HOME DIARY TECH RACE PROGRAM PALMARES GALLERY BIO CONTACT DIARY World Cup Podium WORLD CUP- CHINA May 9th: World Cup, Chongming Island, China, 138.6km The Australian National Team (excluding me) were on the front of the main bunch chasing groups back all day, the team can blame me for making their job so hard as I missed an important break on the bridge (that connects Chongming Island to the mainland). Australia chased for a total of 65km today pulling back break after break. It was a 100% commitment from the team to ensure I would have an opportunity to sprint for a podium position. In the end the result was as expected, but not necessarily as desired. Teutenberg seems to have the edge on Wild (just) and the two of them simply have more power than I do at the moment. I will now take one month off racing to prepare for the next World Cup in Spain; I hope to return with a little extra power! Tour GC Podium. Photo: © CJ Farquharson/WomensCycling.net TOUR OF CHONGMING ISLAND May 7th: Stage Three: Chongming Island, China, 79.2km I finished 3rd today, 3rd on GC at the Tour of Chongming UCI 2.1 tour and 3rd in the sprint classification. The Australian National Team also finished 3rd in the team’s classification. I don’t think I’ll ever say I’m satisfied with 3rd place but I’m not disappointed, I gained more experience sprinting against the world’s best and look forward to doing it again on Sunday at the World Cup. The Australian National Team were one of the most active team’s in the tour, the girls raced smart and did everything they possibly could to give us every chance of a result. Thank you to the team for their support; Vicki Whitelaw, Carly Light, Tiffany Cromwell, Carlee Taylor and Shara Gillow. Close for second place! Photo: © CJ Farquharson/WomensCycling.net TOUR OF CHONGMING ISLAND May 6th: Stage Two: Industrial Zone Cup, Chongming Island, China, 79.8km Today’s stage was rather uneventful, not too much happened! There were a few crashes and unfortunately one of my Australian team mates, Shara Gillow fell hard- but she’s a tough cookie and was able to get up and rejoin the main group! I sat out the first intermediate sprint but managed to score a bonus second in the second intermediate sprint, and then it was time to focus on the finish. Australia did a fair bit of work today to ensure I was at the finish with the leaders; I felt great and had a good position during the final kilometres. Kirsten Wild got the jump today and won the stage, Ina Teutenberg just beat me for second place. 3rd is ok, but of course I’m still hoping for a better result!! I am now placed 3rd on the tour’s general classification. Dirty Girls! TOUR OF CHONGMING ISLAND May 5th: Stage One: Chongbei - Shanghai Fusheng Cup, Chongming Island, China, 72.5km I had a great feeling out there today but unfortunately I didn’t have the greatest result! It was evident after the first two intermediate sprints at 29km and 46km that HTC Columbia’s Ina Teutenberg was on fire! Ina looked very explosive and took the first two sprints comfortably. Cervelo’s Kirsten Wild took second in each intermediate sprint and I was 3rd. My team; the Australian National Team were active and supportive until the final kilometre, things were going quite well until I made a poor decision with 500m to go and started my sprint late, way too late- I came 4th. In saying that, I don’t think anyone was going to beat Ina today, she proved that when she hits form, she is the world’s fastest sprinter! I think I was capable of a better sprint today, tactically. Let’s hope for a better outcome tomorrow! Gilmore and Wild OMLOOP VAN BORSELE Omloop Van Borsele. Holland. 17th April 2010 Cervelo were the strongest and most active team in the break but with 40km to go the attacks started, with 15km to go Cooke launched a strong attack and took 3 other riders with her to get a maximum lead of 50 seconds with 5km to go. Cervelo had Charlotte Becker in the break but decided to continue the chase in order to set up the race for Wild. The break of four containing Cooke and Becker were caught with 200m to go. Wild (Cervelo) won the sprint, Gilmore (Lotto) 2nd and Broun (Aust. National Team) 3rd. Podium L-R Gilmore, Wild, Broun RONDE VAN GELDERLAND Ronde van Gelderland, Apeldoorn, Holland. 17th of April 2010 Sweden’s Emma Johansson made a break on the Posbank but was caught with 20km to go. The race was controlled by the Cervelo team who were working 100% for their sprinter- Kirsten Wild who was the eventual race winner. Lotto team mates; Veronica Andreasson (Swedish), Vicki Whitelaw (Australian) and Kathy Delfosse (Flemish) worked hard to keep Rochelle protected until the final kilometres, the sprint was chaotic as usual but Rochelle found the right wheel and was satisfied with the 2nd place, building into form ahead of her targeted World Cup in China. Grace Verbeke Wins Flanders! TOUR OF FLANDERS Tour of Flanders, Belgium. 4th of April 2010 Last year Grace finished 4th in two World Cups, Drenthe (Holland) and Plouay (France) as well as winning the first stage and the overall Tour Du Limousin (France). Following these outstanding results in 2009 Grace was highly sort after by some of the World’s strongest cycling teams and she was faced with a tough decision leading into 2010. It’s was an expression of Grace’s personality and loyalty when she decided to stay with Lotto while working hard towards her ultimate goal of winning the Tour of Flanders. In our team meeting preceding today’s race, Grace made her ambitions clear, she wanted to win solo today. Anyone who has watched and observed Grace’s progression and results would admit that today’s win was no surprise. Everyone who knows Grace would have known she was capable of winning today. Lotto Wins Belgium's Famous Classic! Grace had planned to attack on the Muur but her winning move happened much earlier, she rode off the front of the group on the Molenberg with 45km to go instead of on the Mur with 16km to go. When we asked Grace what we could do to assist her attempt to win Flanders she replied with “I want the race to be as hard as possible- I want a hard race”. I guess the race wasn’t tough enough so she decided she had to do something, she drove the pace hard on the Molenberg and pulled away from the group. Adrie Visser of HTC Colombia immediately jumped the gap to Grace and they worked together with equal turns until Grace dropped Adrie before the Muur with 25 km to go. The time gap with 25km to go was only 35 seconds from Grace back to the main peleton, many would have predicted that Grace would be caught but with strong timetrial credibility Grace held off the chasing bunch by 3 seconds. Grace actually started celebrating her win with 200m to go, so you could say that she won Flanders quite comfortably in the end! What a day!! Congratulations Grace!! Credit © CJ Farquharson/WomensCycling.net TOUR OF QATAR: DAY ONE Doha Qatar from the 3rd to the 5th of February The pace was high due to the flat terrain and nervous riders with fresh legs, the crosswinds were adding to the risk of a high speed tangle so it was soon inevitable. Somehow something happened and I found myself doing a wheelie over a few fallen riders, I was lucky to have rolled across the top of a few riders, I was able to tug my bike out of the jumble and then I continued running and mounting my bike in one motion... wait, it wasn’t that good- I remember stopping to adjust my handlebars, then I was on my way. I believe the bunch continued to apply pressure and hold the pace high after the 1st sprint; this made my task to get back to the group a ‘do or die effort’. I had to give everything I had during those chasing moments to get back to the front group- and it wouldn’t have been possible without my teammate Veronica Andreasson (Swedish). Veronica is quite a diesel and I learnt very quickly that she was in good shape, so good that I had to ask her to back it off at one point, she was about to blow up my little engine! I reached the main group with enough time to take a few deep breaths and compose myself before the final sprint. My Lotto team mates delivered me to the final 5km and then I fought for a good wheel; it was that of Giorgia Bronzini that I focused on in the end. Unfortunately Giorgia and I didn’t find a gap on the right side of the road until the sprint really opened up. We were in a throw for the line with 4 riders and with my tired jelly legs I could only manage 4th in the stage. Credit © CJ Farquharson/WomensCycling.net TOUR OF QATAR: DAY TWO & THREE Doha Qatar from the 3rd to the 5th of February Day two was much better, no crashes! I decided I would relax during the race and sit back for the intermediate sprints and give everything for the stage win. I gave it my best shot, a really good shot actually! I had Kirsten Wild’s wheel and she hit the front 200m from the line, I kicked off her wheel with 150m to go and felt explosive but there was someone holding my wheel, Giorgia Bronzini. Giorgia waited until 50m to go and came off my wheel like dynamite! It was a headwind finish so her timing was perfect. I was happy with my sprint but I was not content with 2nd, I was feeling good for day 3! Day 3 was going to plan until 2km to go! There’s not too much to say, it was a pretty cruisey stage and I was feeling good leading into the finish, I was positioned well and very relaxed. The last 3km of the stage was ballistic, there were riders attacking everywhere and the pressure was on! Ahhh, I don’t know what happened but there was another high speed crash and I was a victim- one of the luckiest ones! I lost my front spokes and as I was trying the keep my bike straight, I felt my back wheel get tangled and my bike came to a stop. I once again pulled it from the rubble but this time it was over, both my front and back wheels had the spokes ripped out and the wheels were no longer round, they wouldn’t turn... I thought about throwing the bike like a frizzby but I managed to stay calm, I think seeing a number of riders on the bitumen not moving was enough to bring me back to realisation, I was fortunate to have come out of that accident with all my skin! I walked a couple of hundred metres back along the course with my bike on my shoulder before exchanging it with another bike from my team car- which was held up behind the riders laying on the road. I was instructed to ride the new bike to the finish, this was when I came across the next big crash just 100m from the line, I had to squeeze past and get to the line (to obtain my 4th overall on GC) before I could rush back to see if Chloe Hosking was ok... it was not looking good with all the paramedics around her, I can’t express the feeling I had riding past her laying still on the road- I felt so much fear and emotion that I shed a tear before reaching her, it was an awful feeling. I was much more relaxed after I spoke with her; she was being placed on a stretcher but was able to give me a little joke and a giggle before being put into the ambulance. My team mate Liz Hatch was involved in the same accident that ended my race; Liz fell hard on her right hand and was transported to the hospital for Xrays and treatment. Liz will have her hand in a cast for the next couple of weeks but hopes to hold fitness while training indoors. So, I’ve returned to Australia with a podium finish (2nd) on day two and 4th on the general classification. It wasn’t quite the result I’d hoped for but I am very satisfied with my fitness and power at this point of the season, it’s an exciting level to work on! 2009 Start Location TOUR OF QATAR Doha Qatar from the 3rd to the 5th of February The 90 women field will engage in combat throughout the stages where they will also have to duel with the wind and the environment. Their daily struggles will unfurl among the splendid settings of the Museum of Islamic Art, the Al Khor Corniche, the Al Zubarah fort, the Oryx Farm, and the Sealine Beach Resort, culminating with the last act on the sumptuous Doha Corniche. This year, 15 teams - seven national teams and eight sporting teams - representing 16 different nationalities will be racing towards victory in the Ladies Tour of Qatar. Stage 4 Win (photo: Shane Goss) STAGE FOUR AND WRAP-UP Stage Four, Williamstown, Victoria. 5th of January 2010 Gilmore and Honda set new standard Rochelle Gilmore took out the final stage of the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic in an almost perfect performance that saw her win the overall series and the sprint competition along with her Honda Dream Team securing the teams classification. After the stage Gilmore made it clear that the bar has now been raised for women’s cycling thanks to the support of her team. “Honda wants to set a standard that says ‘hey let’s support our women like we support our men’ and they’ve certainly done that,” Gilmore said. “They’ve set a new standard for Australian women’s cycling. “They’ve produced a team, in two months, that is more professional than any other team in Australia. “We had a perfect mix of girls. It wasn’t easy selecting the team but we’re glad we picked who we did, the spirits were high and we did everything we were hoping for.” In a demonstration of their dominance the Honda Dream Team made their intentions clear early in the stage completely controlling the race with world omnium champion Josephine Tomic, along with Peta Mullens and Namesha Smith setting the pace to prevent attempts to break-away from succeeding. Early in the stage they set-up the first intermediate sprint allowing Gilmore to get maximum points and build an unassailable lead in that competition. With the green jersey safely in her keeping the 28-year-old switched her focus to the stage win with no regard for the second, and final, intermediate sprint. At bell lap Tiffany Cromwell led the charge for the Honda Dream Team with the peloton strung out in single file behind her while Gilmore waited patiently for the right moment to start her sprint. As they rounded the last corner Mullens begun the final leadout for Gilmore who made her sprint for home at 150 metres to go and won the stage comfortably ahead of Chloe Hosking, while Mullens held on for third. For Gilmore the plan for the day worked out exactly as she intended. “We knew that the last two laps were the most important laps of the race,” Gilmore said. “Chloe Hosking tried everything she could to try to push in on our train and I’m sure she’d love to be a part of the Honda Dream Team but today we weren’t going to let her. Maybe in the future but today it was just us and we weren’t letting anyone in there.” Gilmore last won the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic in 2002 and put much of this win down to the support of Honda. “I prepared for this race with the support of Honda who a couple of months ago said, ‘Rochelle we want to support you to do well in the Australian summer’, and I thought if they want to get involved in women’s cycling it’s worth my while to put my head down and try to be fit to target this race,” she said. Ritchie Boulevarde Circuit (photo: Shane Goss) BAY CRITS STAGE THREE Stage Three, Ritchie Boulevarde, Eastern Beach Circuit, Victoria. 