Vicki Whitelaw

Hi again.  David here for the last post of the NZ tour – and what a shocker it was!

The race finished off with an hour long criterium in Wellington.  The riders were placed on the line according to their GC positions – sort of – so Vicki was back in the field.  This is a major handicap on a technical course as it is very difficult to pass riders through the corners.  And then they had a “neutral” lap.  I never understand why people insist on having neutral laps before a criterium.  Everyone has looked at the course during the warm up so there is no gain to be had and it is never really neutral with everyone jockeying for position right from the get go.  A rider is not supposed to move up during the lap but if they don’t then they get passed by everyone else and worse, gaps open up before the flag has even dropped.

Vicki got stuck behind some riders who allowed a gap to open and there was the race over before it even began.  With the course not much more than a kilometre long and a field of 75 riders it means there doesn’t have to be much of a gap at the back for the last riders to be lapped.  Once lapped the riders have to be pulled from the race for safety’s sake.  The first rider was pulled after only a couple of laps!?  The group Vicki got stuck in was pulled 18 laps from the end (after about 40 minutes of racing).  Only 20 riders finished the last stage.

Usually when a criterium is included in a stage race, especially on such a technical course as this, there is a formula worked out to add time to a rider’s GC result depending on how many laps they missed.  To add insult to injury the race organisers didn’t do this.  Rather anyone who didn’t finish the criterium didn’t get a GC result.  A whole 20 people finished the Women’s Tour of New Zealand.  Kind of sucks really.  Certainly doesn’t encourage people to outlay the time and money to make the trip to NZ next year.

So in summary this race was pretty much a disaster for Vicki.  She went with hopes of a good GC result but was taken out in the first stage by a rider losing it right in front of her.  She showed some real grit just getting to the finish line only to be fined and docked time for doing something that is accepted practice after a crash.  Vicki survived the second stage and managed to finish in the front bunch.  She worked hard in the third stage for her sprinter but the break juststayed away.  She got 10th in the time trial and is left wondering what could have been if she hadn’t been carrying the injuries from the crash.  She was in a 60 kilometre break in Stage 5 only to be caught 300 metres from the line.  And finally she was pulled from the criterium and given no final result for the GC.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – cycling is a stupid sport!

I’ll try to encourage Vicki to blog soon.  Don’t know how successful I’ll be – she leaves for Europe in a week so will be busy getting things sorted for that.

No doubt you’ll be hearing from me during another tour later in the year.  Until then God bless,
David

Good evening all.  David here.

First let’s start with an update of yesterday’s blog:  Vicki was 10th in the time trial which moved her up to 24th on GC.  Not too bad given what’s been happening this week.

I’d just like to say that I was right with my prediction that today’s race from Palmerston North to Masterton (112km) would finish in a bunch sprint.  The break of four riders was caught just 300 metres from the line.  Pity I can’t glory in my ability to read how a race will pan out - because Vicki was in the break!

After looking at the profile and with the benefit of the local knowledge of the Lotto guest director ‘Grease Monkey’ Vicki figured the rolling roads after the major climb of the day would suit her to a tee.  After a couple of attacks softened the reduced bunch Vicki followed the attack of one of  the Chinese girls and found herself in the break that stuck.

In the end a group of 4 formed - Vicki and three New Zealanders (the Chinese rider fell off the pace and returned to the bunch early on).  They were never given much freedom with the AIS team doing a lot of chasing along with the US team.  It didn’t help that some of the members of the break weren’t giving their all.

After 60 kilometres of being out the front it was touch and go as to whether the bunch would time the catch better than yesterday.  With two kilometres to go the two girls from the NZ team started to attack the break.  Bit silly really.  With only about 20 seconds back to the bunch there was no way they would survive without working together.  Sure enough the break was swamped 300 metres from the line.  Vicki rolled to the finish with the front bunch whilst Shelley Evans took her third stage of the tour.

That’s the life of a break artist – you’re very fortunate if even one out of ten works.  Still, Vicki gave it a pretty good shake – especially given that she is still pretty sore.

Tomorrow is the last day.  The tour finishes with a criterium in the centre of Wellington.  It’s quite a technical course so if a committed group gets away they might just make it stick.  (Still, if you’re betting put your money on a bunch sprint.)

Until tomorrow,
Dave

Well, stages 3 and 4 have been run and won.  That’s about all I can tell you as there is a dearth of information tonight.

Stage 3 had a break of four riders get away and stay away… just!  The bunch caught them on the line but not soon enough to take the victory.  Vicki spent the race working for Rochelle, the team sprinter.  She was a bit frustrated to do a good lead out but have the bunch miss the timing.

