‘A fund has been set up for Amy so that, partly thanks to donations, she can hopefully make use of all the opportunities that are possible for herself.’

Amy Pieters’ crowdfunding effort was started at the Dutch road nationals on Saturday.

The start of the women’s race marked the formal commencement of a program aimed to assist Pieters in her rehabilitation from catastrophic brain trauma.

“With the agreement of the family, this crowdfunding has been set up so that you can help Amy in her rehab. While insurance might take care of the minimum rehabilitation program, we’re not satisfied with the minimum for our friend. We aim to help her get more and better,” stated a post on the crowdsourcing page.

Pieters was severely injured in a training accident in December. The Dutchwoman just awoke from a coma and is claimed to have “a long way to go” in her treatment and recovery.

The first payout was handed out by race officials to Team SD Worx at the commencement of the women’s race in Westerbork on Saturday.

Pieters won the Dutch race in 2021, causing emotional scenes at the start of this year’s event when memories of the 31-year-racing old’s career were displayed on a giant screen.

Twitter social media post:

NK Wielrennen

@NK_wielrennen

“Vandaag is @AmyPieters @teamsdworx uittredend kampioene bij de vrouwen. We weten helaas allemaal waarom ze er niet bij is. Voor de start is Westerbork is een crowdfunding gelanceerd om geld in te zamelen. Thijs Rondhuis @CourageEvents doneerde de eerste 1000 euro. Doneer massaal!”

Riejanne Markus of Jumbo Visma won the Dutch road championship, defeating Shirin van Anrooij on the VAM-Berg.

“The announcement of the crowdfunding campaign for Amy Pieters at the start was an emotional moment, but then the switch had to be turned,” Markus told NOS at the finish. “I think a lot about Pieters. Hopefully she’s proud of me.”

AmyPieters.nl accepts donations. T-shirts made by Team SD Worx are now available to the first large-scale donors.

“We want to offer Amy as many opportunities as possible to get the most out of herself,” the team said when it launched the initiative.

“A fund has been set up for Amy so that, partly thanks to donations, she can hopefully make use of all the opportunities that are possible for her. All donations fully benefit the recovery of and by Amy.”

On Instagram post:

teamsdworx

“Crowdfunding for Amy Pieters: Champion of hearts

Our rider Amy Pieters had just before Christmas an unfortunate crash during a training ride on the bicycle with the Dutch national selection in Spain. She suffered severe brain damage and fell into a coma. In Spain she was immediately operated on and we feared for her life. The first weeks have been very difficult for her and her loved ones. But thankfully Amy is still here!

We are now a few months further and Amy has regained consciousness. The further course of her recovery is still very uncertain. She is working hard on her rehabilitation. Amy can’t speak at the moment, she also still has a loss on the right side of her body, which makes the recovery tough and difficult.

No matter how hard the treatments are, and how difficult the situation is right now, Amy lives by her own motto #smile to enjoy, and smile at life again!

It is not yet possible to predict how long her recovery will take, or how far she can get.

What we do know is that Amy is a sportswoman at heart. She is combative, positive and never gives up.

She has always committed herself and worked hard to achieve her goals. Both individually and in a team. Her effort and struggle now serves a much greater purpose, and she cannot do it alone.

Treatments that Amy can undergo, both in the Netherlands and abroad, are not all reimbursed. Modifications and tools are very expensive.

We want to offer Amy as many opportunities as possible to get the most out of herself.

A fund has been set up for Amy so that, partly thanks to donations, she can hopefully make use of all the opportunities that are possible for her. All donations fully benefit the recovery of and by Amy.

At the Dutch national championships, where Amy Pieters normally would have defended her title, we started a crowdfunding campaign for Amy.

The site where you find more information about the crowdfunding and you can donate money is: www.amypieters.nl

#staystrongamy #championofhearts #amypieters @amypieters”