the accident put her in hospital.

Earlier this year, British rider Ciara Horne collided with a car on a training ride, and Tour de France champion Chris Froome shared images of his crushed bike after being “rammed on purpose” in May.

The 25-year-old is keen to raise awareness of road safety issues - and said: "This truck wasn't expecting anyone to be coming along this road so had moved over prematurely, despite there being a partially-blind corner. Had he been more aware of other road users and left the turn to the last minute, he would have spotted us and this could have been avoided."

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Michelle Arthurs-Brennan

Michelle Arthurs-Brennan the Editor of Cycling Weekly website. An NCTJ qualified traditional journalist by trade, Michelle began her career working for local newspapers. She's worked within the cycling industry since 2012, and joined the Cycling Weekly team in 2017, having previously been Editor at Total Women's Cycling. Prior to welcoming her daughter in 2022, Michelle raced on the road, track, and in time trials, and still rides as much as she can - albeit a fair proportion indoors, for now.