Kigali, Rwanda – Erin Boothman’s hopes for a world title were dashed in the final climb of the junior women’s time trial at the UCI Road World championships in Kigali, after a mechanical issue saw her pull her foot out of the pedal, losing crucial momentum.
The British rider, a pre-race favorite, explained she had been executing her race plan perfectly before the incident. “I came onto the cobbled climb and had quite a good pace going. I had ridden the race pretty much exactly how I wanted to and knew I had more to give for the climb,” Boothman said.
She struggled to re-engage her foot, losing valuable speed. “I pulled my foot out,and it took me a few tries to get it back in,and I just lost all my speed. Getting it going again was really hard. Unfortunately,it wasn’t meant to be after that. I did give it my all, but it wasn’t quite enough for a medal.”
Boothman believes the mechanical issue cost her a shot at the rainbow jersey in her final year as a junior rider. “I came here to try and win it, and I felt really good when I hit the bottom of the climb. I paced it pretty much exactly how I needed to. There was panic after my foot came out, and I just never quite settled in again.”
Despite the disappointment, Boothman still has the possibility to compete in the junior women’s road race on Saturday. She will then begin the next phase of her career, having signed a contract with Liv-AlUla-jayco. She will spend one year with their Continental team before a two-year contract with the WorldTour team. “I do one year with their Conti team and then two years with the WorldTour team, so I’m super excited. I’ve done a few races with them already. I already love it and hopefully more to come in the next few years.”
