This will have to be a quick one…
Stage 5 turned out to be a bit tougher than expected – those course profiles can hide an awful lot of detail.
Vicki didn’t have a great day by her standards. (Me? I’d be wrapped with Vicki’s result but then I’m happy if I can keep up with on her training rides. On her recovery training rides that is.) It was another scorcher and Vicki wasn’t able to get enough fluid during the race. This meant that she started to suffer and was unhitched over the last climb before the finish. With only a fast descent and then the climb to the finish there was no time to catch back on.
Vicki finished 27th, 2’22″ down on stage winner, and new tour leader, Marianne Vos. She drops a couple of places to 17th on GC.
Best quote of the day comes from Vicki’s team mate Nimesha Smith: “Don’t know why it’s called the laughing bunch – it’s not very funny!”
Tonight’s stage runs from Gallarate to Arcisate. It is practically in Vicki’s back yard. In fact one of the last rides I did with her before returning to sunny (and freezing cold!) Canberra went over most of the climbs of the stage. They aren’t long but there are a couple of nasty pinches thrown in. Perhaps a day for a small group to get away? Vicki has to try to recover from dehydration so I’m not sure how aggressive she will be.
Until tomorrow,
Dave