Sharon Laws (7 July 1974 – 16 December 2017)^[2][3][4] was a British professional cyclist and environmental consultant.

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Sharon Laws

Laws in the 2009 UCI Road World Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland
Personal information
Full name	Sharon Laws
Born	(1974-07-07)7 July 1974 Nairobi, Kenya
Died	16 December 2017(2017-12-16) (aged 43)
Height	1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)[1]
Weight	54 kg (119 lb; 8.5 st)[1]
Team information
Discipline	Road & MTB
Role	Rider
Professional teams
2008–2009	Team Halfords Bikehut
2010–2011	Garmin–Cervélo
2012	AA Drink–leontien.nl
2013	Lotto Belisol Ladies
2014	UnitedHealthcare
2015	Bigla
2016	Podium Ambition Pro Cycling
Major wins
2008 British National Time Trial Champion 2012 British National Road Race Champion 2004 Absa Cape Epic Women's Category 2009 Absa Cape Epic Women's Category
Medal record Representing AA Drink–leontien.nl Women's road cycling UCI Road World Championships 2012 Valkenburg Team time trial

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Laws was born in Nairobi, Kenya, grew up in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire^[5] and lived in Uganda, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom.^[6]

She gained an MSc in conservation and worked both before and during her cycling career as an environmental consultant to organisations including the British Government, the United Nations and for mining company Rio Tinto in Australia.

Laws previously competed in adventure racing and endurance mountain biking. She won the eight-day Absa Cape Epic mountain-bike race in South Africa in 2004 with partner Hanlie Booyens. She then competed again with Booyens in the Women's Category in 2009, once again claiming 1st prize.

She began riding on the road to train for mountain biking and her form on the road was confirmed when she moved to Australia. She was approached to ride for Australia after coming second in the national championship in Ballarat, but the British official, Dave Brailsford, signed her for Team Halfords Bikehut. After turning professional at the age of 33, she made her base Girona, Spain, and undertook winter training in Stellenbosch, South Africa.^[7]

Her first victory in the team came was the Cheshire Classic stage race, which she won after coming second on the first and second stages.^[8] She got in the break on the first day in the Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin but eased up on team orders to let Nicole Cooke catch the leaders. Cooke won the stage with Laws fifth.^[9] Laws crashed on the fifth stage but rejoined the peloton after a long chase. Her elbow needed a stitch but she could continue racing.^[10] She finished sixth overall.^[9]

Her addition to the British team, which included Cooke and Emma Pooley, was expected to improve chances of a medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing^[11] but Laws crashed twice and came 35th of 62 finishers. Later in 2008 she won the British National Time Trial Championships.

In 2012, she won the British National Road Race Championships.^[12]

In October 2015 she was announced as part of Podium Ambition Pro Cycling's squad for the 2016 season.^[13] Subsequently, in June 2016 she confirmed that she would retire from competition at the end of the season.^[5]

Laws was part of the ITV4 commentary team for the channel's coverage of the 2017 Women's Tour.^[14]

Laws retired from professional cycling in August 2016. In October 2016 Laws announced that she had been diagnosed with cervical cancer, for which she had started on a six-month course of chemotherapy.^[15] Laws died on 16 December 2017, aged 43.^[3][4]