Friday saw one of the moments of Mara Roldan's life, a Women's WorldTour stage win at the Tour of Britain Women in impressive circumstances. On Saturday, less than 24 hours later, the 21-year-old's race turned upside down in an instance in a crash which saw her break her femur.
Writing on Instagram the day after the incident, while she awaited surgery, the Canadian Picnic PostNL rider recounted her tumultuous weekend in Britain. On stage two, Roldan attacked with 11km to go to fly to victory, before stage three saw her crash in incredibly wet weather. Her team posted a photo on Sunday of Roldan smiling in her hospital bed.
"I don’t even know where to start," she wrote. "Two days ago I had the most unforgettable and special moment of my career — winning my first WWT race, and not even a full day later I'm laying in a hospital bed after experiencing the scariest crash of my life, sliding out at 70km/hr and breaking my femur. Then, getting emergency evacuated to the hospital where I am now waiting to undergo surgery this afternoon.
"The contrast is hard to wrap my head around. From a high I’ll never forget to a low I never saw coming."
"Everything just hurts — physically, yes, but even more so on the inside," Roldan continued. "I’m devastated. Heartbroken. The kind of broken that goes beyond bones. I’ve poured everything into this sport, and to be lying here not knowing what the road ahead looks and if I'll even be able to ride a bike again this 2025 season is a scary and truly heartbreaking thought.
"To everyone who has reached out, checked in, or held space for me in the last 24 hours — thank you," Roldan said. "I haven’t been able to respond to all your messages yet, but please know I’ve seen them, and they’ve meant more than you can imagine.I don’t have much more to say just yet. I’m still processing, still trying to catch my breath. But please know I’m incredibly grateful, and I’ll share more when I can.
"A special thank you to Lizzie Deignan for staying with me after the crash and being there to hold my hand through that scary moment, and of course to my team Picnic PostNL for all their support and love as I begin this long journey to recovery.One day, one step at a time."
Deignan won the combativity award on stage three for her actions in helping Roldan following her crash; the Tour of Britain Women was her last race in the UK before retirement.
