Top rider killed in Italy

Amy Hibberd.

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THE IPSWICH Cycling Club is in mourning after the tragic death of club member Carly Hibberd who was struck and killed by a car in a training accident in Italy.

Hibberd, 26, had been riding on a road north of Milan when the accident happened. She is the second Ipswich Cycling Club member to have died in the past month. Club member Malcolm Kamp, 52, was killed when the bike he was riding and a truck collided on the Warrego Highway in June.

Hibberd had moved to Italy in 2009 to pursue her professional road cycling career and this season had joined the Cassina Rizzardi A Style Fionucci team, based near Como.

Ipswich Cycling Club member Michael Hepburn, who is part of the Australian word champion four-man pursuit team, was shocked to hear the news yesterday morning.

“I did know Carly, but not very well,” said 19-year-old Hepburn, who was back at the family home at Brookfield for a short break from riding before returning to Europe, where he competes as part of the Jayco-AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) team.

“It's quite tragic. It happened 30km from where I am based in Italy. She lived in Sherwood so I'd often see her around. She was a lovely person and her partner, Cam, you couldn't meet a nicer guy.

“My thoughts go out to her family and Cam and their loved ones. It really hits home when you hear something like this.

“It doesn't exactly make you want to jump on a bike and go for a ride. In Italy everyone has close calls where you think, ‘what if?'”

Hibberd had been riding with Colombia's Diego Tamayo on Wednesday morning (local time) when she was struck.

Former MB Cycles team training partner Liz Young recalled fondly a young woman with “a really bubbly sense of humour and sense of life”.

Young trained with Hibberd for two years before she went to Europe to further her career after winning the national road series in 2008.

“Carly loved her riding and was very committed to it. She was one of those people that pursued their dream,” Young said.

“When I was travelling with Carly she told me that her goal was to be a professional cyclist in Europe – and she achieved that.

“She's got a lot of friends in Brisbane – and overseas – with all of the people that she has met through cycling.

“Everybody is on Facebook at the moment expressing their grief, what a great person she was and how much they are going to miss her.

“She was a really fun, energetic and vibrant person.

“In women's cycling, everybody knows everybody ... and it is just shattering that this has happened to someone who is just 26. It just seems so unnecessary.”

While she trained mostly overseas, Hibberd had a close connection to Ipswich.

“To race you have to be a member of a club and Carly had a very close relationship with the Yellow Jersey Bike Shop at Ipswich,” Young said.

“Her fiance Cameron also had very close ties with that bike shop and I expect that is why she was a member of the Ipswich Cycling Club.

“She was a very talented all-round cyclist, but also a very dedicated person as well. Her focus and absolute determination when she was racing a bike was just outstanding.

“It really is a sad day for everybody in cycling – as it is anytime we have one of these unfortunate accidents.”