Australian Star Cyclist Dies on German Road

One of Australia's top cyclists was killed and her five national teammates were seriously injured when a car plowed into them as they trained in Germany, officials said Tuesday. Cycling Australia identified the dead rider as Amy Gillett, 29, a former World Cup team member who had previously represented her country at the Olympics in rowing. Two of the other members of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) women's road squad, Louise Yaxley and Alexis Rhodes, were in serious condition, said chief executive Graham Fredericks. The other three -- Katie Brown, Kate Nichols and Lorian Graham -- were described as being in stable condition in hospital with multiple injuries. Early reports said the cyclists were struck head-on when a car driven by an 18-year-old woman who had recently got her license crossed onto the wrong side of the road near the eastern German city of Leipzig. The team was on a training run for the opening time trial of the Thüringen Rundfahrt road race that had been due to begin Tuesday, the cyclingnews.com Web site said. The race's first stage was cancelled following the crash.