Vicki Whitelaw

A really quick entry as I am last minute packing up my little apartment in Luino, Italy. I am competing in the Davide Fardelli time trial tomorrow. After doing some specific time trial training this week and plenty of motorpacing, I’m feeling keen and ready for the race. From there I will get a lift with the Aussies to the Tour of Ardeche, where I will race my last tour this year with my team. I haven’t done this one before but from all accounts, I’m in for a hilly one.

I will finish off this year’s European campaign with the Chrono Champenois, September 12th. Then it’s a flight back to the AIS base in Castronno, Italy and the following day onwards to Australia.

The other news is that I have recently had the call up for the Aussie team for the Commonwealth games. I wasn’t in the initial team but unfortunately Cary Light crashed in last weekend’s race in Padova and was injured badly enough to not be able to make the games. I feel for Carly and really hope she heals quickly. I am happy to be going. It just means my cycling race season for this year has been slightly extended. It will be nice to have a bit of a break in late October.

Ok, better continue the packing.
Vicki

So the final stage was raced on Saturday and we ended up doing 5 hot laps around St Amand-Montrond, where we had begun the tour 5 days earlier.

The top 3 places on GC were pretty much wound up on the penultimate queen stage, although a shuffling of the minor placings was still possible given the close time gaps between riders.  We began with kermesse style racing – several corners on a lap completed 3 times with sprint primes up for grabs.

Lotto had a plan to ride aggressively today. I kicked things off with an attack 5 km in and  I was joined by 3 other riders. Whilst it looked initially that momentum was gaining in this little group, teams like Safi, Gauss and Red Sun were not represented so we were reeled back in within 5km. However,  I’m glad to hear that there was some panic back there as Martisova (only 1 second behind me on GC) was getting rather nervous and ended up shutting the break down herself. :-)  The next attack went shortly after and included Catherine Hare (Great Britain) and a Systems Data rider. This pair maintained a break for 40km. Red Sun were chasing, although they were visibly tired from the tour and the time gap was at times drifting out over a minute. It wasn’t until Safi decided to come and play and attack the peloton, leading to an immediate response from EVERYONE that the two out front were caught. A few more attacks were tried in the next 20km but no-one was given an inch.

It was crucial to be at the front with 20km to go (the 5 laps around St Amond). It was a very strung out bunch with tight corners and road furniture. Luisa Tamanini (Chirio) was particularly aggressive around the back of the course past the highschool and again I had a crack but it was extremely tough to get away. Safi seemed determined on a bunch sprint. In the end it was Monica Holler (Alrisksson-Go Green) who took the win over Rasa Leleivyte, who was later relegated to last in the bunch after coming off her sprint line to the finish. I had an eye on Martisova in the sprint and when she didn’t finish in the top 3 I knew that I had just hung onto 4th place GC by 1 second!

Emma Johannson cleaned up for the tour – all jerseys but the one she wasn’t elligible for (the young rider which went to Eleanora Patuzzo). This result was a combination of her consistent presence at the front in the bunch sprints, regularly being in breakaways to snatch mountain points and of course a strong time trial performance.

We had a long drive home due to traffic jams around Paris. Thankfully our director Dany is clever with the GPS and managed to find some great alternative routes via Evry and Lille.

Next day Veronica and I decided to have a hit out at Erwetogem-Zottegem, a regional Belgian race close to our team house in Aalst. I had won this race a year ago so was up for the challenge again. During warm up, I spotted 2 other Lotto riders - Annalies and Evelyn. Whilst it’s the end of the season, it was the first time I had actually met my team mate Evelyn and 10km into the race we exchanged greetings! After hearing that she was 2nd in the local competition for this region’s series of races and was keen for the win today, it was all about working for her.

Unfortunately Veronica got caught in a crash (when a rider toppled off going uphill?!) at 25km. With a bent hanger under load on the next climb, it completely snapped off and her day was over. For the rest of the race, Annalies, Evelyn and I were having a great deal of fun, attacking like crazy, chasing breaks and generally working extremely well together.