4th of January 2010 Another day goes to plan! Well nearly.... our plan was to send Tiffany Cromwell of The Honda Dream Team up the road in a break-away. Tiff broke away with two other riders (who had not yet gained points in the series) and worked really hard to keep the small group away. In the end Tiff came 3rd. It was great for me to see another Honda Dream Team mate stand on the podium! Well done Tiff! I won the bunch kick for 4th while Peta Mullens (Honda Dream Team) came 5th after a brilliant lead-out! 3rd, 4th and 5th for Honda today but more importantly, we increased our lead for the series win, the sprint series win and the team’s classification! Nimesha Smith fell hard today towards the end of the race- after working well to control the race for our team; we’re hoping she will feel ok to start tomorrow. Jos Tomic was once again the strongest rider on the final laps and will play a key role in helping the team secure the series on the final day tomorrow! Stage Two Sprint (photo: Shane Goss) BAY CRITS STAGE TWO Stage Two, East Gardens Short Circuit, Victoria. 3rd of January 2010 Today’s race was much harder for our Honda Dream Team to control, all the other teams were attacking and making the race very hard and fast. It feels like it’s the Honda Dream Team against everyone else in the race! Our team proved that they are the strongest team out there by keeping the race together and being able to hold the pace high on the last lap. I’d lost a little interest in the intermediate sprint jersey whilst wanting to focus on winning the overall race series so I had a little half hearted go for the first sprint but was hesitant to push 100% early enough so I ran second. I chose to not contest the 2nd intermediate sprint and recovered for the finish sprint. None of the team’s best sprinters are contesting the intermediate sprints so this is more reason for me to save my legs for the finish- as they are doing. The last lap was fast and until 500m to go I was sitting comfortably behind my team mates, as we climbed the short hill just 400m from the finish riders were attacking everywhere and there was no organisation! I switched wheels a few times until Chloe Hoskings kicked hard early, I followed her but as she was dying a little i was forced to also start my 100% sprint early, into a headwind.. I knew it was going to be a long way to the line so I had to give everything and only just got there in time to take the win again on day two. Stage One Win (womenscycling.net) BAY CRITS STAGE ONE Stage One, East Gardens Long Circuit, Victoria. 2nd of January 2010 Stage one of the Bay Crit series in the East Gardens of Geelong is my most least liked circuit of the series, there are no corners, no real hills and a fast downhill sprint... the strong headwind sprint was something I did like! The race started out very calmly with my teammates controlling the race and covering all the moves, the pace picked up a little leading into the first sprint which I was keen to contest, Peta Mullens gave me the perfect lead-out and I took maximum points in that first intermediate sprint. The race continued at a steady pace until the second intermediate sprint which I didn’t plan to contest as it’s only 6 laps from the finish of the race. I followed Peta again and came 2nd without a maximum effort; this put me in the lead of the sprint classification leading into day two Leading into the last lap of the race the pace was very high and the bunch was riding crazy for positions, elbows were going everywhere and it was difficult to hold a good position out of the wind. Fortunately my Honda Dream Team put themselves on the front with half a lap to go and my confidence was boosted, Tiffany Cromwell started the lead-out up the slight rise around the back while Jos Tomic and Nimesha Smith kept me well protect and out of the wind... Peta Mullens moved around behind me keeping a close eye on protecting my back wheel! I was sitting behind Jos when Chloe Hoskings started her sprint with a wildly explosive kick 200m from the finish, she came off my wheel and headed for the far side of the road, I responded quickly and followed her across to the right side, taking one deep breath before accelerating past in a monster gear, the 11! The Honda Dream Team JAYCO BAY CRIT SERIES REVIEW Geelong, Victoria. 2nd - 5th January 2010 The team will include current omnium world champion, Josephine Tomic. With the omnium having recently been added to the Olympic track cycling program the 20-year-old West Australian will be closely watched in the lead up to the London Olympics and will benefit from riding alongside the experienced Gilmore, 27. Tiffany Cromwell, 21, who was the second placed Australian in the road race at the 2009 Road World Championships, will be a key member of the team. The difficult course on the second day of racing is expected to suit the South Australian who is quickly building a reputation for her ability in the hills. Current under-23 Australian road race champion, 21-year-old Victorian Peta Mullens, will also be on the team along with New Zealand’s Nimesha Smith, 32. “We’ve got a really strong team with really good criterium riders and I’m communicating with girls daily to make sure their on track to be in good form,” a positive sounding Gilmore said. “If everyone is fit and healthy we’ll have one of the strongest teams. Having said that there’s going to be a lot of strong competition. “There’ll be experienced riders like Belinda Goss and Kirsty Broun to contend with and the NSW institute of Sport has combined with the Victorian Institute of Sport to build a team around Megan Dunn. Broun won the series in 2009 and Dunn in 2008, as a 16-year-old to be the youngest ever winner of the event, while Goss took out the scratch race at the opening round of the UCI Track World Cup in Manchester earlier this year. The 2010 Jayco Bay Cycling Classic is the 21st edition of the event and Gilmore was quick to recognise the significance of the race even in comparison to the Australian Criterium Championships. “The Bay Crits are a prestigious race to win,” the Commonwealth Games silver medallist said. “The national title could be won by a lucky rider because it’s only a one day race and anything can happen but the Bay Crits it really proves who is the best criterium rider because you have to be consistent over the four days.” The Jayco Bay Cycling Classics starts in Geelong on Saturday 2 January and finishes in Williamstown on Tuesday 5 January. Rochelle's Win (Photo: cyclingnews.com) HONDA DREAM TEAM WIN Wanda Beach Car Park, Cronulla, Australia: 13th of December 2009 I woke this morning to a mental challenge; the wind was not blowing the way we expected! I’d been out on the circuit several times this week analysing the wind and downhill sprint to the finish. The wind had been blowing in from the north/east all week – which offered a strong tailwind into the finish but this morning the wind was blowing from the south/east providing a strong headwind into the finish. This factor completely changed our race strategy and tactics for the finish. The Honda Dream Team was directed by David Short, a former AIS women’s road coach. Dave’s race plan was to use Nimesha and Sky-lee to cover all the moves in the first half of the race, the two girls closed every attack during the first half of the race! It was Amanda Spratt from the women’s AIS road team who was throwing out the dangerous attacks, we had to work extremely hard to close down her attempts at a break-away! Tiffany Jane Cromwell took out the first immediate sprint which was sponsored by Tiffany Jane Designs! Tiff was then instructed to sit back and save a little energy for the final lap. Liz Georgouras covered a few moves during the race and still played a big part in the final lead-out. Tiff lead out the final lap and Liz took over with 400m to go; Chloe and I were in prime position behind Liz with the threatening NSWIS rider of Megan Dunn glued to my wheel. Chloe Hosking was asked to sacrifice her chance of winning or taking a podium by leading out early... she is one of the fastest sprinters in the world and well suited to a fast downhill sprint. Chloe hit the front with 270m to go and lived up to her reputation, she pulled me and Megan away from the rest of the field and launched me into the final 150m, I accelerated hard off Chloe’s wheel watching Megan on my wheel, I held my speed to the finish and took the victory for the Honda Dream Team. Megan Dunn followed me across the line for 2nd while Chloe held on for an amazing 3rd place! Every rider of the Honda Dream Team exceeded all expectations today, they controlled the race, everything went to plan and we’re all extremely satisfied with our efforts!!! Strong Line-Up for the Cronulla GP (Photo: cyclingnews.com) HONDA DREAM TEAM LAUNCH Summersalt Restaurant, Cronulla, Australia. The announcement of the team is an extension of Honda’s support of women’s cycling after they were the title sponsor of the inaugural Honda Hybrid Women’s Tour, which ran in conjunction with the 2009 Jayco Herald Sun Tour. Although she didn’t win the overall honours it was a successful tour for Gilmore winning two stages of the race and the sprint classification. Gilmore, who has won Commonwealth Games medals on the track as well as world cup races on the road, has been the one to pull the Honda Dream Team together and is confident with the choices she has made. “There is a lot of strong competition but we’re confident that we’ve got the right mix of girls to pull it off,” Gilmore said. “We’ve put together a really strong team with a couple of sprinters plus Tiffany Cromwell is going very strong and is a great worker but if she got away on her own could win herself.” Having finished second in the Cronulla International Grand Prix twice Gilmore makes no excuses for wanting to win this weekend but sees the bigger picture for the team. “As much as I want to win this race the first priority is for the Honda Dream Team to win in Cronulla whether it’s me or one of the other members of the team,” Gilmore said. Gilmore’s experience tells her a key challenge of the Cronulla International Grand Prix will be that it’s the first time the team has raced together but she is taking the steps required to overcome that hurdle. “We’ve all raced together at some point throughout the year but not necessarily as a complete team so we’ll take a look at the course today and get together on Saturday to plan how we will race on Sunday,” the 27-year-old said. The Cronulla International Grand Prix will be a rare opportunity for Gilmore to race on home soil. “Cronulla is really home for me so there’ll be lots of family around and the people who have supported me right from the start so I’m looking forward to the race,” Gilmore said. Team HP Pinarello. Photo's by: CJ Farquharson. WomensCycling.net Honda Hybrid Women's Tour Introduction to the Honda Hybrid Tour Team HP-Pinarello entered the 3 day tour with only 3 riders, the minimum number permitted to enter a team in the Honda Hybrid Women’s Tour. We were up against 80 women who were representing their teams of up to 7 riders. Team’s from all over Australia travelled to compete in the exciting event. Our goals were clear leading into the event; we wanted to win all three stages and the tour. We might have been out numbered but we had a small team capable of achieving our set goals. Team HP-Pinarello consisted of; Vicki Whitelaw who recently represented Australia at the World Championships in the Road Race and the Time Trial, Lauren Kitchen who is Australia’s most promising star of the future who is always the strength (last lead-out) delivering Australia’s fastest sprinters to the line. I made up the team as the third rider. Stage One Finish. Photo's by: CJ Farquharson. WomensCycling.net Stage One Stage One. Great Ocean Road, Anglesea Our tactics in stage one were- all for one. Lauren and Vicki were committed to keeping the race together for a bunch sprint. The final 500m was perfect for me; a fast entry into a tight right hand turn (roundabout) just 150m from the line... Our race went to plan and I won the first stage and took the leaders jersey by just one second. Lauren in the young riders jersey, Vicki in the leaders jersey! Photo's by: CJ Farquharson. WomensCycling.net Stage Two Stage Two. The Esplanade, Geelong Stage two was an individual time trial which Vicki was targeting, we were counting on her to win and take over the leader’s jersey; we were very unsure about the strength and condition of her competitors as we’d just returned from Europe and had not been following the domestic scene too closely. Vicki just concentrated on what she could do- and it was enough! Vicki won by 2 seconds and took the leaders jersey! Lauren was aiming for the young rider’s jersey but after completing her time trial in torrential rain we thought she would have been beaten by riders contesting the TT under blue skies! Lauren has exceptional bike handling skills and managed to win the under 23 jersey! Stage Three Win. Photo's by: CJ Farquharson. WomensCycling.net Stage Three Stage Three. Lygon St, Melbourne We started stage 3 with three clear goals; to defend the leaders jersey, to defend the under 23 jersey and to win the stage! There were moments during our lengthy team meeting when we thought it was a little risky trying to cover every move with just 3 riders- one being the sprinter. Our plan had big risks so we had considered letting the stage go- in order to keep the leaders jersey safe. In the end we all found motivation and confidence to go out there and aim to achieve all! Our key was to stay confident and believe we had the condition to control the race with just 3 riders. Stage 3 went to plan, we covered every move and still managed a dominating lead-out in the final 500m.... after our team controlled the race I was still delivered to the last 200m in prime position, the slightly uphill power sprint suited me well and we all enjoyed the final victory for HP-Pinarello. Team HP-Pinarello won all 3 stages, the overall tour and the young rider’s jersey! Too late? Too weak? Photo Credit: C.J.Farquharson WomensCycling.net World Cup & World Championships Pre Worlds Training Camp; Castronno, Varese, Italy. 