While training in time trial formation in Germany on July 18, 2005, a driver on the wrong side of the road collided with 29-year-old Gillett and her five teammates. The driver was 18 years old at the time and lost control of the car.
Gillett did not survive the incident. Her teammates, Katie Brown, Lorian Graham, Kate Nichols, Alexis Rhodes and Louise Yaxley were seriously injured.
The trauma from the event sent shock waves through the Australian cycling community. The emotion and impact of the incident remains close to the surface for those who were part of the tight-knit cycling community at the time, as well as many cyclists who have come to the sport since.
The SBS commentary team discussed this ‘ripple effect’ during last night’s stage of the Tour de France. The gravity of Gillett's legacy could be heard in their voices.
“This was an absolutely devastating accident,” Bridie O’Donnell said, describing the initial impact on the riders as well as the large number people who were first to see and respond to the incident.
“This is the kind of traumatic scene as a doctor or an ambulance person you wouldn’t want to come across, let alone if you were a person there without all the things that you need."
One of the positive impacts of these events is the work of the Amy Gillett Foundation over the last 17 years. The foundation has relentlessly advocated for, and succeeded in, creating significant improvements to road safety in Australia.
The Amy Gillett Foundation also supports the development of Australian women’s road cycling through an annual scholarship for a female cyclist to ride with the national team each year, among several other initiatives.
“There’s been some fantastic riders that have had that opportunity to get that scholarship to join the national team,” Gracie Elvin said, noting that her partner, Kimberley Wells received the scholarship in 2015.
It was Wells’ 20th birthday the same day that Gillett passed away. Emotion could be heard in Elvin’s voice as she discussed the way that Wells takes a moment on this day every year to remember Gillett.
For further information on Gillett's life, legacy and the Amy Gillett Foundation, .
