Bates Rides In For Kooragang Event
Newcastle Herald
Saturday January 26, 2008
REIGNING Commonwealth Games women's road cycling champion Natalie Bates will contest a special race at Kooragang Island on Monday morning to aid the Amy Gillett Foundation.
Bates will join her Australian teammate and Newcastle-based Olympian Olivia Gollan in the 40-kilometre race to start at 9am.The race will be the first of what is to be an annual event conducted by the Kooragang club, which has pledged a minimum donation of $1000 each year to the appeal.Gollan is an ambassador for the foundation, which was inspired by the life of her close friend and Australian teammate who died in a training accident in Germany in 2005."'I would really like to see our whole community get behind the objectives of the foundation," Gollan said. "Hopefully this might start making our local roads a more shared environment."Bates, who was sixth in the time-trial and ninth in the road race at the Australian championships this month, will join Gollan and ride for the Italian-based professional outfit Menikini Selle Italia this season. John Gilmour
© 2008 Newcastle Herald