17th of September I've had a huge season having raced 52 UCI races, covering 5,282.6kms.... I wonder how many non UCI races I’ve done- anyway, I can feel that it has been a lot! So, before my last planned tour of the season I was already thinking about the Nurnberg World Cup and decided that I needed to go home (to Northern Italy) unpack, spend some time on the couch, refresh and then start my final prep for Nurnberg. I was relieved to hear that Holland Ladies Tour was wet, cold, windy, and generally- unpleasant! My result in Nurnberg indicated that I had made the right decision, I was fresh and enjoying the racing again! Even though I was satisfied with the 2nd place in a world cup- I did lose sleep over the sprint finish. It was one of those situations where you’re not sure if you could have done something different or given more... it’s almost better to run 2nd and know that there was no way you possibly could have won! Frustrating! Moving on.... I have been named in the official Australian National Team to compete at the fast approaching World Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland on the 26th of September. We will have a few cards to play on the day with our strongest riders being Ruth Corset and Tiffany Cromwell, the course is extremely tough and could see the race split up immediately! I will participate in the national colours purely as a support rider (due to the tough nature of the course) so I’m hoping to have a good day and assist our lead riders during the first half of the race. Vicky Whitelaw will also need to be having one of her best days in order to support our leaders until the final exciting moments! Bikes ready before the last stage! TROPHEE D'OR 29th of August: Day Five, Stage Six. St-Germain Du Puy to St-Amand Montrond 103km What an aggressive and impressive race! There were attacks after attack all day today, 3 riders were within 3 seconds of each other for the tour's general classification so the fight was on! Diana Ziliute was sitting in 2nd position on GC just 1 second behind the leader, so her race strategy had to be to run top 3 in the stage- in front of the current leader, in order to win the tour. My tactic was to move when Diana did! Diana and her team-mates had to work very hard today and Diana clearly worked harder than any other rider in the race.... and then she won the sprint, she was simply the best today! What about me- I was exhusted at the finish and had no power in the sprint, I'm generally very tired and fatigued from the long season of racing and travelling. I came 4th today so I've left the tour with a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 3rd in both the Mountains and Points classifications. It's time for me to return home (Italy) and put my feet up for a few days before starting my final preparation for the next World Cup! Kim warming down after today's stage. TROPHEE D'OR 28th of August: Day Four, Stage Five. Avord to Avord. 112km I really let my team down today; they worked so hard in the wind all day! We missed a dangerous break early in the race and therefore my team had to work extremely hard to pull back the break of 10 strong riders. They managed to bring the race back together with 10kms to go. Once the race came back together I started to feel great, I had been protected all day and my legs were feeling better and better after every kilometre had past. With 2km’s to go I was positioned perfectly but somewhere before the 200m to go mark disaster struck, I was involved in a messy incident, I nearly crashed and had to hit my breaks hard, I looked up with determination to fight back but it was too late, I was now about 20 riders back with no chance of getting back near the front. I feel terrible, my team mates are exhausted from giving 100% for me today and I let them down, I really stuffed up, it’s the worst feeling to finish a race feeling like you haven’t given everything and today, I got myself caught up and couldn’t have a go.... Errrr. We'll have another go tomorrow. Emma Mackie enjoying her massage! TROPHEE D'OR 27th of August: Day Three, Stage Four. Cosne-Sur-Loire to Cosne-Sur-Loire. 97km The hilliest stage of the tour certainly was hilly! The pace was on from the start and a small group of 6 riders broke away in the first 10kms! We had Emma Silversides in this break but it was caught by the main group before the first categorised climb at 30km. I can’t tell you too much about how today’s race went up front because from the first climb at 30kms I was in the hoop group! My 4 team mates; Emma Mackie, Kim Schoonbaert, Linn Torp and Annelies Van Doorslaer were right by my side all day today and I can tell you- I would not have finished the stage without their support. It was my worst day on the bike ever... I felt so much pain all over my body! It has been a long season with a lot of racing so it’s possible that I’m getting tired and my body is trying to let me know! 3 riders were away today but they split up in the final kilometres, it was Beatrice Thomas from France who took the stage win solo. The big hitters; Cooke, Johansson, Ziliute etc... were in a group of 9 behind the leading three. Tomorrow’s stage is flat and I should be excited about it but at the moment, I’m exhausted! As they say, tomorrow is a new day and anything can happen right? We’ll see! After Stage Three TROPHEE D'OR 26th of August: Day Two, Stage Three. Mehun-Sur- Yevre to Mehun-Sur- Yevre. 75.1km Today’s stage was a little scary! The roads were very rough and the wind was strong, we were racing around a 20km circuit with money sprints and mountain sprints. Our team once again focused on the two mountain sprints at 17km and 39km which were actually just sprints on the upside of a bridge- perfect for us; I won both sprints without too much effort as I was protected well by my team mates in the strong cross-winds. The sprint finish was chaos, the bunch was all together and the road was downhill with a tail wind so you can imagine the tightly packed bunch and the screaming and swearing that was going on! Diana Ziliute won her 2nd stage for the day with perfect positioning and a surprising kick, I was 2nd on the other side of the road, just centimetres in front of Cooke. I now lead the mountains jersey by 10 points but don’t expect to hold onto it tomorrow... there are 6 tough mountain sprints in stage 4! I might hold back a little tomorrow and if the jersey is in reach after the stage, I’ll fight to get it back during the last 2 days of the tour! Pulling on the Jersey! TROPHEE D'OR 26th of August: Day Two, Stage Two. Chateaumeillant to Orval. 73.4km Stage Two was a fast flat stage with only one significant short sharp hill just 4km from the finish. I went for, and won the first intermediate mountain sprint which was not too tough; the slight uphill was only about 700m long. I had decided to not go 100% for the last hill sprint just before the finish, I already had enough points to hold the mountains jersey for another day, so my plan was to climb the steep hill near the front of the bunch but not accelerate or kick in order to take points on the top of the hill... I wanted to save my kick for the finish; this was the mistake that lost me the opportunity to win the stage! 4 riders broke clear over the final hill with 4km’s to go; I went over the climb with Nicole Cooke near the front of the bunch and I was still confident that the bunch would chase down the leaders but, the leaders were strong and determined- they took their lead out to 16 seconds in the last 4 km! I won the bunch kick for 5th and still lead the mountain jersey by just 2 points. Mountain's Jersey TROPHEE D'OR 25th of August: Day One, Stage One. St Armand-Montrond to Sancoins 73km Today’s stage was going well until the final seconds! The stage started late, at 4pm in St Amand-Montrond; we raced 73km finishing in Sancoins 1hr and 51minutes later. (37.6km/hr speed average). I went for the 2 mountains sprints at 20km and 50km, I had great support from my team and managed to take 2nd in the first sprint and 1st in the 2nd sprint, I’m only leading the mountains classification by 2 points! The terrain and mountains get much tougher towards the end of the tour so it might be an unrealistic goal to hold the jersey until Saturday... ah, why not- I think I’ll give it a go!! It was a very furious finish today until the last corner which was 500m from the finish. The final 500metres were uphill, so after the last corner, the bunch strung out and it was survival of the strongest! Nicole Cook and I started our sprints very early, we were drag racing with every last bit of power when Monica Holler came flying up alongside us; we all threw for the line in a close photo finish.... I was disappointed with the news! Monica Holler 1st, Nicole Cooke 2nd... me 3rd. Ouch! You could say I was a little mad at myself- I could have used my power much more efficiently! Not a great start, let’s hope tomorrow is a better day! Grace Verbeke- Most Aggressive Rider ROUTE DE FRANCE 14th of August: Day Six, Stage Five. Saint Pourcain Sur Sioule to Chatelguyon. 132.7km Grace was very motivated this morning after yesterday’s disappointment. Our team’s goal was to see Grace on the Podium. The stage was quite hilly from the start which meant that we (Grace’s team mates) couldn’t do too much to help; fortunately Grace put herself in an early break of 16 riders. Grace appeared to be the strongest in this group so she started to attack about 30km’s from the finish, she attacked quite a few times until there was only 4 riders left but disaster struck when Australia’s Ruth Corset rode away from them on the descent with 20km to go. I was watching the race from our team car after abandoning the race just moments after the start and I was sure that Ruth would win from this moment/move. The riders that watched her ride away may have underestimated Ruth’s strength, but I certainly didn’t! Ruth won by over two minutes; the small main bunch caught Grace’s group in the final kilometres and Monia Baccaille won the bunch sprint for 2nd. Grace was awarded Most Aggressive Rider for the day! So, the Route De France for 2009 was kind of a strange race, presenting some strange results but Kimberly Anderson of HighRoad was certainly a deserving winner and worked very hard for it! Well Done Kim! We managed two podium finishes here, team winners for stage one and most aggressive rider today! Waiting for the start.. ROUTE DE FRANCE 13th of August: Day Five, Stage Four. Vierzon to Saint Pourcain Sur Sioule. 153.7km Today’s stage was confusing, frustrating and very strange. There were two very heavy crashes in the bunch before we’d completed 30km. Most of us were very angry about the risks some riders were taking and their unnecessary aggression during the first kilometres of a very long stage. One rider from Brazil- Clemilda Fernandes was removed from the race due to dangerous riding. Our lead rider Grace Verbeke came down in the 2nd crash and lost a little skin, as she was working her way back to the main bunch, a group of 10 riders broke away and rode out of sight very quickly! Our team had missed the break along with Nurnberger and Fenixs. Australia’s lead rider- Tiffany Cromwell had also missed the break. The only team’s that should have been happy with this break should have been HighRoad who had Kim Anderson in the break and America who had Evelyn Steven’s up there. We believed that there would be plenty of other teams willing to work together to pull the break back- but we were wrong. No team’s were willing to chase, the bunch let the 10 riders go and later another two- the leaders gained half an hour advantage while the bunch rode at a very slow steady pace! Evelyn Stevens (America) won from Kim Anderson (HighRoad), Kim is now the new race leader. I don’t think the General Classification will change much tomorrow. I’m not sure if it was the long stage that scared people from racing, or the heat... or the hilly stage to come but I can say that I’ve never been a part of a main bunch that loses 30 minutes to the break-away! Strange. Team Presentation ROUTE DE FRANCE 12th of August: Day Four, Stage Three. Saran to Vierzon, 114.3km Ahhhh... we lost another rider today, Emma was involved in a spectacular crash! I saw Emma tangle her handlebars with an American rider and they sling shotted off the road at speed and disappeared into a deep ditch! Fortunately Emma was not badly injured but she was unable to complete the stage as she had landed heavily on her head after a few summersaults! We also lost our masseur- Alain this morning, he had felt some pressure building in his head overnight and fainted on the way to breakfast, he has been transported to a couple of hospitals for tests; meanwhile we had to organise for another staff member to travel from Belgium today to help us out. Hopefully Alain will make a speedy recovery! Today’s race was generally pretty slow and relaxed – and this time it was as flat as the profile indicated but I did get a little nervous 20km from the finish when our race director described the finish. Dany said on the race radio (in French, English and Flemish) that the finish was very hard; he said the last 2kms were hilly and the final km was a steep climb up to the finish! I’d been feeling fresh during the stage so I stayed confident. The sprint played out very much like the sprint in stage one; Diana Ziliute hit out early after a long strong lead-out by her teammate Giorgia Bronzini. Ina relaxed behind her lead-out train and watched Diana gain a gap before she accelerated, I was able to accelerate with Ina this time and we passed Diana in the final 100metres... I was not able to move off Ina’s wheel. So, another podium at the Route De France! Now we will hit the hills and see how well I survive! My TT bike; last minute service! ROUTE DE FRANCE 11th of August: Day Three, Stage Two. Cholet, 15km ITT Today’s Time Trial was somewhat technical on the wet roads, many riders were pushing their limits in order to pick-up a second here and there through the corners, many riders were unfortunate to have fallen and lost not only seconds but also a lot of skin! Lizzie Armitstead from our team fell hard through a roundabout at high speed; she says she might have made a mistake with her tyre pressure given that the roads were drying up when she started.... so, Lizzie will not start tomorrow in order to let her body heal. Grace finished 10th today proving that she’s a strong contester for the tour’s general classification; she’ll be looking forward to the final two days when we hit the hills! I took it very easy, maybe too easy but I feel good ahead of tomorrow’s stage where I’ll have another opportunity to make the podium, I’d normally say ‘another opportunity to win’ but when Ina’s on form... she’s much like Cavendish- in a class of her own! Australia’s Tiffany Cromwell won the 15km TT less than one second ahead of Ina. Tiff said she surprised herself, she has the form of her life at the moment and has the tour win in mind with a strong national