Chloe Hosking in Norway. Photo: Chloe Hosking Twitter.
If there was ever an athlete who epitomised the Australian ethos of getting in there and having a go, it is Canberra cyclist Chloe Hosking.
Chloe, one of Australia’s most successful female road cyclists, has overcome plenty in her cycling career, including injury, illness, non-selection and crashes.
She successfully challenged to compete in the 2018 World Titles, and she won the Commonwealth Games Gold Medal in 2018, soon after being hospitalised due to a crash in the Tour of Flanders in Belgium.
It is now a crash off the road that threatens her career. Chloe had her career trajectory effectively mapped out for what was most likely the final two years of her professional cycling career.
She had signed with the B & B Hotels team for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Then, on 6 December, Chloe was informed that the team had collapsed. On social media at the time, Chloe said it was an understatement to say she was “Caught up the creek without a paddle”.
The reason for her dilemma is the timing of the announcement. It came through three weeks before the start of the 2023 season at a time when every team had already filled their roster.
At 32 years of age, after completing a communications degree, Chloe has a career to fall back on. She is also close to completing a law degree.
But a forced retirement from professional cycling in this manner was never in the plans.
“Of course, I’ve had setbacks,” she told respected cycling website Cycling News, “but I always feel like I am a person that does well when my back is against the wall, but maybe this is just one too many times.”
But those closest to her are not about to give up the fight to save her career.
Her husband Jack launched an impassioned appeal on social media.
“I’m reaching out now because I need help if my wife is going to continue her exceptional career,” he wrote.
“If you, or someone you know, is involved in a company looking to sponsor an individual athlete and have their brand on the top step at World Tour races in 2023 or the Tour de France, I’m not hard to find.”
Cycling commentator Gracie Elvin is also in Chloe’s corner. Photo: Supplied.
Former Canberra cyclist now commentator Gracie Elvin, who raced against Chloe when they were kids through to making it into Australian teams, also appealed to potential sponsors via Twitter and spoke for many when she said, “No one wants to see a champion like her forced out of sport in this way”.
Both appeals are supporting an incredibly talented individual.
Given ACT Government support of team sports such as GWS, is there merit in the ACT Government stepping into the fray to sponsor Chloe and raising awareness in Europe of Canberra’s incredibly favourable conditions for road cyclists?
A more articulate advocate for Canberra would be hard to find. And if not the ACT Government, what about Canberra’s corporate community?
Loading ...