Stage 4 was a time trial.  The very brief comment I have from Vicki is that she had pain in her arm every time she got out of the saddle (that’ll happen if you whack it on the ground!) but “all things considered it was ok – I guess”.  Didn’t provide me with anything interesting… like her actual result.  The stage was won by Vicki’s good friend Amber Neben who I really hope will have a good year after all the injury set backs she faced last year.

Stage 5 sees the girls repeat the course of Stage 2 but in reverse.  The major climb will come very early in the race with almost 100km of (relatively) flat roads to cover before the finish.  If I were a betting man I’d say a fairly big bunch sprint but I always live in hope that a break succeeds.

God bless,
Dave

Well today was a better day.  Stage 2 of the Women’s Tour of New Zealand consisted of a 114km jaunt between Masterton and Palmerston North.  General consensus is that it’s the toughest stage in this year’s tour – not what you want to face less than 24 hours after hitting the deck.  Being the masochist she is, Vicki hit the start line hoping for a better day than yesterday.

The weather wasn’t conducive to feeling safe with a light rain that made the roads greasy but didn’t manage to wash the oil off.  There were plenty of crashes in the bunch on the wet roads and hairy descents, including one that took out the defending champion Amber Halliday.  Vicki managed to avoid all of them and finish with the front bunch.  Despite feeling stiff and sore off the bike Vicki was able to sit in ok and even try being a bit active.  Her good form is still there even if it’s been blunted by the crash. One of these days the ducks are going to line up in a row… surely!?

Vicki is still sitting 40th on GC – pretty much out of the running.

Tomorrow is a double header with a flat 87km stage in the morning followed by an 11km time trial in the evening.  It’ll be a bit of a strange TT as no time trial equipment is allowed – standard road bikes only.  This is done to save the international teams from having to lug TT bikes half way around the world and often leads to some unexpected results.

I have to admit that at this point I’ll be happy just as long as Vicki keeps the rubber side down.

Until tomorrow,
Dave

Hello.

David here again.  Vicki started her international season today with the Women’s Tour of New Zealand.  She started the same way she finished last season off… with a crash.

Before I go on I’d better say that this blog will be filled with my embittered views which aren’t necessarily shared by Vicki.  Blame me not her if you don’t agree with them.

This first stage covered 98 kilometres from Martinborough to Masterton with one major climb about 60 km in.  Vicki was feeling good and crested the climb with a small group that was only just down on the leaders Ruth Corset, Amber Neben and Catherine Cheatley.  It all came apart on the descent when one of the girls from the US National Team touched wheels on a straight and dropped her bike right on front of Vicki.  With nowhere to go Vicki went down as did one of her new Lotto team mates.

Vicki is pretty busted up with deep cuts to her elbow and hip (which would have been stitched except it was too difficult?!?), a hammered arm and bruised ribs.  Her team mate Ashleigh Moolman broke her collar bone.  Ouch!

This year radios have been banned by the UCI in the lower level races.  There are lots of arguments for and against the decision but one down side is that when an incident happens on the road the girls can’t let their team car know they need assistance.  It becomes really important that race radio makes sure everyone is aware of what’s happening.  Didn’t happen this time so the team car was blissfully unaware that there was a problem until they happened to spot Vicki standing at the side of the road holding a bike with wheels wouldn’t turn.  More time lost.

Now if this had been me, I would have just called it a day and hopped in the car.  Not Vicki.  She got her bike fixed and then proceeded to chase.  Nutter!!  With blood dripping down her arm and leg, Vicki caught and stayed with a bunch that rolled in 1 minute 40 down on the lead bunch of 24 riders – which included the girls she was with when she crashed.  Oh what might have been!

To cap the day off, the commissaires decided to give Vicki an ‘encouragement award’ and penalise her 20 seconds (like she hadn’t lost enough time already) and fine her for getting mechanical assistance from a moving team car.  Nice!  I won’t bring up the number of times you see people on TV coverage getting motorpaced back after crashes and mechanicals with no consequences… No, really I won’t.

At the end of it all Vicki sits in 40th place, 2 minutes 10 down on the tour leader Shelley Evans.  Her GC hopes are long gone.

After three hours in the hospital getting patched up, Vicki is in for a rough night tonight.  She will decide tomorrow morning whether she takes the start for the toughest stage of the tour (nice timing!) from Masterton to Palmerston North via the Pahiatua Track.  Again if it was me I’d be looking for the next flight home but Vicki is such a machine it won’t surprise me if she toughs it out.

To quote a good friend of mine, “cycling is a stupid sport”.

God bless,
Dave