Vicki Whitelaw

It’s all over!  Vicki has finished her second week long tour, and what a tour it was!  It started with a short prologue (time trial), then there were three flat stages for the sprinters, a hilly stage for the mountain goats, a time trial which only the best could win , another couple of mountain stages to really hurt the legs and a fast, flat stage to finish off with.  It has been a successful tour for Vicki, with another stage win added to her palmares.

Last night’s stage started and finished in Desio.  It was a fast stage (the girls averaged 43 kph) with some attacks.  The sprinters were determined to have their day so their teams neutralised every break before it could get much time over the field.

Vicki was feeling good today and tried an attack of her own.  The bunch was having none of it though and she was soon back in the fold.  The other “exciting” thing that happened to Vicki was a rear wheel puncture 30km into the race.  This is not at all uncommon as race tyres are thin – often as thin as 2mm.

When someone gets a puncture they stop and wait to get a spare wheel from their team car which is following behind the riders.  Once the mechanic has made the swap the rider has to chase back to the bunch (which hasn’t waited for them – this is a race after all) through all the other team cars.  This can be quite fun… if a little hairy at times.

The race came down to a bunch sprint.  I’ll give you three guesses as to who won it – you should only need one!  That’s right, Ina Teutenberg won her fourth stage!  That is phenomenal!!  I’m betting that she is wishing the Olympic road race was a sprinter’s course this year as, if it were, she would have to be the favourite.

Vicki did well in the sprint finishing just outside the top 20 (22nd to be exact) and feels that with a little more experience she will be able to improve her sprint finishes dramatically.

Overall Vicki finished in 29th position (out of the 122 who started the porlogue way back in Mantova over a week ago).  Vicki is pretty happy with this result though in time she wants both win stages AND place high in the general classification.  Never happy is she? 

I really shouldn’t be writing this.  Vicki got back to her “home” a couple of hours after the race so again has internetaccess… but I thought I should finish the Giro off for completeness.  As one of our friends once said, if I don’t tell you how well Vicki is going you’d never find out… Vicki certainly wouldn’t say.

Fritz, aka ‘The Wicked Sausage’

Now that Vicki is back she will take up the reigns again.  I’ll bug her to put a post up soon.

So it’s goodbye from me (and Fritz) until the next big stage race.

God bless,
Dave

What a nasty stage!!  As spectators we always look forward to when the big races (the Tour de France, the Vuelta a Espana, the Giro Donne) hit the mountains.  That’s where we get to see pain and suffering.  Where dreams are made and shattered.  We can indulge our (slightly) sadistic natures.  The first time the Tour de France went over an alpine pass one rider called the race director an assassin.  This is remembered not as an insult to the director (as it was meant to be) but as a badge of honour for the guy who came up with the idea of hurting people for our entertainment.  (OK, the Romans were there long before us with the gladiatorial games but who ever listened in history lessons at school anyway?)

Some how I don’t think many riders look forward to the mountains in quite the same manner as we do.  Some revel in them, the rest just try to survive.  I’ve put the stage’s profile below… as I said, nasty.

Vicki found the going tough today.  She said that she “felt pretty cooked” as they started the first 13km climb of the day.  That said, she did pretty well, finishing 44th in a group that contained the likes of Oenone Wood and Mirjam Melchers Van Poppel.  Once again Vicki has moved to the low thirties (32nd) on GC.  Seems she kind of likes that position.

Tomorrow the Giro leaves the hills behind with a 118km stage that starts with a small climb and then does a loop around Desio seven times.  It is likely to be a day for the sprinters as long as their teams have survived the mountains well enough to be able to control the breaks.

God bless,
Dave

It was back to the mountains today.  One of the troubles with going up is that you often have to come down again.  This can be a scary experience when you are surrounded by other riders and motorbikes and cars and spectators and so on.  Wet roads most certainly do not help!

When I talked to Vicki this morning I think the thing she was most happy with on last night’s stage was that she stayed upright and safe through the day.  “Touritis” is starting to set in… and it didn’t help that it was pouring with rain when the Australian team arrived at the start.  It fined up before the actual start itself but then rained on and off through out the stage and the roads remained wet all day.

The bunch of 115 riders was blown apart by the climbs but more so by the descents.  A number of attacks which proved to be significant to the stage placings occurred on the slick roads coming off the climbs.  Vicki rode well and finished with a small group in 31st place.  She has dropped two places to 29th on GC.

Vicki will probably yell at me for doing this…  ;-)  …but there is some footage on the Giro website of the podium ceremony following her win in the time trial: check it out.

Tomorrow is a nasty, nasty day!  It is a “short” stage, covering only 83km from Macherio to Montevecchia.  But what an 83km they are!  In the last 40km there is a category 2 climb, then a category one climb, then another category two climb and then, in case that wasn’t enough the girls will finish with a 3.8km category one climb that averages 5.3%.  Not all that bad you say… until you realise that it has pinches of up to 20% in it. Scary!!

Until tomorrow…
Dave

Hi.

As promised here are some more details of Vicki’s win in the stage 5 time trial… actually why not read the report on cyclingnews.com?  It gives more detail than I could.  There is also now a news story on Vicki’s web site.

The win has moved Vicki up into 27th in the overall standings, 10 minutes 6 seconds behind the leader.

Love the helmet!

Tonight the Grio returns to the hills, with two category 1 climbs in the 113km from Cardano al Campo to Laveno Mombello.  This stage is practically in Vicki’s back yard and she has ridden most of the course in training.  Won’t make the climbs hurt any less but at least she knows what she is in for.  Or maybe that’s not such a good thing!?

