Scots cyclist makes history after fearing she would never race again
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 Kate's race clothes were left torn up following the collision
'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 She became the first Scot to win the Tour de Feminin
'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 News With previous success on the track, she's now looking ahead to the Commonwealth Games
Kate 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.'
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Wrexham line up ambitious double swoop for two Scotland stars as Celtic hero set to join third club in a YEAR
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WREXHAM had three Scottish players in their team last season as they continued their rise up the English pyramid and into the English Championship. As things stand, though, there are no Scots in the squad for their Championship push this year - after both Steven Fletcher and Josh Adams left at the end of their contracts, while James Jones quit the club in January. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 1 Wrexham co-chairmen Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds Credit: PA The ambitious Welsh team, however, look set to refill their Scottish quota this summer as they are lining up offers for two Scots who have been capped 78 times for the national team combined. SunSport understands Wrexham - owned by Hollywood superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney - are eyeing up deals for out-of-contract duo Stuart Armstrong and Barry Bannan. Former Celtic and Dundee United midfielder Armstrong, 33, is on the hunt for the sixth club of his career - and his third in less than a YEAR. He left Southampton after six years at St Mary's last summer when his deal expired and spent a number of weeks without a team before he headed across the pond to link up with old pal Ryan Gauld at Vancouver Whitecaps. Armstrong only penned a short-term deal with the MLS side and headed back to the UK to join Sheffield Wednesday for a few months when that deal expired. And he's a free agent once again as he was released by the Owls when the season finished last month. He played alongside club legend Bannan last season, who is also searching for a new team for the first time in a decade. The 35-year-old, who is Sheffield Wednesday's captain, is also coming to the end of his deal and could be set for one last move before he retires. The Owls have been in talks with the veteran to extend his contract beyond this summer but both parties have yet to reach an agreement. Now newly-promoted Wrexham are plotting to prise the midfielder away from Hillsborough this summer. Wrexham stars including ex-Premier League ace party with Hollywood hunk Channing Tatum after Cambridge draw Should the duo complete the move then they will face their former Sheffield Wednesday team-mates in the league next season. The Owls finished in 12th place last season with both Bannan and Armstrong featuring regularly. Bannan made 45 appearances across all competitions, while Armstrong played 11 times since arriving at the end of January. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
ITV News
2 hours ago
- ITV News
Kenny Logan leads celebrity team on 555-mile Ireland cycle in memory of Doddie Weir
A team of celebrities and rugby players are preparing for a 555-mile cycle challenge around the island of Ireland to raise funds for research into motor neurone disease (MND) in memory of the late Doddie Weir. Weir died of MND aged 52 in November 2022, after years of campaigning to raise awareness of the condition and funds into research. Scottish rugby legend Kenny Logan and his television presenter wife Gabby are among those preparing to take part in Doddie'5 Lions Challenge, cycling around 100 miles a day for six days, departing from Belfast on Sunday. The team will cycle through counties including Galway, Limerick and Cork, to arrive in Dublin on June 20 and deliver the match ball to the Aviva Stadium for the British and Irish Lions' 1888 Cup clash with Argentina. Some participants have had to pull out due to injury, including Weir's son Hamish, who will instead drive a support vehicle, while Scotland rugby stars Bryan Redpath and Hugo Southwell, and ex-Lions and Ireland international Rob Henderson, will also no longer be able to take part. Football legend Ally McCoist, actor Jamie Bamber, former Harlequins player Mel Deane, and cancer campaigner Iain Ward will all take part alongside the Logans. The challenge has raised more than £300,000 for My Name'5 Doddie Foundation and the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association so far, with hopes of reaching £500,000 before Sunday. Kenny Logan will lead the team, and he has been doing intensive hill sessions on an exercise bike twice a week ahead of his second endurance fundraiser for MND research. He joined the Edinburgh to Paris cycle in 2023 which raised almost £1 million. He said: 'We've lost a few to injury, and it just shows how demanding this is going to be. I've had my own aches and pains. No major injuries thankfully but I've definitely been reminded why I probably shouldn't be moving this much at my age. 'I'm most nervous about the hills. I convinced myself Ireland was flat – it's definitely not. But nerves are good. I've always had them before a big challenge. 'The support's been incredible. We've still got time to push, and every penny counts. 'Since Doddie died, awareness has grown massively – but we still need to fund research. The foundation has committed nearly £20 million already, which is phenomenal, but it's only the beginning. 'Doddie would be proud – but he'd be telling us to go further and faster. That's why we're doing this.' He joked that McCoist needed some help with bike maintenance. Logan said: 'Ally's been out and about, but his bike broke down the other day. I told him not to trust himself to check the batteries on his fancy gears – someone else needs to do that for him.'
