An uninsured and unlicensed lorry driver has admitted causing the death of racing cyclist Josephine Gilbert.
Josephine, a 25-year-old from Wirksworth in Derbyshire, was killed while riding just outside of Derby in January this year, when she was hit by a lorry.
The driver, Herbert Wyatt, appeared in court earlier this month, where he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, as well as causing death by driving a vehicle while uninsured and causing death by dangerous driving while unlicensed,Derbyshire Livereports.
Wyatt, 64, of Telford Way, Thurnby, Leicester, will return to Derby Crown Court on December 18 to receive his sentence.
The crash happened on the A52 just outside of Derby on January 2 and emergency services were called just before 2pm, but Josephine was pronounced dead at the scene.
A statement from police, released after her death, said: “Josephine’s family have paid tribute to a ‘keen cyclist who competed at local, national and international level and who was hoping to follow a career in Sports Management, having completed a Psychology degree at Loughborough University.
“They said that Josephine was ‘very close to her family both in Derbyshire and the South West.’”
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Josephine Gilbert during the 2015 National Hill Climb Championships
(Image credit: Andy Jones)
During her racing career, Josephine had taken part in a number of prestigious national and international events.
In 2015 she started both the women’s edition of Ghent-Wevelgem and the Troffee Maarten Wynants in Belgium, going on to finish 29th in the women’s British TT Championships and 41st in the road race (won byLizzie Deignan).
The following year she raced the one-day Women’s Tour de Yorkshire and finished 57th in the British Nationals road race.
She raced for the Velosure-Starley Primal Pro Cycling Team and took part in time trials across the UK, including a 19th place finish in the 2015 National Hill Climb Championships.
Josephine was also an active Strava user, posting 7,768km over 201 rides in 2019, with a total distance of 59,000km and more than 1,300 rides on the social media app.
According toDerbyshire live,just weeks before her death Josephine had revealed plans to return to competition after struggling through injury.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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