Evelyn was confident she would win the bunch sprint, so after some attentive marking of attacks that went on the final 2 laps, it was then about lining the bunch out at 1.5km to the finish to set her up nicely for the run to the line. The current leader in this regional competition, Lensy Debboudt, was sitting 3rd wheel and Evelyn was snugly sitting on my wheel. At the time I thought this was going to be a tough ask. I was tired after trophee D’Or and a long solo lead out for this distance was going to be a challenge. But hey, I had suggested it so I had to go through with the plan! With 300m remaining, Evelyn called to ‘lift the pace’ again. My legs were burning and I could only manage 10 metres more.  At this point, Lensy got impatient, jumped and Evelyn was straight to her wheel and then easily past it to take the victory by 2 bikes lengths. A really strong ride from the team. It was great to leave Belgium on that note. It makes me so happy to have had a team plan work effectively and come out with the result. Sure, it wasn’t a world cup and the level of racing is a tad lower but it is racing like this that forms the basis for solid team work, the only way to get truly consistent results in the world of cycling.

I am now back home for one more week in Italy. I’m preparing for the Davide Fardelli time trial next Sunday, a UCI race that I’ve previously faired pretty well at. Then it’s off to the Tour of Ardeche for my final week in Europe. I’m feeling a little fatigued after travel and late nights but think I will freshen up by mid-week. I fly back to Australia September 14th and it will be great to see Dave again. I can begin counting down now.

Ciao,
Vicki

A great race today with plenty of interesting lumpy terrain and solid racing tactics. Unfortunately I have now lost GC places to 4th. C’est la vie. Safi have been the strongest team of the entire tour and it has been great to see each rider’s commitment to getting stage wins. We just weren’t sure if they would also come out to play for the GC standings as well. Today, a well timed attack from Eleanora Patuzzo (who had been hiding in the bunch for the previous 3 days) at 60km and followed by Edita Puckinskaite proved they were serious about clinching the overall as well.

The 5 climbs that occurred between 30 and 53 km resulted in the peleton being split up but coming back together to a bunch of around 30 riders. Ashleigh was gunning for mountain points today and managed to secure the first categorised climb and 3rd on the second. WIth subsequent climbs, there were small break aways down the road sopping up the other climb points. She finished the day 2nd (to Emma Johansson) but wears the jersey as Emma is also in yellow.

We really should have had a Lotto rider in the Gauss/ Safi break that went. It put us on the back foot, then having to chase. Sure, this task should  also come down to Red Sun, however at this point there was only Emma Johansson remaining. I kick myself now and should have taken my own opportunity, regardless of what was up the road and knowing that she was isolated. Ahhh, “shoulda, coulda , woulda”.

With the dangerous two-up break, Emma herself went to the front of the bunch to drive the pace, along with all 3 remaining Lotto riders-Veronica, Asleigh and myself. Things were going quite well until the final climb at 73 km, where Emma rode the whole bunch off her wheel and soloed her away across to the break. I didn’t have the legs to go with her and that was it. We watched a gap open up very quickly to 1min 30 seconds, even though we had recruited Great Britain as well as us 3 for the chase. Then of course, we had further attacks from various individual riders that disrupted the chase and with 10km to go, the gap had increased even further. From here, it was just about riding to the finish. A bit of a disappointing day for me but there is still one more stage and I never give up. The stage is pancake flat and it will be tough to get breaks going, (knowing who the top 3 girls are on GC) but we are sure going to give it our best. 

It was bad luck for our new rider Lizanne today who punctured in the group behind the peloton at 7km to the finish, only to find no one around to giver her a spare wheel. The only ride home available was in the ambulance, meaning that she didn’t get to finish the race and won’t be starting the final stage tomorrow.  Veronica is riding really strong – being the ultimate domestique – back and forth with bidons and chasing down breaks. Ashleigh is going to clinch the mountains jersey tomorrow and Kim is hanging in there.

Tomorrow is a new day!

