I can’t claim that I knew Amy well. I first met her in Gieten, back in 2011. I wanted to talk to Simon Burney about my upcoming book and after chasing him for a while, I finally managed to catch up with him after the women’s race. Amy was winding down after the race and when I showed her her photo in my first book, she loved it.

We would see each other at races after that, say ‘Hi’ and ‘How are you?’, she’s always been lively and lovely. Last year, I wanted to talk to Simon again and he invited me to this house, somewhere north of Brussels, where, a bunch of American and British riders were staying. Amy cooked a mean curry, her pre-race evening meal and they invited me to join their dinner. The three of us were chatting for the next three hours, lots of great cycling stories and anecdotes were exchanged that night.

When the last book came out this year, Simon ordered a copy for her. I sent her a copy but something went wrong with the address and she never received it. I emailed Simon and he said that I should give Amy the book at her first race in Belgium.

Last night, I was about to meet my good friend, Kristof Ramon, when I heard the devastating news. I was speechless. I am speechless. Nyugodj b�k�ben, Amy.