Until tomorrow,
Dave

Well, she’s done it again – Vicki has won the 5th stage of the Giro!!!  This was a 9.3km individual time trial on a flat, technical course.  I’ve just spoken to her and as you would expect she is pretty stoked.  I was most upset when she told me she had to go as the award ceremony was about to start.  The girl has her priorities all wrong!

I will put more details up as they become available.
Dave

Well Vicki got her wish last night… hills.  After a couple of flat circuits the peleton headed for the climbs.  I’ve put the profile below.  The first climb was 7km long with an average gradient of 8%, the second 11km of 6%.  I have to say that I wouldn’t like to be racing over this course!

I said yesterday that the 4th stage would shake up the GC and it did… well for everyone except Vicki.  She must have read what I wrote and decided to be contrary.    Vicki woke up a bit under the weather which is not really what you want on a day like this.  Still, she got a pretty good result: 32nd at 10 minutes, 31 seconds.  The bunch was really broken up by the two climbs.  Deciding that she liked her GC position, Vicki only moved a couple of places to 31st.

Tonight’s stage is a flat 9.3km time trial.  Vicki is hoping to do well… it all depends on how she is feeling and how she pulls up after last night.  We can but hope.

My apologies for any typos.  I am typing this one handed, and with my left hand at that, as I have Fritz (aka “the wicked sausage”) our mini dachshund curled up in a ball on my lap.  He has managed to get my right hand all wrapped up and he looks too cozy to move.  All together… awwwww.

God bless,
Dave

Did I look at the results from the wrong stage?  After double checking I find that no I didn’t, it’s just that it was another bunch sprint with Ina taking the win again!  The stage was faster this time with the bunch averaging 42.6 kph over the 122km.

Vicki came in with the front bunch in 41st place.  She moves down another place to 37th overall.  In her text Vicki described the stage as “another chatting day”.  On the days where nothing much is happening the girls catch up on their socialising, moving around the bunch talking to people that they may not have seen for some months depending on their different race schedules.

Tonight Vicki will get her wish for some hills.  There is a category 1 climb 60km into the 106km race and then the stage finishes on a category 2 climb to Monte Serra.  There will be big changes to the general classification (overall positions) tonight.

God bless.
David

Good morning.

Stage 2 has been run and won.  Once again it was a day for the sprinters and once again Ina Teutenberg took the win.  Vicki finished safely in 52nd place with the bunch and moves down one place to 36th overall.  How so?  Well there are time bonuses for the intermediate sprints and top few positions at the finish – someone below Vicki got a couple of seconds and leap-frogged over her.

Vicki’s brief report after the stage was:  “Little bit faster today but not by much!  Believe it or not I am actually wishing for climbs!”  I will remind her of that later in the week when they hit climbs as steep as 20%. 

Tonight is Stage 3: 122km from Santa Maria Maddalena to Altedo.  Though the total hight difference is larger than last night, Vicki’s wished for climbs won’t appear in this stage.  The highest point is only 11 meters above the lowest point.

Until tomorrow,
Dave

Hi all.

I apologise for the delay in getting this post up – once again the stage results are slow in appearing on the web.  They aren’t actually up yet but I’ve given up waiting…

The first stage was 131km long, going from Asola in the Lombardia region to Lendinara in the Veneto region, passing to the south of Verona.  It was flat as flat could be, hot and windy.  Vicki finished safely.  I don’t know what position she crossed the line in but I can tell you that it wasn’t in the top ten.  (The results are available down to tenth.)  In the text she sent me Vicki described the stage as “very boring”.  I guess she must be right: Ina Teutenberg was quoted as describing it as “little bit of a boring race” in an interview with cyclingnews.com… and she won the stage!!

Tonight Vicki will race stage 2.  It’s 122km long, even flatter that stage 1 (it has a height variation of only a meter over the whole 122km!?) and runs from Ca Tiepolo to Rosolina Mare on the coast.  It will be another case of sitting in and keeping out of trouble.

God bless.
Dave

Late addition:  the results are finally up – Vicki came in with the bunch in 56th place.  This means that she still sits in 35th place overall.

Hello all.

Once again I get to write posts while Vicki races – around Italy this time.  Anyone interested in the race route and profile should check out the official website of the Giro.  It is in Italian but pretty easy to navigate around if, like me, you are linguistically challenged.

My apologies for not getting the results of the Prologue up earlier.  I have two excuses: that the full results were slow getting up on the web and also that I was driving the lead vehicle for the Women’s grade in the Canberra Junior and Women’s Tour.  Vicki might be overseas racing but I still don’t get away from being a ‘soccer mum’.  It is a very different experience when you don’t actually have someone in the field who you are barracking for.  Mind you I was certainly cheering Narelle on when she went for a solo break.  Almost made it stick too!  Way to go Narelle!!

Anyway, last night Vicki raced the prologue for the Giro.  It was all of 1.9km and flat as a tack, held in Mantova in the evening.  I haven’t had a chance to talk to Vicki but I am betting she didn’t sleep well afterwards – she never does after efforts that are at night.  She did well, finishing 35th (of 122 starters) six seconds slower than the winner, Mirjam Melchers Van Poppel.

Tonight is the first stage: 131.5km from Asola to Lendinara.  It’s a flat stage so Vicki will pretty much try to stay out of trouble and not lose any time to the major contenders.

God bless.
David