team to support her! Today's Podium ROUTE DE FRANCE 10th of August: Day Two, Stage One. Fontenay Le Comte – Cholet, 103.7km Today’s stage was described as flat in the race booklet but if that was flat, I’m not looking forward to the last couple of hilly days! The roads were rolling up and down all day! One American rider-Alison Starnes tried a gutsy solo break-away and did well to take her lead out to 3 minutes! Alison was caught before the final 30kms and the race was sure to stay together from there... the sprinters started moving forward as the pace picked up closer to the finish. There was chaos with 5kms to go! With 5kms to go we saw a 1km to go banner, we were to pass the finish and then complete one more small lap of 4kms before the finish but, some riders saw the 1km to go banner and started sprinting! I was positioned near Ina Teutenberg and she looked very relaxed and didn’t accelerate, I asked her if she thought we had another lap and she said with confidence- YES we have 4km to go... so I stayed relaxed about 30 riders back while others sprinted like mad for the finish line! It was Australia’s Kirsty Broun who crossed the line first and threw her hands in the air, along with her lead-out rider Tiffany Cromwell... they were not alone, I’m sure half the bunch also thought it was the finish! The race continued and I stayed focused. With 1km to go (the real final km) I was positioned well on Ina’s wheel but there were still a few riders off the front. Ina started her sprint very early in order to catch the leading riders and I couldn’t match her initial kick so I also had to chase down the leading riders alone, it was a very long slightly uphill sprint – I caught Diana Ziulute just before the line for 2nd.... Ina was long gone, she won by 2 seconds! Lizzie at the School ROUTE DE FRANCE Route De France, France: Prologue, 9th of August 2009 Lizzie Armitstead was the best placed from our team in 11th position, 21 seconds behind the leader. Unfortunately there are no points, sprint or mountains jerseys at this tour which limits our objectives to individual stage placings. Once again we’re being accommodated in French schools, it’s not so glamorous... Adding to the discomfort we must re-locate everyday for the duration of the tour. Maybe we shouldn’t complain, another organiser has done his best to run a women’s tour.... your effort is appreciated. Victory! SPARKASSEN GIRO, BOCHUM GERMANY 1st & 2nd of August: Bochum, Germany I had a big win today! It was a very successful weekend for our team, Lotto-Belisol. We raced a 50km criterium last night (Saturday) and we had decided that we wouldn’t take it too seriously as the big UCI 1.1 race was on the next morning (Sunday morning). Lizzie Armitstead (Current TP World Champ) from our team made an attack at the halfway point during Saturday’s crit and was joined by Australia’s Vicky Whitelaw, the two of them stayed away and Lizzie won! I won the bunch sprint for third so it was nice to both be on the podium! Today (Sunday) was one of the biggest one day races on the UCI calendar; it’s a 1.1 race which offers 80 UCI points, just 20 points less than a World Cup win. This race has been a big target of mine this year after just being beaten by a small margin in last year’s race. I had great legs today and felt confident during the last laps over the short steep climbs. I was trying to follow last year’s winner- Suszanne De Goede (Dutch) into the last corner just 250m from the finish but it was fast and hectic and I ended up taking the last corner in 6th position (instead of my intended 2nd or 3rd position) but I was fortunate to know the last 250m very well, it’s slightly uphill and one of the longest 250m’s ever... I was patient and waited until the final 100m’s to kick, I got over last year’s winner with about one bike length. It was a super nice win for the team, 2 out of 2 this weekend!! Team Lotto Belisol TOUR OF LIMOUSINE, FRANCE 23rd of July: Stage One Stage Winner: Grace Verbeke (Team Lotto-Belisol) Race Leader: Grace Verbeke (Team Lotto-Belisol) Points Leader: Grace Verbeke (Team Lotto-Belisol) Mountains Leader: Grace Verbeke (Team Lotto-Belisol) Sprints Leader: Grace Verbeke (Team Lotto-Belisol) So, not a bad day for Grace and Team Lotto-Belisol! We’re so proud, well done Grace! A group of 10 riders broke away on the first GPM just 16km into the race, the pace was really high on the first climb- it was the Russians who were setting the tempo so high. I couldn’t quite hold the group; I was there but I just lost contact in the final 300m of the climb and slipped back into the next group. Whilst Grace was in the break winning all the GPM’s and sprints on the road I was sitting comfortably back in the next group. The lead group of 10 riders split up on the last GPM with 15km to go; Grace was now in a group of 4 riders. Grace kicked earlier than I did to win the race against her 3 challengers, she took the last corner in 3rd position and accelerated out of it with 200m to go; I was sprinting against a large group for 11th place and came off 2nd wheel with only 100m to go. It was a fun sprint with a tight corner at 200m to go and then a steep 150 metres uphill to the line. Rochelle & Grace 24th of July: Stage Two It was another wet cold day on the bike! We raced over some rolling hills but it was relatively flat compared to yesterday. Grace continued to chase points in the mountains sprints whilst I had a go at some intermediate sprints. I’m sitting just a few points behind Grace in the sprint competition which means I’ll wear the green jersey today; Grace remains in the leaders pink jersey. The finish was a little disappointing for us; it was a very messy, dangerous sprint especially on the left side of the road where we (Lotto-Belisol) were... I got boxed in until the final moments and finished 4th- there were a few crashes in the finial 500m but our team managed to stay out of trouble. Sprint Jersey 25th of July: Stage Three We had another relatively successful day in France, Grace is leading the tour by 13 seconds, I’m leading the sprint classification by 6 points and Emma Silversides was 3rd in the stage! I felt great today and really liked the uphill finish where the intermediate sprints took place. I had some problems with my bike in the first 10kms and had to make a bike change, it was an unfortunate time to make the change as the race was starting to break up... I had to work very hard to reach the group again. After 20km’s my original bike had been repaired so I stopped to change back onto it, this time my teammate- Emma Mackie stopped with me and towed me back to the group- it was much easier, thanks Em! With more assistance from Emma I won the first two intermediate sprints on the uphill to the finish line and was looking forward to the final sprint for the stage win but unfortunately for me, a small group of 6 broke away in the final 25kms. We had Emma Silversides in the break and trusted she could win or podium so we let it go, she managed 3rd behind Tiffany Cromwell (Australia) and Irina Molicheva (Russia). I won the uphill bunch kick for 7th place. Tomorrow we will focus on assisting Grace in order to win the Tour! Jersey Winners 26th of July: Stage Four What a day, we still can’t believe what happened! Half way through the race one solo rider had a break of 3 minutes... which meant that if she held the gap- she would take the tour victory from Grace! The terrain was hilly and the main bunch was moving fast and we were still not closing in on the solo French rider- Karine Gautard-Roussel. It’s not often that I’m called to the front to pull turns but today we were in a desperate situation, we recruited Russia’s Svetlana Bubnenkova and started to chase with maximum effort. We had Emma Mackie, Emma Silversides, Svetlana, me and also Grace chasing for the last 50km and in the end, we only closed the gap to 1min 30seconds! The solo rider had lost close to 3 minutes earlier in the tour so whilst she won the stage today Grace had held onto the Tour victory! I had a tough time finding my legs after a short time working at the front, it’s not my forte to push the wind- it kills me. With 25km to go I thought I was completely finished, I blew up and drifted back into the second group but during the last 10km our little bunch got excited and drove it hard to reach the front group again. We were all back together for a bunch kick- minus the solo rider who had already finished! I still can’t believe how I (a sprinter) can completely exhaust myself to failure, and then find an extra bust of energy when I see a finish line. Today’s finish was once again uphill and Svetlana lead-out the sprint; I followed Svetlana across the line for 3rd place in the stage and thanked her for her assistance with chasing during the stage. I guess we could say that the Tour of limousine has been our most successful race this year; Tour Winner, Sprint Classification Winner, Stage Winner, 2 x 3rd places, 2nd in the sprint and mountains classification.... Australian Team CENTO ITALY UCI 1.2 18th of July: 11 laps of 10km This year I managed myself well during the week and apart from battling with allergies on the day- I was in good condition. There was a break of 10 riders away from lap three (of 11) and we had Emma Mackie in the break, we were happy with this as the only other strong riders in the break were Tatiana Guderzo and Svetlana Bubnenkova... we’d back Emma for a win or a podium from that group. As it turned out, the main group caught the break-away group with 5kms to go; the last 5km were fast and furious as Diana Zuilute from SAFI was motivated to win the race with attack after attack! After a few failed attempts she committed to leading out for her team mate- Giorgia Bronzini with 1km to go. I fought hard to work my way forward and onto Giorgia’s wheel but just as I got there she kicked hard, she kicked very early and gapped us on the cobbles, I held the gap but didn’t make ground on her, I finished 2nd totally exhausted and noticed that there was another small gap back to third place and the main bunch. Another 2nd place for me but 1st, 2nd and 3rd for PINARELLO! 1st Giorgia Bronzini, 2nd Rochelle Gilmore, 3rd Monia Baccaille. My Mum & I at the Giro! Giro Di Italia- Stage Nine 12th: Stage Nine. What an eventful race! In the hours before today’s start there was a lot of discussion about the dangerous circuit. The 8km lap was on extremely worn and damaged roads with a lot of very large pot-holes and rough surfaces, the corners were technical and some were cobbled with chucky sharp stones! There were also many parked cars along the circuit. The team managers and riders were very nervous about the possible accidents that could occur on such a dangerous circuit so there was an agreement made before the start to ride at a controlled/neutralised pace until the final lap- then the sprinters could do their thing BUT.... there were a few individual riders who got excited and broke the agreement! Usually the riders should respect the final decision from the race leader but today it was impossible to convince some of the riders that safety should come first- even after one rider had a serious crash when she lost control due to hitting a pot-hole at speed. We watched her being lifted into the ambulance as we past the accident site on the following lap. I felt good today but failed in the end. I was squeezed out of position in the final kilometre and worked hard to move up again but it was too late- I came 8th, a very disappointing finish. That’s the Giro d’Italia done for 2009; we covered 1000km and many mountains and all I achieved in the end was a couple of top 10 finishes. I’m looking forward to some one day races! Giro Di Italia- Stage Six, Seven & Eight 9th-11th: Stage Six, Seven and Eight. 3 days in the mountains, nothing exciting to report- I found a steady group each day and tried to enjoy the climbing knowing it’s a great start to my rebuilding phase leading into the second half of the season’s racing! Lotto Giro Team 09 Giro Di Italia- Stage Four 7th July: Stage Four, 109km. Porto S.Elpidio (AP) to Porto S.Elpidio (AP) So much for a flat stage! There was a 6km climb every lap (4 x 27km laps). The pace was kept high on the long drag so the bunch was strung out towards the top each time, I just made sure I kept in contact with main group so I could move forward again on the descent. The last lap was more controlled than expected so after the final climb it looked like it was going to be a bunch sprint, all the sprinters were in the front group and their teams had started their lead-outs with 5-10km to go.... I was getting pushed around so I moved back to relax a bit. With one km to go and a tail wind the speed was high and it was difficult to improve position, I might have been a little too relaxed back where I was which made it difficult to take a result in the end... I finished 6th but feel a little disappointed that I didn’t get fired up! Ina Yoko Teutenberg won from Kirsten Wild and Monia Baccaille. Giorgia Bronzini and Brook Miller took 4th and 5th ahead of my 6th place. Tomorrow’s stage is another for the climbers- we climb from 0 up to 1200m and then we finish the 110km stage with a 500m steep cobbled hill- with an average gradient of 16%. Racing in the rain! Giro Di Italia- Stage Three 6th July: Stage Three, 106.4km. Calcinaia (PI) to Prato A Calci/Monte Serra (PI) Well today’s climbs were definitely as tough as described! Hopefully we’ve completed the toughest day of the tour. There was a big storm rolling into Calcinaia as we were rolling off the line so we raced in the rain for the first 30km, once the roads were wet they became very slippery and it was extremely dangerous and scary in the bunch- everyone was being very cautious but the roads were rough- I heard a few crashes happen towards the back of the bunch. I took the pressure off the pedals as soon as we hit the first climb... the pace was high and I wasn’t motivated to push ahead of tomorrow’s flatter stage. A large group had formed halfway up the first 10km climb; the Italians call our group ‘rete’ or 'gruppo velocisti'... a group containing all the sprinters. The group climbed at a very controlled pace- the day couldn’t have been more perfect for me. Our team’s Lizzie Armitstead had a strong battle for the young riders jersey, Lizzie had to fight to the line in order to keep the young riders white jersey ‘maglia bianca’. Lizzie describes today’s race as the hardest race she’s ever done! ‘Well done Lizzie!’ America’s Mara Abbot won today’s stage ahead of Emma Pooley and Claudia Hausler. Emma Pooley has taken the lead of the tour. It’s nearly time to re-fuel with more Italian pasta and then enjoy my evening massage! My TT. Photo by: William Meertens Giro Di Italia- Stage Two 5th July: Stage Two ITT, 15km. Pontedera (PI) to S. Maria a Monte (PI) So, we had another ITT today which was an opportunity for me to take it easy and recover a little before tomorrow’s stage- which has been described as the toughest of the tour! I won’t push too hard again tomorrow but if it is as hard as what I’ve heard- then it will be a tough day to just finish! The current World TT Champ won today, America’s Amber Neben. America’s Kristin Armstrong was 2nd, 14 seconds behind and Emma Pooley from Great Briton was 3rd, 30 seconds down. Amber Neben is now leading the Giro d’Italia with a 22 second lead. Tiff's 21st Gifts Giro Di Italia- Stage One 4th July: Stage One, 99.9km. S.Piero A Sieve to Pratolino Di Vaglia (FI) Hot, Hot, Hot!!!! Today was just too hot; well I guess it wasn’t too hot because we did survive! The average temperature during the race today was 38 degrees. The race stayed together until the first significant climb at the halfway point, it was about 4km but not too steep, the gradient was consistent but the climb seemed to go on and on! I managed to stay with the large lead group, planning to rest up when we were to hit the last 10km climb. The thing is, the last 10km climb never arrived! We had information from our race director via the race radio that we had started the gradual climb with 10km’s to go- but the road was still feeling pretty flat! The race book which we studied before the start indicated that the final 5km’s of the climb were very steep but with 5km’s to go, and then 4km’s to go the hill still hadn’t arrived and the group was still very large.... finally with about 2.5km the hill arrived and it was steep- you will notice that from the results as there were large time gaps that formed in the final couple of km’s! I had started the final climb towards the back of the group and was determined to control myself but because the climb was just a couple of km, I only finished 1 minute and 23 seconds behind the leaders. The climbers put on an exciting finish up the steep narrow roads to the finish- the strongest rider today was Lithuania’s Edita Pucinskaite from Fabiana Luperini and Judith Arndt. Edita has taken the lead of the Giro d’italia ahead of tomorrow’s 15km TT. My Prologue Giro Di Italia- Prologue 3rd July: Prologue, 2.5km. SCARPERIA. There were no surprises in tonight’s prologue, but the ride from Kirsten Wild was impressive! Kirsten won the 2.5km prologue 4 seconds ahead of the next rider- her Cervelo teammate, Kristin Armstrong. The Danish rider Linda Villumsen was 3rd – less than half a second behind Armstrong. I was midfield again- a standard prologue result for me... Lizzie Armitstead was our team’s strongest rider tonight in 37th position with a time just 14 seconds behind the winner. So, we’re straight into the mountains tomorrow, the stage is only a 100km but we have a tough 10km climb up to the finish in Pratolino di Vaglia (province of Firenze). More tomorrow! Oakley Chicks TOUR DE PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Stage One: Sunday 7th. Summerside, 99.1km 2.30pm start. Another bad day on the bike, it’s a seriously tough time for me but I do intend to struggle through until the end of this tour in order to overload whilst my body is under stress... It will be a fine line and delicate decision deciding whether to start each day or, pack up and head home early! I just got through today finishing 4th in the stage and 2nd in the sprint/points classification. It’s not easy ‘mentally’ to race below your best but I guess I can’t expect to be on top of form all the time. Emma, Linn and Vera raced well today and offered a lot of support. The twisty roads and strong headwind into the finish made the sprints chaotic and I was never able to find the right wheel... without sufficient power; positioning becomes a very difficult task and in the end- it makes a good result impossible. Giorgia Bronzini won today’s stage and will start last in tomorrow’s gruelling time trial across the Confederation Bridge. Confederation Bridge Stage Two: Confederation Bridge. ITT 14.54km, 11am start. Today’s ITT was held on the Confederation Bridge which joins Prince Edward Island to the mainland. The Tour De PEI’s ITT day is the only day a year which access to the Island via the bridge is closed, I’m guessing there is an alternative to catch a boat or swim... We race from the mainland onto the island, across the bridge- it’s a tough time-trial due to the strong winds and initial climb up to the halfway point. I very rarely ride time-trials with 100% effort and considering my current lack of form/power, I had decided to take it easy. The race favourite- Hanka Kupfernagel started 1 minute behind me and as expected, she flew past me after just 8 minutes! Hanka didn’t win today- some might say she had an ‘off’ day but given the results and wind behaviour from the past few years, I’m convinced that the riders starting later in the day had to contest with stronger crosswinds! Today’s winner was Canada’s Tara Whitten just 1 second faster than Australia’s Bridie O’Donnell. We can expect some explosions in the bunch tomorrow with teams trying desperately to split the field! Sprint Jersey Stage Three: Kensington to North Rustico. 120.21km, 11am start. I was feeling much better today, I enjoyed racing again for the first time in 2 weeks! The race was quite hilly, and super windy. The Australian National Team controlled the race which pretty much stayed together until just after the 4th hill sprint, there was a break pulling away over the top when there was a massive crash in the main bunch- I was in the break of 4 so I escaped the carnage, the bunch then split to bits. Bridie O’Donnell (Australian National team) drove our break of 4 riders on the flats while the other 3 of us took over the pacing on the climbs. We stayed away until the final bonus sprint which I won, securing the points jersey. Bridie took 2nd which was enough bonus seconds to become leader on the road. (the other two riders in the break kindly sat back and didn’t contest the sprint). My team-mate Emma Mackie went for the hill sprints today and with strong support from another Lotto-Belisol team-mate- Linn Torp, she now sits 2nd in the mountains classification! Vera was also very active today making one last big attack leading into the finish, the bunch pulled her back just in time for a big bunch kick. I finished 2nd to Giorgia Bronzini in the stage and took the sprint jersey which I’ll wear in tomorrow’s stage. It’s another hilly stage tomorrow so we can expect an even tougher day! Stage 4 Stage Four: Dalvay-Montague-Georgetown 120km, 1pm start. I enjoyed another nice day on the bike, the terrain was much like yesterday, up and down all day! Our team raced hard to win the first intermediate sprint at 28km to increase my lead in the sprint competition; I was being pushed to the line by Tara Witten who was chasing time bonuses in order to win back the yellow jersey! Tara took the next intermediate sprint at 101km and increased here lead on GC while I took another 3 points and increased my lead in the sprint jersey classification. My team-mate Emma Mackie climbed over the hill sprints near the front and finished 3rd overall in the mountains classification for the 2009 Tour De PEI. It was then down to the final kilometres where Vera made another solo attempt to get away, the bunch was clearly staying together so I got hyped up for the sprint. I felt good but just not good enough! I was following Emma, and then Linn into the finish- I kicked off Giorgia Bronzini¡¦s wheel and threw for the line for a photo-finish but was just held off... so, 2nd again and pretty disappointed. We have our last stage tomorrow night; it is a 50km Criterium on a 1km circuit. Team Lotto Belisol- Canada 2009 Stage Five: Charlottetown, 50km Criterium (1km laps), 5.30pm start. It was a typical last day of a tour today, a lot of tired legs in the bunch, GC decided and a few riders wanting to make a lucky break while their team mates try to block the bunch. I would have preferred a more aggressive race but it was just a matter of waiting to see which move was let go... today it was the move from Selle Italia’s Agne Bagdonaviciute and Alessandra Borchi. Selle Italia did a great job of blocking the bunch and covering moves until the leaders were out of sight. There was another move closer to the finish by Australia’s Lauren Kitchen (which I thought was a dummy attack for their lead rider- Bridie O’Donnell, 2nd on GC). Lauren was followed by Selle Italia’s Luisa Tamanini and Canada’s Jenny Trew who was the eventual stage winner after chasing down the leading two in the final laps! I was waiting for an explosion from the bunch and some very fast laps leading into the finish but it didn’t happen, Selle Italia controlled and blocked the bunch until the last lap! I tested my legs that I’d been saving and won the bunch kick for 6th. Canada’s Jenny Trew won from Lauren Kitchen and Alessandra Borchi. It was nice to see a Canadian win in front of a home crowd, and even nicer to see Lauren Kitchen and Alessandra Borchi on the podium after they had spent every other day of the tour supporting their lead riders! That’s the end of Tour de PEI for another year; our team Lotto-Belisol are heading home with: my RED sprinters jersey (winner of the sprint classification), Vera’s 5th placing on the Tour’s General Classification and Emma’s 3rd placing in the tours hill sprint classification. I had two podium finishes (2nd) in stages three and four and a 4th place in stage one. Vera finished 5th in stage two and Emma was 5th in stage three. Canada’s Tara Whitten won the Tour De PEI and South Africa’s Carla Swart won the hills classification. The Australian National Team won the ‘TEAMS” classification. Team Warm Up TOUR DU GRAND MONTREAL Stage One: 1st of June: Chateauguay, 85.5km, start time: 5.30pm. After a disappointing W’Cup result for Team Lotto-Belisol we have kick started the Tour of Montreal with a 4th place in stage one... not a great result but it’s an ok start. The race was made by constant attacks coming from team Colombia-High Road. It was team Cervelo who controlled the race and kept it together for their sprinter Kirstin Wild. I was support by my team-mate Emma Mackie until the final kilometres, I didn’t have a great day on the bike so 4th was the best I could manage in the finish. Today is a new day... stay tuned. Stage Two Podium Stage Two: 2nd of June: Granby, 104km, start time: 5pm. Well, I didn’t have great legs today but with stronger support from my team mates; Emma Mackie, Vera Koedooder and Linn Torp, we did manage 2nd! The race was once again controlled by Cervelo who are determined to win the tour- most likely with Kirsten Wild who won every sprint on the road today and now holds a handy lead of 28 seconds over Nurnberger’s Suzanne De Goede. Today’s results were; 1st: Kirsten Wild, 2nd Rochelle Gilmore and 3rd Regina Schleicher. Stage Start Stage Three & Four: 3rd of June: Lachine, 2.8km (ITT), start time: 11.30am & Petite Italie, 50km (Criterium), start time: 7.15pm. Stage three was a fast 2.8km ITT on a bike path. The race rules for the Montreal Tour say that you cannot use time trial equipment in the short TT. This means no disc wheels, no aero helmets etc.. I’m not sure of the exact reason for the ruling but it could be to eliminate European teams from needing to travel with excessive equipment and extra bikes. I didn’t feel any better during the warm up this morning and realised quickly during the ITT that I had no power and would struggle if I continued racing in the tour. My ITT time was shameful but kind of expected... Regina Bruins (Cervelo) won the ITT from her team mate Kirsten Wild. I started the evening criterium feeling completely empty but optimistic. The race started fast but I felt settled and relaxed during the middle of the race. I tried really hard towards the finish to get motivated but I knew I was lacking power! I sat about 3rd-4th wheel for the last few laps but when the sprint started I just lost position and went backwards! It was time to call it a day and finish the tour early in order to recover before the Tour of Prince Edward Island! I’ve left the Montreal tour with one podium (2nd) and a 4th place. Considering the fatigue I felt from day one, I’m satisfied to have achieved that much. My expectations will be much higher during the next Tour on Prince Edward Island. Stage Five: 4th of June: Mont- Saint- Hilaire, 115km, start time: 4.15pm. I did not start. Rochelle (house in background) A rough start in Europe... Italy: March 2009 This year my agent picked me up from Linate and drove me to where my car had been stored for the past 5 months, not surprisingly- my car’s battery was flat. We had jumper-leads so we jump started the car and let it run for a while. I programmed my TOMTOM (for my race hotel) and took off- I only made it metres before the battery died again, so we jump started it again and I was on my way! I was concentrating on keeping the revs high but in an automatic it is a little more difficult in stop start traffic, a lapse of concentration saw me sitting in the middle of a crazy roundabout in Milan with a dead battery! You can imagine the constant tune of horns sounding and the abuse... it amazes me how many people will slow down and sacrifice their time to shout abuse! I received some assistance and pushed my Rav to safety. It was time to chase up a mechanic and a new battery- my quads were burning from the big push! So, another hour of waiting around and I was finally back on the road with a new battery. I was late to our race hotel where I was meeting a sponsor- Luciano Fusar Poli of Pinarello, he had made a special trip down from Treviso to deliver my new race bike, he/Pinarello managed to swing my mood with gorgeous new Paris- this is the ‘dream bike’! After meeting with Luciano and greeting the girls and my team staff I jumped on the new bike for a spin (rollers)... it had been built to my exact measurements and needed NO adjusting! Thanks Piero! My first race in Europe this year was the first round of the World Cup Series. The race takes place in a small town called Citiglio in Varese, Italy. It’s not far (about 15km) from the Australian Cycling base in Castronno- so we Australians know the circuit and hills very well... it’s our training ground! I arrived in Italy (from Australia) with just one day to recover from the flight, I felt it was enough given that I had been upgraded to business class and was able to sleep for 12 hrs and lay flat. On my rest/recovery day I gave my 2 bikes to my mechanic to fine tune- he will always do some extra special things to my new bikes- first we insert my CeramicSpeed bottom brackets and face off the frame to ensure they’re sitting dead square, then he’ll do things like adjust cables, re-grease, tune