Sparkessen Giro

So the Summer racing season here in Belgium is in full swing. Most weeks there are at least 3-4 Kermesses on, plus there's some UCI racing on the calendar dotted in there too. So after getting back from Limousin it was straight back into it with a Kermesse in Strijpen/Zottegem on Tuesday afternoon. The race was supposed to be 90k, however due to the 35 degree heat they cut 2 laps off the race which gave us about 75k to race. 10 laps on what turned out to be a lumpy course with a nice little kicker of a hill out the back. Although the ride there my legs felt like lead, I knew I'd work into it so I was looking forward to the race! It's not often you get any hills in the Kermesse' here! Had a good race, with each lap feeling better and better and tried to split things up on the hill.. We managed to halve the bunch by the end, both through the hills and the heat taking a toll, and I did my usual trick of avoiding getting mixed up in the sprint and rolled in just inside the top 20. 

On the descent - Strijpen Kermesse

A couple of days later and it was off to Bambrugge for another 90k race! This time we were lucky enough to have Graeme drive us, which we were extra thankful for once the heavens opened resulting in the last 5 laps being in torrential rain. My slow to wake up legs had me sitting too far back early in the race and I missed the break of the day which ended up sticking, and then every move I went with was the wrong one so I rolled in with the bunch happy to be able to dry off..

Lucky I wore my black socks....

The next day we were picked up by Rene for the trip across the border to race the UCI 1.1 race, Sparkassen Giro. This race is an all day festival in the town, with participation rides, the womens race, a Men's Post Tour Crit, Derny races and then fireworks at the end of the night. It was a great atmosphere to race in! Our race was short for a UCI race, at only 78k, and it was very straight forward.. Go around the town centre, head out on a main road slightly uphill for 5k, do a U-Turn, and motor back down the other side of the road. Repeat this 6 times and you've got a sprinters dream race. The team were keen to come away with a result, and having 2 sprinters we were in for a chance. Coryn and Eileen are both on form with some good results lately, with Jane, Lucy, Gaby & myself to support them. With Kirtsen Wild & Chloe Hosking in the bunch, there were lots of teams hoping to force a break away, so it was an agressive race from the start. We were well represented most of the moves, with Lucy doing her trademark solo attack which lasted about 1k before she was reeled back in. In the end the inevitable sprint happened, except the difference being the first person around the corner hit it too hot and came down disrupting things a bit. Coryn recovered well and sprinted to an impressive 5th, with Kirsten Wild only just pipping her on the line. Eileen had a solid 14th place in what was her first European race in a long time. I felt good during the race and made my way into a few moves, but being the scaredy cat that I am when it comes to a sprint, I sat well out of the argy bargy that was going on and stayed safe.

Skinsuit Sunday!

 

So basically from what was a very disappointing start to the second half of my season, I'm happy with where I'm at now. Racing into some form and being active and actually being a part of the race instead of pack fill is definitely good for the head, because I have to admit there were a couple of times a few weeks back where I'd started doubting myself and questioning if I should be here. I keep reminding myself that this is my first season out here and that every race and every challenge that comes my way is a learning experience and will make me a better rider and racer. I feel so young in terms of cycling age, especially when hearing stories from team mates who are almost 10 years younger, yet have twice as many years racing experience!

Rolling to the start of Sparkessen Giro

 

Next up for the team is the Lotto Cup race Erondegemese Pijl which is a UCI 1.2. Another flat, fast Belgian race where hopefully we can improve on last weekand hit the podium!

Live to fight another day

So, after Krasna Lipa we headed back to Belgium for some R&R before packing the traveling circus back up and heading to the next race. On the way through, Carla & I stopped in Cologne for the night and spent the morning wandering around the beautiful town, getting some proper coffee and doing some window shopping.

In between tours, there was a Kermesse on in Moerzeke, so a few of us headed there for another hit out! It was a good day for the team, with a break eventually sticking with one of us in it, and Jane rode great to stay away and finish 3rd on the day. 

Before we knew it though it was time to hit the road again, and we were on route to the Limousin region in France to race the 4 day tour there. For this Tour we had the Chief Rene, Pamela on her first outing as a swanny (who, mind you, did a fantastic job without having any experience or even the guidance of Mr B!), and Eoin the Irish Mechanic and chief coffee maker was back again. I was even learning how to understand him a little better this trip! The riders were myself, Coryn, Lucy, Laura, Ciara & Anne. 