Vicki

There are days like Sunday’s road race in Bochum, Germany (the Sparkassen Giro) where you just wish the whole peloton would protest, sit stubbornly in their race cars or decamp to some cosy cafe. I haven’t seen rain that torrential in quite some time. Whilst not cold (well, my team mates may beg to differ! ) there were rivers running down the road 10 minutes before race start. The organisers shortened the race from 6 laps to 5 but this didn’t lift my motivation much at all. After signing on and standing huddled under a marquee where a band and a clown tried to lift our spirits the race was going ahead. Some were wishing for thunder, lightning and hail to shift the decision but I’m not so sure. I recall my first overseas racing 3 years ago at Montreal Tour. We had the works – floods, electrical storms and extremely poor visibility. There was no stopping the stage nor adjustments to the program. Maybe it’s just the threat of a tornado that will bring racing to a halt?

We had raced a 60 km criterium as a warm up event the evening before. I was feeling pretty energetic and was present in many of the break away groups.  Our team was looking for a bunch sprint, so my role was to simply sit in these breaks. 20km from the finish a 4 rider break formed without any Lotto riders in it. Tiffany, Liz and I all attempted bridging across but without success. A few times we had to sit up because we risked bringing some of the other key sprinters with us. With 5 laps remaining the pace of the peloton was really picking up, driven by HTC. I was working hard to place Rochelle in good position in a strung out peloton. It was the typical fighting for the “favourite’s” wheel and it was essential to remain focused. The break managed to stick it to the line with Sylvia Valsecchi taking the win from Linda Villumsen. Lotto didn’t have a good position for the final kick and we finished well out of the placings. It was, however, a decent warm up for the main event on Sunday.

With flooded roads, 2 sections of pave and some decent potholes this was a road race where the key position to be was at the front! Fortunately the roads were wide enough to facilitate this. Being my third time doing this race, I was familiar with the crucial and dangerous sections as well as the typical opportunities for attacks. There were 2 decent climbs on each lap. The first has in the past been more of a struggle for me, given that it is exposed to crosswinds and with a well timed attack, it strings the peloton into single file. It’s only about 400m long and is followed by a “big dipper” into the next climb – perfect for gaining speed and carrying it as long as possible up the other side. With the 2nd climb of 500m you can see the top but it is a lot steeper than the first. After carrying speed for the first ¼ of it, its then about muscling your way out of the saddle to the top. In previous editions of the race, it always splits on this climb but then with 2km of flat and a wide non technical descent it is usually gruppo compacto by the bottom. Obviously weather condition were going to affect today’s race along with a different group of riders to the last few years – Fasso Bortolo had some good climbers as did HTC. It looked unlikely that the race would end in a bunch sprint.

We had decided that it was crucial to be in each break that went. Tiffany and I were both riding well and equally covering the attacks which began on the 2nd lap. Not all teams were represented in each break, so these were all brought back. Team Norris were the main chasers. A break of 7 riders went on the 3rd lap and Tiffany was in it. It consisted of singletons and the bunch seemed reasonably happy to let this one go. Great Britain, who didn’t have a rider up the road, became the principal chasers. Evelyn Stevems (HTC) and a Fasso Bortolo rider managed to bridge on the first climb of Lap 4. I was starting to tire but was positioned well for the 2nd climb and took advantage of the “big dipper” to carry my speed across the gap. I caught the break as we commenced the descent, had a brief breather on the back and then went into working mode to drive this break. 

With one lap remaining there were two Fasso Bortolo riders, 2 HTC and 2 Lotto riders as well as 3 single riders. The final set of climbs did some damage and we lost 2 riders from our group, leaving us with 7 coming into the finish and with a 55 second gap.  A nice little buffer to play with.  After a chat with Tiff, we decided I’d try a last kilometre attack and Tiff would aim for the sprint.  I jumped at 900m, didn’t look back and put in a solid effort. I would have loved to have pull it off but with these sort of attacks this close to the finish it’s do or die.  Ellen van Dijk caught me as we reached the final corner but I was glad to see Tiffany sitting well on her wheel. I had just cornered when a crash went down behind me. I was smashed from the effort and had nothing further to sprint with and so a Vlanderen Top Sport rider passed me for third. Tiff held onto 2nd and I finished 4th. A great result and team effort both, making racing in these horrid conditions well worth it. 