race wheels etc... While he was working all day I relaxed, caught up with my team mates and drove the race circuit. House Under Snow I thought I was coping with the cold weather change quite well until race day when I stepped outside in a few layers of lycra, brrrrr I couldn’t stop shivering during the hour before the race! I think it was about 6 degrees; this temperature might have been more comfortable if I was not wet through on my bottom half... I had enough layers on the top half but it seems impossible to keep my butt and feet dry when it’s raining continuously. We rolled off the line at a good pace and I had stopped shivering after the first 1km. Unfortunately my race finished after 5km, I accelerated out of a round-about and lost my right pedal, it had wound loose and fell right off the crank! Initially I thought my shoe had slipped out of the pedal on the down stroke and I immediately quizzed in my mind how that could have happened, I was swerving all over the road amongst the bunch with girls cursing and screaming around me- I just managed to hold it up and amazingly NO one came down! My pedal was stuck to the bottom of my right shoe so I calmly called my director on the race radio to come up with my spare bike. I was pretty relaxed until they had trouble removing the pedal from the bottom of my shoe. It’s difficult to get enough force from the right angle to twist it out -we were spending moments too long trying while the race was riding away! Eventually we popped it out with a screw driver and wound it back onto the crank. I started my poor effort to chase, I knew it would be difficult for me to get back to the group before the first 6km climb, no pacing or assistance was permitted and I didn’t want to call my team back in this particular race so, I had to accept the mishap and appreciate that whilst I had lost an opportunity in the first race of the season, I was fortunate to have held the bike up and not have potentially missed a month of racing due to a fall! Even though I’ve arrived in Italy fit and healthy, I knew Citiglio was always going to be a challenge – also without mishaps. The course is tough for a sprinter with 5 climbs (2 x 6km and 3 x 3km) and I was also trying to manage jetlag and cope with an extreme weather change! What next? A 4.5hr drive to my home in the Italian dolomites. I had organised for my 400m driveway to be cleared (of snow) that morning and the heating in my house to be started... I was organised BUT it had snowed during the day and the cover on the driveway was too much for the Rav! I tried, and tied and tried! My car slid all over the place trying to get up to my house, I was so close and so determined but in the end- at 11pm (after the car had slid into the wall of snow a few times) I drove 8km down to town and took a hotel room! So, here I sit the day after my first race in Europe looking forward to the next! I’ll get up to my house today and settle in for a few days before travelling to Belgium for the next World Cup on Sunday- FLANDERS! Jerseys after Stage Two Tour of New Zealand Masterton, New Zealand: February 24th-27th, 2009 My form and confidence was high leading into the tour of NZ where I joined the Australian National team of; Peta Mullens, Tiffany Cromwell, Vikki Whitelaw and Carlee Taylor. We had all raced together as team and were very excited about what we knew we could do together. Under the direction of the new Women’s National Team coach; Martin Barras, we knew we had a job to do in NZ and that his expectations were also high. The first 2 of 3 stages in NZ were favourable for the sprinters. During our first team meeting it was clear that the team wanted to put me across the line first and that they knew we could accomplish that with our experience of racing together, it’s nearly as though we all knew what to do, which didn’t leave much to say in the meetings! The pressure was on us- being the Australian national team, so the girls had to work extra hard during the races in NZ... we managed to win the first 2 of 3 stages, the sprinters jersey, the young riders classification and 5th, 7th & 10th on GC....we also wore the yellow leaders jersey for two days! We were content with our results in the tour of NZ and I was happy to have taken my first two UCI wins for 2009. Our next UCI race together was the Wellington Classic, perhaps a race I wanted to win a little too much! My team (Australian National Team) raced their hearts out, it was ‘the bunch’ versus the ‘national team’ and that was ok, our girls proved they were strong enough to cover anything and everything that was constantly thrown at them; they rode themselves to complete exhaustion in order to deliver me to the final kilometre in perfect position! Unfortunately I failed to finish off the perfect race, and that it was ‘the perfect race’ until the last 500m! I had 3rd wheel behind two of the strongest sprinters in the race, Kirsty Broun and Gina Grain of MB cycles- a great place to be..?? Their power out of the last corner resulted in a small gap opening up behind me but as they started to tire, the bunch- including the powerful young sprinter Chloe Hoskings was approaching fast! Chloe fired off my wheel with amazing speed and she moved over to the right side of the road, I hesitated for a second too long and then had no hope of catching Chloe with 300m to go!! It was a disappointing way to finish our trip in NZ, I felt a little like I’d let the team down but overall, it was a successful trip with 3 podiums from 4 days of racing! My start to 2009 has been fun and productive with 9 podiums, 2 wins, 2 sprint jerseys (2 days in yellow) and some new max power outputs! I’m currently half way through my 20 day stay at the Australian Institute of Sport; I won’t tell you too much about what I’m doing here- best to keep some secrets, ha ha! Just kidding- I will fill you in next time! Race Hotel in Qatar Tour of Qatar Doha, Qatar: February 8th-10th, 2009 Finally, I’ve found a little time to stop, slow down settle in and assess the first 2 months of 2009. I really struggled through January with overload (over training) and a quickly resolved health problem which hit me hard during the week of Bay crits and Nationals. It was mentally difficult start to the season as my expectations were high and I had once again increased my workload during the summer and completed a successful pre-season preparation. Things improved quickly once I started racing internationally. Our first race of the season was the Women’s tour of Qatar, a new race on the calendar which we women greatly appreciate! The race was extremely well organised and for the first international race of the season, the level of competition was surprisingly high! In Qatar I met with my new team- Lotto Belisol (a women’s professional UCI team based in Belgium) and enjoyed my first experience with them, both on and off the bike. The first day of the tour was a shock to everyone’s bodies! It was team Flexpoint who revved up the racing from the start, they used their time-trialling strengths to put the race in the gutter and split the bunch to bits! I was personally very disappointed after not making the all important break on the first day but did leave Qatar feeling that I had somewhat made up for it by finishing on the podium in stage two (3rd) and stage three (2nd). We did ok to reach the podium 2 out of 3 times, I was kind of satisfied but a part of me was disappointed that I didn’t take a stage win! Rochelle Warming Down AN EVENTFUL TRIP TO CHINA Beijing, China: January 14th- 20th, 2009 Beijing was quite an experience, of all the places in the world I have been, I'd never been to China before last week! The trip didn't start off too well, I left my home in Cronulla at 5am and caught a taxi to the international airport... I gave my last change to the taxi driver and then realized I had no coins left for a trolley. I dragged my bike box and 4 additional bags (rollers, wheel bag, luggage and carry-on) inside to notice my flight was not listed on the board- I immediately realized that I should have been at the domestic terminal as i was actually flying through Melbourne, woops! I dragged all my bags back out to the street to be told that the taxi drivers are not allowed to pick-up anywhere but at the taxi stand- downstairs. Ok, I had to leave my luggage unaccompanied on the street, run into the airport and find a shop that would break a $50 note, back out to get a trolley, packed my bags on the trolley and headed downstairs. The trip downstairs involved me unpacking and re-packing my trolley twice to fit in the lift and then to pass through the narrow doors onto the street!! So, that was just the start of a massive string of mishaps.. The next was Peta leaving her valuable, sentimental camera on the plane (in the seat pocket). We arrived at Beijing airport at 1am and waited until 3am for the organisers to arrive, they said they were waiting at the international airport, we had arrived from Shanghai into the domestic airport! What next... having to drop our bike boxes off to a container at 3am, not so bad but considering we had packed clothing, bathroom bags etc with our bikes, we had to open the boxes in the cold, minus ten (under-dressed) and find what we needed- in the dark with numb fingers. We opened the door of our 4 star hotel room and nearly puked from the off-smell, this smell was sickening and so strong that we could hardly bear it, even on our last day/moments in the room. Yes, we did ask the hotel if we could change rooms but they didn't seem to be bothered by the smell and therefore thought our request was unreasonable. Learning that my computer had crashed/died the moment i settled into my room was devastating. I refused to believe it for a day or two, doing everything possible to revive it. It was functioning fine at the Qantas lounge when i departed Australia and that was the last time I've seen life from it.... it's really dead. During trips for competition we most often get more time then usual to relax and freshen up, this is the time i use to catch up on work- on my laptop so, I found it difficult to amuse myself in my room during the days leading into competition. Ice Sled Boat Bashing Ok, there was many more of these little challenges during our stay in China but we did manage to have some fun too! We raced ok, not great but just ok. We expected to do better and come home with a medal but the best we could manage was a 4th (Scratch) and 5th (Points). Peta was fit and rode well, i was at a pretty good level but didn't 'race' well tactically. China, i didn't like the food (Chinese is better here in Oz) or the weather, it was freezing!!! I did like the people, they were so kind and helpful but I must admit, it did frustrate me when their English was not so good! The highlight of our trip was the Silk Markets... what a buzz, the high you can get from a good bargain! The adrenalin flows as you negotiate a price and then you feel this amazing satisfaction when they chase you down the isles and finally say ok, ok come back!!! My best purchase was a pair of Nike joggers for A$11... Peta helped with that one! My team mates said i was too kind and not hard enough, they say i got ripped off for paying $20 for my first pair of Nike shoes! The copies look pretty dam good, the quality I'm not so sure about- we'll see! The strongest shoppers were Josephine Tomic, Peta Mullens and Rohan Dennis. Jamo and I left them there and raced back to the track to watch Leigh and Glen smash the field in the madison. The one hour cab fare was about 20 bucks. On our last day in China, Peta and I did something traditional, we ice boat bashed! We found this sporting activity in a tourist sculpture park. For A$2/30 minutes we were given a little wooden ice boat sled and two dangerously sharp iron ski poles. The idea was to sled yourself as hard and fast as possible into another sled. Even though Peta flipped herself out onto the ice 4 times at high speeds- she was definitely better than i was at maneuvering herself around the ice. I've got some good bruises and scars from my one spill (bash from Peta) so I'm curious to know how Peta has pulled up! Next trip Qatar!!!! Bay Classic 2009 JAYCO BAY CLASSIC & ROAD NATIONALS Geelong/Ballarat Victoria, Australia: January 2nd-10th, 2009 Well, my 2009 season could have started off a little better, 6 days into the year and I’ve already added 3 second places to my palmares! I did win the sprint classification/jersey if that’s any consolation?! I guess the results look ok on paper but the week was a physical and mental struggle, I expected to be in much better condition after a very successful and committed summer of training! There is a very long season ahead so I’ve got a lot to look forward to! Following the Bay Classic in Geelong, I once again returned to Bunningyong- to challenge myself on that gruelling National Championship circuit. I can clearly admit that I lost the challenge and that I was possibly beaten mentally riding the course the day before! I’m looking forward to racing the National Championships on a new circuit but I’ve heard whispers that Ballarat might host the Championships for another 6 years…. Is that crazy? We can be prepared to see the same type of rider(s)/climbers wearing the national stripes each year; could you imagine a ‘flat’ championship circuit being approved for 6-10 years? I’d personally enjoy an undulating course which provides a challenge but the Bunningyong circuit rules out the chance of winning for a very high percentage of the starters! Enough complaining! I’m flying back to Sydney tomorrow (11th Jan) and then to Beijing, China on Tuesday for the Track World Cup. I’ll race the scratch race on Friday and the points race on Saturday. I’ve now completed 5-6 weeks training on the track so it will be interesting to see how I go. I’ve seen the strong start list which includes my HP-Teschner team-mate, Peta Mullens, my Lotto- Belisol team mate, Vera Koedooder, fellow Australians Belinda Goss and Josephine Tomic… and also the following riders; Olga Slyusareva, Giorgia Bronzini, Annalisa Cucinotta, the Becker sisters and Yumari Gonzalez. Wow… that is a strong field! Climbing at Road Worlds- Varese LOOKING BACK AND MOVING ON.... Home- Trento, Italy: October 12th, 2008 I have 10 days now to relax at home and shift from the end of a busy road season into a new track season! After a satisfying effort at the road World Championships on the 27th of September I took a short two week break; holidaying in Colombia and playing on the track which resulted in me losing more skin and fracturing my L5 posterior process (lower back). This road season was the most interrupted and mentally stressful of my career. I won’t go into details but the season didn’t run smoothly. Looking back, perhaps