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Martin Compston's football career before Line of Duty actor made career switch
Scottish actor Martin Compston, best known for his role as DS Steve Arnott in the hit BBC drama Line of Duty, is a former professional footballer, having even had a stint with Aberdeen Before his acting career took off, Line of Duty star Martin Compston was a professional footballer. The Scottish actor is now best known for his role as DS Steve Arnott in the hit BBC drama. The 41-year-old is set to lace up his boots for Soccer Aid at Old Trafford, with kick off on Sunday evening at 7.30pm. Compston will line up for the Rest of the World against England, with former Italy star Leonardo Bonucci among his team-mates. However, Compston was also a pro footballer in Scotland before focusing his energy on becoming an actor. In his early football career, he had stints with Aberdeen and Morton. The Line of Duty actor even played two senior matches for Morton at the end of the 2001/02 season, but without much success. His first appearance resulted in a 4-0 defeat against Alloa Athletic, while his second – another 4-0 defeat, this time against Queen of the South – saw Morton relegated from the Scottish Second Division. On Si Ferry's Open Goal podcast, Compston previously discussed his brief football career. He explained that he was first spotted while playing in a Scottish underage cup final against a Celtic side which included future Man Utd star Darren Fletcher. After a stint with his hometown club, he was signed by Aberdeen where he played alongside future Premier League ace Dean Windass. Compston even captained the Aberdeen youth team for a short period, but the actor knew when his time was up at the club. "I remember I was captain at a game and one of the top scouts came down, and we got beat off an East Kilbride select," Compston said in 2019. "I went, 'That's that f*****!'" After his stint at Aberdeen, Compston found himself back at Morton in the Scottish Second Division. "It just wasn't a good time to be at the club," the actor admitted. "They'd just gone down to the second division and we were struggling. "It was a mad time. We were full-time the YTS [Youth Team Scholarship] players. There was only three or four of us cleaning 40 pairs of boots and cleaning the stadium. "The first team were coming in training at night. There was a lot of hanging about. I felt more like a cleaner than a football player. "I made my debut when I was 17," Compston recalled. "We were away to Alloa. I knew they were only going to pitch me in if we were well up or well down. "I felt terrible, Alloa were winning 2-0 with 40 minutes left and they put a third one in and I was like, 'You beauty.' "The last game of the season, we had to win to stay up and we were playing Queen of the South who had to win to win the league. It was a sell-out, 14,000. The atmosphere was unbelievable." However, the day didn't go entirely smoothly. "There was some b******... at half-time, I knew I was going on. So I'm spraying balls about," Compston said. "It smashed somebody and he's run on and rugby tackled me. The stewards were just all laughing. It was nerve-wracking. It was Scottish second division football but it's like, 'You've done that.'" Compston began acting during his football career after he secured a role in Ken Loach's film 'Sweet Sixteen' while still with Morton. "It worked out perfect," Compston explained. "I'd just finished my exams and I'd got my Morton contract. The auditions were at the end of the year. "I went to [Morton manager] Peter Cormack and asked if it was alright to miss a couple of days of pre-season. We filmed it in the close season. He said, 'You're a fit boy, you'll be fine.' I finished filming and went back to Greenock Morton. "I remember being gutted because in the programme notes, the players were asked who's their favourite actor and not one of them said me. I thought one of them, for a joke, would throw my name in there!" Despite Loach being impressed by Compston's acting ability, the director advised him to stick to football. However, the Line of Duty star didn't heed that advice and auditioned for a Heartbeat spin-off called The Royal. He had been sent the wrong script but still got the part and from then on his mind was set. "That was a big wake-up call," Compston said. "They don't know who I am. They hadn't seen Sweet Sixteen. To get that, I said, 'OK, I'm alright at this.' "Morton weren't going through the best of times. I was driving up the road one day, passing Cappielow [Greenock Morton's stadium] and I just went in and said [to manager Dave McPherson], 'I think I'm going to give this acting a crack.' He said, 'Sorry to lose you,' but I didn't find it too hard to be honest."
