Vicki Whitelaw

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