I may have personally contributed to the turmoil by making some incorrect, spontaneous and trusting decisions. To spite being without a UCI professional team for the second half of the European season I was able to cap off the year with the Australian National Team, totalling 19 podiums, including 5 wins! We all know I’m capable of much better once I find the right environment, the year was not wasted. I completed a few fantastic training blocks and developed a little as a more complete cyclist. I’m ready to work towards some new exciting goals- I will get back to you with my new plans and direction in the next days! Rochelle in action in Bochum MAKING A CHANGE & MOVING FORWARD Bochum, GERMANY: August 4th, 2008 June was the last time I posted a diary entry so; a few significant things have happened since then- the biggest news being that I have officially left ‘Team Menikni Selle Italia’. Whist I appreciate the opportunities I was given with Menikini Selle Italia and the results I earned, it’s time now for me to make a move, take a big step forward and start working/training more specifically with a secure race and career plan. My move from Menikini Selle Italia was being negotiated and finalised during the Giro d’Italia which placed a little added stress on my entire body. I was not satisfied with my 3rd place podium or my two 5th places, but I also realise it would have taken a super human effort to outsprint in-form Ina Tuetenberg this year! I’ve been living and training in Castronno Varese with the Australian National Team for the past month. I probably don’t need to explain in detail what the national team base in Varese has to offer an athlete… all the needed support, services and facilities are right there at your finger tips- including some new super high-tech recovery pools with a built-in iPod dock! Victory in the Olympia Preis Bochum Criterium What I value most is the atmosphere and the quality of living life in a foreign country. I’ve joined the Australian Women’s Road team for the remainder of the year- That’s Peta Mullens, Vicki Whitelaw, Carlee Taylor, Tiffany Jane Cromwell, Josephine Tomic and a few other ladies who will float in and out for particular races. This is the strongest, most talented group the AIS have seen for a long time but most importantly (to me) it’s the happiest fun loving group I’ve been a part of for a long time! As a result of this team’s physical strength and high spirits we pulled off a very satisfying win in Germany on Saturday at the Olympia Preis Bochum Criterium. Our team started Peta Mullens, Leonie Burford, Carlee Taylor, Ruth Corset, Vicki Whitelaw, Josephine Tomic, Emma Rickards and myself. My team-mates controlled the race and executed our plan perfectly; every member of the team was active and fulfilled their individual requirements in order to pull off the win. John ‘Pothole’ Forest was our director calling the shots from the sidelines. I was delivered to the final 200m by lead-out rider, Peta Mullens and I had a powerful sprint to take the win from two strong German sprinters! The following day we finished 2nd in the UCI 1.1 race- Sparkassen Giro. We didn’t expect a big bunch finish but after 6 hilly laps of aggressive riding and strong attacks from team Flexpoint the race came back together! The national team once again gave a perfect lead-out and I also must compliment Pothole for his positive motivation in the final kilometres- a man who knows how to get his team going and say the right things on the radio! I was beaten by a stronger rider in the sprint; Suzanne de Goede had explosive power that I couldn’t match! I was on her wheel with 200m to go, but lost the wheel when she kicked… I certainly under estimated her power and must be satisfied with 2nd this time! Sparkassen Podium with De Goede I’ll now join one of the strongest professional women’s teams in the world- ‘Team Flexpoint’ for the Post Tour Crits in Holland. I’m really looking forward to joining this team but just quietly I’m a little nervous about being able to race up to their standard in these crits- these women are unbelievably strong! Nah, honestly I just hope to have an enjoyable time and hopefully I can increase my power during these two weeks of crit/power racing. My block of crit racing with team Flexpoint will be interrupted by another UCI race in Holland this weekend- the Holland Hills Classic where I’ll once again represent the Australian National Team. I have a busy race schedule for the remainder of the season and will base out of Holland until 3 weeks before the World Championships in Varese. More reports to come following the crits with the Flexpoint women…. Excited! Rochelle's 2008 Giro campaign gets underway GIRO D'ITALIA FEMMINILE Giro d'Italia Femminile (UCI 2.1) July 5th-13th 2008 Prologue July 5th: Mantova, 1.2km The start time for the prologue tonight was 8pm, I thought that was pretty late and then I was informed that I was the last rider off from our team at 9:51pm! So, here I am at midnight unable to wind down… writing a quick report. The course was fast, not very technical. We had a corner about 50m after the start and then at the halfway point we had a kind of funny hairpin/round-about before a dead straight run into the finish, short and sweet- over before it started! The fastest time was posted early by Mirjam Melchers Van Poppel from Flexpoint, she rode the 1.2km in 1 minute and 40 seconds- 7 seconds faster than me!!!! My time was not great but I feel ok, I’m satisfied with my feeling ahead of tomorrow’s long flat stage. Ok, better get some sleep! We plan to eat pasta at 9.30am tomorrow morning and then depart for the stage at 10.15am for a 12:30pm start. More after tomorrow’s stage! Polar Race Data: Distance: 1.3km Time: 1min 47 sec Average Speed: 44.1km/hr Max Speed: 51.8km/hr Average Heart Rate: 190bpm Max Heart Rate: 199bpm Temperature: 27 degrees Ascent: 0m Menikini-Selle Italia's Team for the Giro Stage One July 6th: Asola – Lendinara, 131.5km Not much to report from today’s stage, the head wind was so strong that no one really wanted to have a go! The bunch moved along at a leisurely pace all day but even though the race was not ‘hard’ it was taxing, a long slow day in the heat- it was about 40 degrees! I was having a nice day until the final few kilometres! I’m contesting the sprints alone this year as my team mates are conserving energy for later in the tour, in order to help our GC rider- Fabiana Luperini win the tour outright! I have to admit- I was all over the place in the last 5km. I couldn’t decide where I wanted to be and I wasted a lot of energy! My positioning was not good leading into the last couple of corners with about 600m to go, and I guess from the last corner I knew I had no chance from 10th position! I saw that Ina Tuetenberg (eventual winner) also started her sprint early, from a long way back; she had an extremely strong sprint to take the win! My sprint was long, lonely and windy from the last corner, I made up a few places to take 5th in the stage but I was still a few metres behind the top four riders! So, I must remember to switch the lights on for the last few km’s tomorrow- looking forward to it! Polar Race Data: Distance: 127.2km Time: 3hr 48min 35 sec Average Speed: 33.4km/hr Max Sprint Speed: 55.7km/hr Average Heart Rate: 139bpm Max Heart Rate: 211bpm Temperature: 37 degrees Ascent: 61m Hanging out with the Australia National Team Stage Two July 7th: Ca’ Tiepolo (Porto Tolle) – Rosolina Mare, 122.7km Again, there’s not much to report from today’s stage! It was a little faster, a little less hot (34 degrees) and a little less windy! Not much happened during the race today, a few riders attempted to get away but no-one got more then 200m up the road! I guess there’s not too much motivation for teams to use energy on these flat stages when the stronger teams like Colombia and Nurnberger will work hard to bring the race back together for their sprinters. After tomorrow’s flat stage we’ll hit the hills and the race for GC will begin, the GC riders will need their domestiques to be as fresh as possible to help out… therefore the first two stages have been relatively slow and boring! I went into today’s race confident that I could do better than yesterday but… I was 5th again! I put myself in the right position, on the right wheel (Ina’s) with 300m to go- but when the real sprinters kicked I got gapped and swamped, it took me a few more seconds to get up to speed! It’s a frustrating feeling when I know I’m capable of being that powerful! I’m clearly not as fast and powerful as I’d like to be at the moment but I must be satisfied that I’m fitter than I’ve ever been, and this season I’ve worked harder than ever - I’m confident that my speed will come back when we concentrate on that type of training before the end of the season, for the final World Cup and Worlds. In saying that, tomorrow is another flat stage and I’ll give it my all at the finish! Distance: 120km Time: 3hr 09min 15sec Average Speed: 38km/hr Max Sprint Speed: 59.2km/hr Average Heart Rate: 142bpm Max Heart Rate: 213bpm Temperature: 34 degrees Ascent: 70m Stage Three - 3rd Place Stage Three July 8th: S.M Madddalena/Occhiobello – Altedo/Malalbergo, 122.8km Today’s stage felt to go a lot faster; there was a lot more action! The bunch was strung out in the gutter a few times and there were often riders off the front but, in the end it came back together for another bunch kick…. And Ina won again! Monica Holler was 2nd and I was 3rd. My legs felt much better today, I had much more zip! In contrary to the past couple of days it was my positioning which I was disappointed with today rather than my power! I don’t know if I was capable of better than 3rd but I know I could have had a better chance if I’d found a good gear earlier and got myself down into the drops and fought harder to stay out of the wind on Ina’s wheel! We learn something every time we sprint- today it was once again that I need to get into the drops- sprinting in the hoods does not look good! Can you believe that I’m looking forward to the hilly stage tomorrow? Strange, maybe it’s because I have no expectations in a stage with a hill top finish and I can just really enjoy being on the bike in nice weather! Polar Race Data: Distance: 113km Time: 2hr 52min 35sec Average Speed: 39.3km/hr Max Sprint Speed: 60.9km/hr Average Heart Rate: bpm (no strap) Max Heart Rate: bpm (no strap) Temperature: 39 degrees Ascent: 65m Ok, no more daily reports from Stage 3 onwards, I wouldn't want to bore you with the same thing- once we hit the hills I found the casual bunch with all the sprinters and slogged to the finish!. It's not really that bad when you're relatively fit, the purpose of settling into a 'hoop' group is to save yourself (as a sprinter) for the next flat stage- which in this year's case was the last day. As things turned out, I didn't get the opportunity to start the last stage. I arrived at the race all kitted up, feeling good and ready to have another fun sprint. I'd been thinking about this stage all week. During the week of the Giro d'Italia I had been meeting with my team president and the UCI requesting a mid-season release from my current team, in order to return to the National Program and finalise a race schedule for the remainder of the season. Just one hour before the start of the last stage I was granted permission by Menikni Selle Italia and the UCI to leave the team- effective immediately. So that was the end to my 2008 Giro d'Italia! The disappointing end to one adventure but the exciting new start to another! My next races will be 'Cento' an Italian National Race, and the Olympia Preis Bochum Criterium and Sparkassen Giro in Bochum, Germany; I will race with the Australian National Team. Enjoy analysing the race data below, provided by my Polar CS600. Stay tuned for more reports soon! All smiles at the Giro Stage Four July 9th:Calcinaia - Prato A Calci/Monte Serra, 106.4km Polar Race Date Distance: 95.6km Time: 3hr 14min 45sec Average Speed: 29.5km/hr Max Speed: 65.8km/hr Average Heart Rate: 163bpm Max Heart Rate: 194bpm Temperature: 28 degrees Ascent: 1450m Stage Five July 10th: Novara - Individual Time Trial, 9.3km Polar Race Date Distance: km Time: hr min sec Average Speed: km/hr Max Sprint Speed: km/hr Average Heart Rate: bpm Max Heart Rate: bpm Temperature: degrees Ascent: m Getting advice from the Aussies Stage Six July 11th: Cardano Al Campo - Laveno Mombello, 113.4km Polar Race Data: Distance: 111km Time: 3hr 45min 03sec Average Speed: 29.6km/hr Max Speed: 64.5km/hr Average Heart Rate: 161bpm Max Heart Rate: 192bpm Temperature: 24 degrees Ascent: 1700m Stage Seven July 12th: Macherio - Montevecchia, 118.5km Polar Race Date Distance: 82.3km Time: 2hr 38min 40sec Average Speed: 31.1km/hr Max Speed: 77.5km/hr Average Heart Rate: 167bpm Max Heart Rate: 190bpm Temperature: 26 degrees Ascent: 1280m Winner of the Sprint Jersey TOUR DE PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Prince Edward Island (UCI 2.2) June 8th-12th 2008 Tour de Prince Edward Island was a huge success for Menikini Selle Italia. We won 3 stages (Stage 1, 2, 3 and 5). Finished 2nd twice (Stage 2 and 4). We took 1st, 2nd and 3rd overall in the general classification, as well as claiming the mountain and sprint jerseys. One might ask if there was anyone else there - well the answer is yes! There was a strong field in PEI, not quite a European field but winning certainly did not come easy. We had to fight and work intelligently as a team to pull off these consistent results. Our team consisted of only 4 riders, Nat Bates, Kori Kelly Seehafer, Trine Schmidt and myself. Our director was Klas Johannson and our manager, Walter Ricci. We had a nice relaxed trip. We worked really well together. It was the first time this year that we have raced as an English speaking team and I think that the language aspect alone contributed to our success. We were all committed to each other and had 100% faith in our director’s tactics… even though we often questioned our own capabilities - or if the demands/tasks would hurt ourselves more than our competitors. This past week we all felt equally a part of each and every result. We all played different- but very important roles. We can’t forget how important the director’s role is in tactical bike racing. We definitely did not go into this tour feeling cocky; I personally went into the tour feeling very nervous. We were up against some well known strong sprinters from Cuba and large amount of unknown competition. Our team manager had high hopes and expectations leading into one of his favourite races, so we were feeling the pressure. After winning on day one, we all felt very satisfied, not so much with the result but more so with our tactics and faith we put in each other. We were able