Meanwhile at the Valkenburg  classic – a hilly race in Holland (yes they DO exist) - Grace had won. So an extremely successful weekend all round for Team Lotto.

I am now having a mini rest at the team house in Aalst. The farm house is always interesting. With the family shooting rabbits in the early hours of the morning or killing a pig for dinner we are never short of entertainment around here.

I had stayed in Belgium to race at Braaschat today but discovered too late that it is an evening race and I would miss my flight home to Italy if I took part. Bit of a bummer as it looks like a good start list and it’s a chance to ride for the winning prize of 1000 euros! Anyway, I am looking forward to a hard training block back in Italy in preparation for Plouay World Cup and Trophee D’Or.

Ciao,
Vicki

I’ve been enjoying a brief pause from racing in my lovely home-away-from-home town of Luino. I wasn’t really planning on much of a mid-season break this year as I’ve been revelling in the packed racing calender. 

Some riders like decent length blocks of training.  I’ve been feeling strong and fit with each block of racing and it seems that I respond really well to racing as a physiological stimulus.  Training has its place (of course) and is necessary to focus on specific aspects like time trialling, the ever-enjoyable ‘stengthies’ and to brush up on my technical skills like descending and cornering.  I find I remain contented and focused as long as there is variety in my week… too much of the same thing on the same training roads and I quickly get bored.  :-)  This presents a particular challenge to my coach, Donna, but she continues to be creative and push my limits and as for the area where I live in Luino… well, there are endless possibilities for training roads.

I raced at Cento on July 18th. Every year this race is always a shock to the system, whether I ride the Giro Donne or not. This year, after such a tough Giro, the body was feeling pretty average and together with another extremely hot Italian afternoon it was a demanding race. There were several breaks throughout the race. Lotto missed a key one at about 70km and given we were wanting to set up Rochelle for the sprint it was up to me to do a solid session on the front for 12km. This effort brought the break within striking distance which then encouraged some others to contribute who had also missed the break. We caught the lead group of 15 riders 2 laps from the finish – about 16km – and I was completely spent. From here it was a case of just hanging in. My throat was burning and I was desperate for a drink. Whilst I don’t usually reach for Coke as my preferred drink I was open to anything at this point! I collected one from my soigney as I was almost ready to fall off my bike and this set me back further in the peloton. With the narrower roads at the back of the course there was little ground I could make up there. I managed to get back to the front with 1km to go, give Rochelle some final protection and encouragement for the sprint and that was me done for the day! Rochelle pulled off a great sprint to be narrowly beaten by Bronzini. All the team effort was worth it!

Following Cento, and given I wasn’t on the start list for Tour of Limousin or Thuringen , it was time to hit a big hard training block. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a training buddy in town (thanks Dan!) who has been playing to my competitive side by racing me up climbs, smashing me on the flats and generally just being my own little motorbike! In addition we’ve been doing a lot of thrilling motorpacing along Lake Maggiore. To top it all off, after every ride, I have to drag myself up the 2km berg back to my apartment on a hill. Whilst not very long, it’s not my favourite thing to do after the many “leg smashing sessions” I did last week.

Next up is Sweden World Cup – both a team time trial and a road race - this coming weekend. I haven’t been to either of these races before, nor to Sweden, so am looking forward to a new experience. Training will wind down a little toward the 2nd half of this week so I don’t enter these events too tired… although I’m far from feeling refreshed after my break from racing! But that’s ok – I have full trust in my coach and her program which will ensure that I’m heading in the right direction.

Until next time,
Vicki

I discovered this hilarious blogspot today. Check it out for a giggle……. www.creepingtortoise.blogspot.com