Ellen Watters critically injured in training crash near hometown of Sussex, N.B.

On Dec. 23, Ellen Watters was out for a training ride near her hometown of Sussex, N.B. when she was struck by a motor vehicle. She was taken to hospital and is in critical condition.

Her family shared a statement on social media on Dec. 26:

I want to thank everyone for the stupendous outpouring of support which have been sent to Ellen Watters, and to our family. The love, strength and joy which Ellen has always shared around her have come rushing right back to her. I couldn’t be more grateful for all the support which her family has received from dear friends, and from all of the cycling community

At this time, Ellen is still stable and receiving respiratory support. However, given her injuries and the results of scans and observation over the past few days, we do not anticipate a recovery. This news is truly heartbreaking for me to have to share. Ellen’s incredible strength and tenacity make this all the more difficult to take in.

Please keep Ellen’s vibrancy shining through your memories of her, the joy you share with the world, and every great big laugh you just can’t keep to yourself.

Until we have more news to share, we’d appreciate some space while we try to cope with this news.

Watters spent the past three seasons racing for the Ottawa-based team The Cyclery Racing and signed a contract with the UCI Women’s Team Colavita/Bianchi for 2017.

Watters enjoyed an exceptional 2016 season taking wins at the Tour of the Battenkill and Tour of Somerville. She supported her teammate Tara Whitten en-route to taking the overall classification victory at the Cascades Cycling Classic and in August traveled to Europe for the first time with Cycling Canada’s WTE NextGen program where she took a victory in Haasdonk, Belgium. The 28-year-old kinesiology graduate also took a bronze medal in the criterium at the Canadian national road cycling championships.

These successes lead Watters to sign a professional contract with the U.S.-based Team Colavita/Bianchi for 2017 and was invited to be a part-time member of the Canadian women’s development program under coach Cameron Jennings.

Along with an outpouring of support from friends and loved ones in the cycling community and beyond, a GoFundMe page for Watters family has raised more than double its stated $5,000 goal.

“Ellen Watters is only beginning to make her mark on international cycling and we all have been very excited to see how far she will go in the sport,” said Cycling Canada high-performance director and head coach Jacques Landry. “On behalf of the Canadian cycling community, we would like to extend our deepest and utmost support to her family and friends in this difficult time.”