to control the race with wise orders from our race car and then we executed the sprint finish perfectly. I was unsure of how fast and how far my team mates could take me in the final kilometres so I didn’t know if I could or should rely on them. I took a chance and vocally directed them from behind with 3kms to go- we pulled off our original plan and won. Rochelle being protected by team mates! Our confidence was running high after day one, we had learnt a lot about our commitment to each other, our abilities, our current form and our motivation to win. I was surprisingly impressed with the physical condition of all three of my team mates and we all managed to make it through the week without breaking down or getting sick. The tour was especially satisfying for me because as a sprinter it often feels unfair that the whole team doesn’t stand on the podium after a triumph -but at the tour of PEI all of my team mates were on the podium! It was a great feeling. If you could have seen the work my team put in- in order to make sure I got to the finish in better condition that my feared rivals you would understand why my three stages wins at tour of PEI were so appreciably satisfying! More soon, Quick stop before the stage! LE TOUR DU GRAND MONTREAL Montreal (UCI 2.1) June 2nd- 5th 2008 Stage One June 2nd: Chateauguay Road Race, 85.5km We started today's race under beautiful blue skies and in warm weather. The race was rather controlled until after the first sprint, just a few laps into the race; then the bunch really started moving with aggression! It was a fast, fun and active race. We (Menikini- Selle Italia) had a rider with most of the moves. Lorena Foresi, Trina Schmidt and Kori Kelly Seehafer monitored the breaks for the first three quarters of the race – I raced near the front but hid myself well out of the wind. Nat Bates moved forward with a few laps to go and followed the final dangerous moves. The weather turned bad midway through the race, the black clouds rolled in- and in no time we were drenched with heavy rain, the roads were wet and slippery and our vision was challenged by beams of sunlight breaking through the clouds. At this point in the race things didn't slow up, riders continued to attack aggressively but nothing went too far up the road. The bunch came back together with a lap to go, so Team High Road and Nürnberger took control for their sprinters. I tried to take advantage of the High Road train but in the final kilometres many other riders fought to do the same. I wasted a little energy until the pace picked up again with 800m to go – and then things settled. I had a good position behind a couple of High Road riders, including Oenone Wood; Regina Schleicher was also just in front of me. With a 150m to go Regina kicked to Oenone's right and I went to the left. Maybe I should have kicked earlier because I gave myself no time to hit max speed/power before the line! I finished where I started my sprint – third. Regina won, Oenone took second. Our team rode a perfect race tonight and I'm confident they'll do the same tomorrow – hopefully we won't have to wait long for our turn to stand on top! Polar Race Data: Time: 1hr 59min 39sec Distance: 82.8km Average Speed: 41.5km/hr Max Sprint Speed: 58.3km/hr Average Heart Rate: 178bpm Max Heart Rate: 206bpm Ascent: 153m Temperature: 18 degrees/Sun/Rain Relaxing after a stressful day! Stage Two June 3rd: Granby – Granby Road Race, 104km What a day! Today was a rather stressful day – things could have gone a little better! The panic started mid-race when I punctured my rear wheel. I was relaxed and I let our team car know (via race radio) that I'd punctured my rear wheel and I was going to pull over to the right side of the road…. The problem was - our race car was not receiving the information over the race radio and hadn't attempted to come forward. I rode at the back of the group for a little bit with Trine (who was waiting with me), she offered me her wheel but I said no! Then, one of our younger riders, Lorena, rode passed and I made a huge mistake by asking her to stop and give me her wheel! My call cost her the opportunity to finish the race, as she never made it back to the group! At this moment I had my rear wheel out of my bike and the Mavic neutral spares car arrived and started putting their rear wheel in my bike. Our team car had also just arrived and our Mechanic came running up with my wheel, a much better option and sure to run smoothly- so out with the Mavic spare and in with my specific spare race wheel. The main bunch were moving fast when I punctured, we were just one kilometre from an intermediate sprint offering time bonuses; the bunch was at full speed and while we were changing my wheel there was a counter attack – the most dangerous breakaway of the race formed while we were stopped on the side of the road! Trine started her amazing effort to take me back to the group. She did a six-kilometre solo effort, chasing a very aggressive bunch, my legs were burning just to hold Trine's wheel! Even though the chase was killing me I couldn't ask for a more valuable team-mate in that situation: Thanks Trine! I noticed on my polar data that Trine was chasing through the cars at 65-70km/hr… just to give you an idea of her strength! Our team's efforts did not stop there, Nat Bates had dropped back to help Trine and I jumped the last 300m to the group on the slight climb. Nat and Trine then immediately went to the front of the bunch and helped some other teams chase back the dangerous break. We had experienced a lot of miscommunication on the race radio already at this point of the race, but we were not aware of all the confusion until our somewhat heated debrief after the race. I'd let our director know after the big chase that my new wheel was in my bike straight and that the gears were working fine, I also added that my legs were not so great… wondering if we'd change our race tactics. We had a few laps to go so there was a chance my legs would feel better before the sprint. Our director didn't get this info. As a team we continued with the plan. The girls had managed to bring the race back together but it seemed like we had no time to relax before the final stressful break of seven slipped away – containing the eventual winner Judith Arndt. Nat Bates got on the front and gave her final effort to chase, with half a lap to go Kori moved to the front and gave her all, and in the final few kilometres it was Trine again who closed the gap to the break – which Arndt had attacked and broken away from with a few kilometres to go. With a kilometre to go my team-mates had done all they could and it was time for me to move up and play sprinter. I put myself in the right position but unfortunately didn't have great power… The sprint result was the same as yesterday: Regina second, Oenone third and then me in fourth. Arndt had held her gap to take the win. Everyone from our team did all they could physically do today; maybe we could have been a little smarter at times and maybe the result could have been different with less misfortune. In all, it was a pretty disappointing day and tomorrow can only be better! Kori and Trine will enter the 3.5-kilometre time trial with high expectations! Polar Race Data: Time: 2hr 32min 35sec Distance: 104.7km Average Speed: 41.3km/hr Max Sprint Speed: 66.9km/hr Average Heart Rate: 164bpm Max Heart Rate: 207bpm Ascent: 457m Temperature: 22 degrees/Overcast Trine- all smiles after the TT! Stage Three June 4th: Lachine - Lachine Time Trial, 2.9km We experienced a nail-biter today! Trine went out and posted a super fast time while there were still about 50 riders to complete the short time trial! Trine rode the 2.9kms in four minutes and 15 seconds and as we watched each rider come in, Trine still had the fastest time with three riders to go. Only two of the final three riders bettered Trine's time- the first was Nürnberger's Suzanne De Goede and only by tenths of a second, that was tough to take…I imagine Trine's knows exactly where she could have found an extra half a second! Then High Road's Judith Arndt came flying home in four minutes and 11 seconds, a well deserved win! Kori rode strong to finish 12th and I was also happy with a top 20… 19th actually- but much better than 54th last year! I'm not so experienced with riding TT's and pacing myself- I blew up before the turning point, my legs exploded and I had to float/roll for 30 seconds before I could push on the pedals again and build into a rhythm… Ouch! Polar Race Data: Time: 4min 27sec Distance: 2.9km Average Speed: 39.2km/hr Max Speed: 53.3km/hr Average Heart Rate: 189bpm Max Heart Rate: 198bpm Ascent: 0m Temperature: 24 degrees/Overcast/Windy Klas leading by half a straight! Stage Four June 4th: Petite-Italie Criterium, 50km The highlight of our day was the 'staff' race which had been talked up a little by confident staff members during the past few days. It was really exciting for us professional cyclist to watch our team staff (who are mostly ex- professionals themselves) participate in a fun race which many quietly took serious! The race was only four laps of the crit circuit and started 30 minutes before our race. Our representative was Klas Johannson (Menikini mechanic), but we had no idea what competition he was up against. We know he's strong but untrained and out of condition… we knew the young 'High Road' mechanic Gregor looked mighty fit and we also knew Jim Williams from 'Advil' and Jens Zemke from 'Nürnberg' would be participating. Klas surprised everyone by smashing it out of the blocks, he put a full length of the straight into the bunch before one 'unknown' rider bridged across and kept going! Klas fought for another lap before drifting back to the pack with a lap to go and hanging in until the line. The strong unknown rider won the race and took home the cash! Klas will represent us again on the final day of the Tour De Prince Edward Island. Our race was interesting given that only five seconds separated the leaders Judith Arndt and Suzanne De Goede; this meant that the race was really between High Road and Nürnberger. Our goal was to set the race up for a sprint and my team-mates did exactly that! I only had two team-mates in the race – Kori and Trine – but that was enough; they did a great job towards the end of the race and I started the final lap in perfect position. Things got a little messy, or should I say 'aggressive', down the back straight and it was a real fight for position. I went into the final corner, 250m from the line, in fourth position behind Suzanne, Regina and Oenone. Suzanne got through the corner first and powered to the line. Regina did a great job of slowing Oenone and me through the final corner, so Oenone and I finished second and third while Brook Miller came flying home for fourth. Polar Race Data: Time: 1hr 13min 20 sec Distance: 48.6km Average Speed: 39.8km/hr Max Sprint Speed: 55.5km/hr Average Heart Rate: 181bpm Max Heart Rate: 209bpm Ascent: 5m Temperature: 17 degrees All over! Stage Five June 5th: Mont-Saint - Hilaire Road Race, 115km We went into today's stage with one main objective – to protect Trine's sixth position on the general classification. Our action plan was to make sure Trine was at the front of the bunch at the bottom of the climb each lap…. We accomplished this. Our next objective was to have Kori in any of the threatening breakaways; she made one strong solo attempt but missed a few decisive moves, which were fortunately unsuccessful. My job for the day was to stick with Trine. I did just that until 100m from the top of the last climb, which was just three or four kilometres from the finish. I jumped hard over the top of the last climb, trying to get myself back into the action before the finish. I just made it to the front of the group with 500m to go and I had no idea what was going on! I could see one rider in the distance and I also noticed Suzanne De Goede was chasing hard on the front, so I assumed there was a breakaway but I didn't realise it was only Judith off the front, and we were sprinting for a podium! Brooke Miller took an early flyer and held off the bunch to take second, Audrey Cordon took third and I came in fourth. Polar Race Data: Time: 2hr 57min 50sec Distance: 111.7km Average Speed: 37.7km/hr Max Sprint Speed: 63.1km/hr Average Heart Rate: 157bpm Max Heart Rate: 204bpm Ascent: 565m Temperature: 24 degrees So that's the end of the Montréal tour for another year! We (Menikini) managed three podium finishes and two fourth places… of course we were hoping for a win but we're definitely on track. We'll now head to Prince Edward Island for another five-day tour. All Muddy! Shower would be nice! LA COUPE DU MONDE CYCLISTE FEMININE DE MONTREAL Montreal World Cup (UCI 1.1) May 31st 2008 - Road Race 110.6km Our team – Menikini Selle Italia – arrived in Montréal Wednesday afternoon after a long haul from Milan to Montréal via Zürich. We had all day Thursday and Friday to relax and try to adjust to the time difference. We found that we were very tired by 8pm, hence we all woke up at 5am for the first two mornings here in Montréal! Saturday morning we woke up feeling rested, motivated and ready to race – despite the really bad weather! Amongst our team of six was the defending Montréal World Cup winner – Fabiana Luperini. Our other members of the team were Kori Kelly Seehafer, Natalie Bates, Trine Schmidt, Lorena Foresi and myself. Fabiana is a class above all of us when it comes to climbing so all we could do was give her some words of encouragement during the race and make sure she had all the food and drink she required… the rest was up to her… As the race went, it was only Fabiana and Kori of Menikini who remained in the front group with a few laps to go (of 11 laps). The last time up the climb Judith Arndt and Fabiana pulled clear of the small group that was left – Judith worked really hard on the final lap while Fabiana was too tired to contribute. Fabiana knew all she could do was hang on for second place – which was a fantastic effort considering she had not peaked for this event this year. Menikini is very pleased with another podium finish at the Montréal World Cup – it's a great start to our block of racing in Canada. Fabiana returned to Italy the day after the World Cup to focus on a tour in Spain and the Giro d'Italia. The rest of us will stay on and race the Grand Tour De Montréal and the Tour de Prince Edward Island as a team of five. I felt surprisingly fit in the World Cup yesterday so I'm super motivated to start racing the tour tomorrow! Polar Race Data: Time: 3hr 19min 25sec Distance: 105.7km Average Speed: 31.8km/hr Average Heart Rate: 184bpm Max Heart Rate: 204bpm Ascent: 1800m Temperature: 18 degrees/Rain

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