Shirin van Anrooij (17), the European and Dutch road race and TT champion, was left in tears in her latest event when no spare wheel was available to her.
The teenager was riding in the elite race against the pros in Diegem, Belgium, at the sixth round of the Telenet Superprestige series when the problem arose.
She had fought hard to stay with the leading riders when she punctured. However, when she pulled into the pits none of her team's back-up crew was there.
With two pits areas on the course her team was at the other one on the other side of the circuit.
Van Anrooij, who took silver in the junior TT at the Worlds in Yorkshire, realised nobody was coming to help her as mechanics supporting other riders looked on.
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She came to a stop when the commissaire gestured to her to halt as the rules stipulate a rider cannot come into the pits area and leave again unless they have changed bikes or received other mechanical assistance.
When she realised she was stranded she broke down, all captured by the TV cameras - video below.
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An onlooker came out of the pits and examined her bike before asking the commissaire to wave her through and back out on to the course, which he did.
While van Anrooij eventually got a new bike at the second pits area she lost her place at the front of the field and finished in 16th.
The race was won by Annemarie Worst (777) from series leader Ceylin Alvarado (Corendon-Circus) in a close two-up sprint. Yara Kastelijn (777) was 3rd eight seconds back.
The rider the unfortunate van Anrooij was with when she pulled into the pits, Inge Van der Heijden (CCC-Liv) was 4th.
Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon-Circus) won the men's race by nine seconds from Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen–Bingoal) with Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen–Bingoal) 3rd at 28 seconds.
Irish national champion David Conroy was riding the men's race and placed 42nd of the 82-rider field.
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