Limousin - Right in the middle of France

A quick stop overnight somewhere just south of Paris, and by Wednesday we had arrived to our race accommodation.. It's fair to say it wasn't the Ritz. We were basically camping in wooden huts, exactly like what I'd stayed in a few years ago with Alli & Natalie in my first ever Belgian racing experience. The team had been given 2, with room for 5 in each room, which basically had us taking up all available floor space. Thanks to Vienne deciding the accomm wasn't up to scratch, a hut became free and we could spread out a little more. Eoin also decided that the team van would be comfier and roomier and took up residence in there! 

Our little hut

Team presentation was the evening before the race, so we got that out of the way and stopped for pre race Pizza in Le Grande Bourg.. A quaint little town that was filled with random mannequins dressed in different costumes. The forecast for the whole week was hot, and I generally like the heat, so I went to bed that night really excited for the race and ready to get into it! Especially as I was starting the race with my own bike!

Team presentation

 I woke up early the next morning and knew things were not right. I had what is unfortunately becoming the all too familiar feeling of nausea and before long I was ill. Not ideal.. However having felt like this before a few times in the last few weeks, I figured it would pass within a few hours and I should at least be able to start the stage that afternoon and hopefully by the next day I'd be feeling ok. I made it through thankfully, and my motto for the week became 'live to fight another day'. Lucy and Coryn rode a great race finishing up the front of the front group after being active throughout the day trying to establish a break, with Coryn being only 1 place off the Young Rider jersey!

Eoin preping the Bianchi's!

Day 2 was the Time Trial. Thankfully I woke that morning feeling better, but still went in with the idea of trying to save as much as I could for the next 2 days because I knew I would still be depleted from the day before. A stomping ride by Lucy had her finish 7th, and move up on GC into the top 10. 

Outdoor Dining

Day 3 and the aim was to try and move Lucy further up GC and if any breaks went, make sure we were represented. All of the climbs were in the first half of the race, so most of the attacks were going here. There were lots of attempts to get a split in the field, and it was great to race with Coryn & Lucy properly and for us to be able to cover moves and really make a difference in the race. Nothing stuck and it was all together at the end though, and so no change on GC. Again - Live to fight another day!

There were some good points about our Accommodation! Recovery swims :)

One more stage left, 127k and 38 degrees forecast. With only 1 second between first and second on GC, it was always going to be a tough day. I was struggling to find my legs in the first hour, but gave everything I had to help chase back a break and then just couldn't recover in time to make the split over the 2nd climb of the day. As is typical though, about 20 minutes later I felt amazing and did so for the rest of the race, but that's racing. I was disappointed not to be in the front bunch to help Lucy & Coryn, but in a way I was satisfied with the choice I made at the time. I'd prefer to be out the back of the race after having contributed to the team goal, instead of just sitting on the back of the bunch and making it to the finish with them. Coryn managed to finish 8th as well, and Lucy finished 9th on GC in the end, so a good day/week for the team!

Race ready

So for myself personally it was a disappointing week, but there are still some positives to take from it. For now though it's back to the base in Belgium to regroup and get myself off to the doctor to suss out why I keep getting sick! This week will see us race a couple of Kermesse's too, before heading across the other border to Germany to race the Sparkassen Giro in Bochum.

Holiday over, back to racing at Krasna Lipa!

After a super fun couple of weeks in Girona with Miss America, it was time to get things rolling again and pin a number on! I'm not here for a holiday you know ;-)

Krasna Lipa is the first ever European race that I did, and one that I was hoping to do well in this time around. It's also the tour that I seem to just not have anything go right in...

We began the journey to Czech by dragging our bike bags on 2 trains and a bus to get to Barcelona Airport. Cursing the bikes the whole way, we would come to regret thinking how nice it would be to not travel with bikes when we arrived at Dresden airport to that long wait by the oversize baggage door, and the sinking feeling that our bikes had missed the plane... Our fears were confirmed at the baggage services counter which then led to many frustrating phone calls to Vueling customer 'service' and 48 hours of being told they hadn't even located the bikes yet. With only 2 flights to Dresden a week, the next one landed right when our race was due to start, so we were trying everything to get them to send the bikes to another nearby airport but it was proving fruitless.

The rest of the team pre riding the course.. Coryn and I had no bikes so were in the car..

