Female cyclist forced to stop mid-race to avoid catching up to her male counterparts

Swiss professional cyclist Nicole Hanselmann was forced to stop in the middle of a race as she almost caught up to the men.

TIME reported that male cyclists were given an eight-minute head start at the annual Omloop Het Nieuwsblad race in Belgium on Saturday.

In an Instagram post, the cyclist recalled how she was soaring past other cyclists. There was  “an awkward moment” when she almost saw the back of the men’s peloton.

“Maybe the other women and me were too fast and the men too slow,” she said. 

On their official account, race organisers tweeted that the women’s race had to be neutralised as the men’s race was slow.

CNN reported that the 27-year-old had a two-minute lead 30km into the 120km race, and had to take a five-minute break to avoid catching up with the male cyclists. 

Hanselmann finished the race in 74th place.