Figtree triathlete Jessica Simpson doubts she will ever ride her bike alone again after
colliding with a car while training at Primbee.
The crash, which occurred three weeks ago, robbed the 21-year-old of her chance to compete in her first World Half Ironman Championships.
Ms Simpson spoke out yesterday in the wake of Kiama triathlete Jason Stortz's death on Saturday during a training ride at Yallah.
Pay tribute to Mr Stortz here, and read comments from his family and friends Appeal for Stortz family after fatal cycling crash
Ironman mates grieve loss of great bloke Jason Stortz Ms Simpson, a member of the Illawarra Triathlon Club, was left with a broken pelvis and two large abrasions after colliding with a car on Windang Rd on September 30.
"It was devastating," she said.
"I don't know if I could even describe it.
"(The World Half Ironman Championships) was something I worked so, so hard for."
Ms Simpson faces an eight week recovery but even then, may still miss out on competing in March next year.
She said the crash had made her think twice about riding alone on the road.
"I won't go back out on the road by myself ever again," she said.
"Not for a long time anyway.
"It's shaken up a lot of other people in the triathlon club as well.
"We've got a lot of people rallying to get people to ride together rather than on their own."
To improve safety, Ms Simpson said more respect was needed between cyclists and motorists.
She said cyclists needed to ride on the road as they often trained for up to 150km and reached speeds of 40-50km/h making it unsafe for them to use bike paths.
"Every time you go out (for a ride) on the road you get abused," Ms Simpson said.
"People yell out the window and honk their horns, people drive too close.
"You just get used to it I guess."
The Amy Gillett Foundation advocates respect between cyclists and motorists and better education about cyclists' rights on the road.
The foundation was set up after Ms Gillett was killed in a crash while training in Germany in 2005.
Foundation CEO Tony Fox said Australians did not see cycling as an integral part of our culture as Europeans did.
"There is definitely hostility (towards cyclists); some of that is born out of ignorance of the road rules," he said.
"Many motorists won't necessarily understand cyclists are legal road users, they won't understand that by law, they can ride two abreast, even when overtaking other cyclists."
The foundation's website offers tips to both cyclists and motorists on how to obey the rules and respect one another on the road.
"Shared respect is very important," Mr Fox said.
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