Queue our Knights in Shining Oakleys.. The Swiss National Team. They had 2 spare bikes which they kindly allowed us to borrow, even though it left them without spares! Coryn at least had a spare pair of shoes and pedals, but everything of mine was in my bike bag.. A lesson well learnt and I'll always carry a pair of shoes with me now! Thankfully Gaby has the same size big feet as me and had a spare pair, so I was on borrowed bike, shoes, pedals, helmet & glasses! Not the ideal way to start a tour, but at least I was starting!

Lunch in Germany on the way to Krasna Lipa

 

So the race.. Day 1 and I felt pretty shitty. After not having ridden for 2 days and all the other factors, my legs were pretty flat and I just didn't feel confident on the bike. Euro brakes, everything a size too big, compact cranks added to a sketchy and nervy bunch and not having raced for a month all combined to make me fairly useless. Just because Murphy was in a playful mood, he threw in a plastic bag getting wrapped around my rear mech and the subsequent chase back on, so when we hit the last big descent my legs just couldn't go any faster and I was out the arse. Yep, dropped on the downhill.. So much for being able to help the GC rider in our team! I grovelled over Vapenka and made it back in to Krasna Lipa a few minutes down on the main bunch.

The best part of the day was getting back to our Accommodation and finding out my bike had made it to Germany! After dinner - the Czech staple of Chicken & potatoes of course - Rene and I headed to Dresden airport where I was reunited with all of my race gear and my Bianchi bike. Happy Dayz!!

 

My Bianchi!!!! So happy to see this :)

Day 2, feeling a lot more confident being back on my bike, but still with legs like arse. Going backwards up all of the climbs, and struggling to move up in the sketchy bunch, it was another day of feeling useless. Carla and Lucy rode well again and maintained their spots up on GC ahead of the 3rd stage time trial.

Day 3 is the double day. A quick trip over the border to Poland for an 18k Time Trial, ahead of an afternoon road race back in Czech. My goal for the time trial was to just try and spin the legs out as much as possible whilst still making time cut, hoping that I'd come good for the afternoon stage. Lucy stomped the TT and came in 8th - moving her up to 13th on GC - whilst Carla succumbed to the stomach bug that had been plaguing her all week. The afternoon road stage yet again had me grovelling and being packfill, but another solid ride by the other girls in the team saw Coryn get 8th! 

Czech staple.. Chicken & Potatoes.

The last day sees the race go up a solid climb on a big lap, and then tackle 3 laps of the infamous Vapenka. With Lucy in 13th, we wanted to move her up in to the top 10 if possible so the plan was to try and split the bunch on the first climb and for her to hopefully get away in a small group on the final laps. Riding to the start of the race I felt better then I had all week. Better late than never I guess! My finish line was at 42k, the top of the first climb, and as we hit the first ramp things were going to plan. The bunch was lined out until we got over the crest of the first pinch where the lead car put out the red flag and the race was stopped. A bunch off the back had been sent the wrong way, and then the Aus & Koga team cars couldn't be located. In the end we were stopped in the middle of the road for 45 minutes before being sent on our way and then told that the race would be shortened by 1 lap. Sticking to the plan I led up the climb and split things up, and then blew near the top and lost the bunch. It was a beautiful day and so I enjoyed the weather and scenery and waved at all the families who were out watching the race and rolled in to the finish.

With the stop and one less time up the climb, the race was changed a fair bit and we didn't succeed, but at least we tried and I found a glimpse of some form coming back.

Riding to the start of the race

So the week didn't go as I'd hoped, but I have to take the positives and focus them on Limousin in a weeks time. Things would have been much harder at the race if it weren't for the tireless efforts of our support crew..

Eoin (Owen) - Our team mechanic. At times I could barely understand a word he was saying because of his accent, but he was great with the bikes and the added pressure of setting up our borrowed bikes was all handled without a worry.

Mr B & his apprentice Lucy - Our Swannys. These guys were rock stars. Food shopping, bottles, feeding, and the best bit - the massages. Lots of laughs too kept the mood light when things weren't going to plan!

And Rene - Manager/DS, having the contacts to get us some bikes to borrow and following us around in the team car for 4 days! Added trips to Germany and Prague (for Coryns bike), plus the drive from London and back, I'd say he'd have had to have clocked up about 50 hours behind the wheel in the space of a week, at least!

Rene, Mr B, Eoin & Lucy enjoying a well earned Vino! From cups made from empty water bottles.. Classy.

Next up is a week back home in Belgium before heading to France for Limousin!