Unfortunately the house I usually stay in was full for this week so we opted to stay in Oudenaarde closer to most of the races being run that week and our luxury accommodation – a trekkers cabin by a lake in a campsite. If you’ve never seen one they’re basically an oversized shed with bunk beds and if you’re lucky (which we were) a fridge and hob. Apparently, so I’ve been told, this is glamping?! Although it didn’t feel so glam on the first night when I had to steal a roll of toilet paper from a restaurant as the campsite didn’t even provide that!Our first race was in Erondegem and a round of a Flanders Cup series of racing (If my translations skills are to be believed). It was being held over 107km with 4 laps of 15km and 5 laps of 9km and as I stood on the start line I was really excited. I love racing in Belgium and couldn’t wait to get going. The circuit certainly wasn’t hilly but it was more than rolling and I really liked the first set of laps which took in some twisting, technical farm lanes and an industrial estate. From the outset there were repeated attacks and I got involved up at the front of the race keen to get away in a break. Within a couple of laps two girls managed to get a sizeable gap and soon disappeared from view with their team mates helping to control the pace. This didn’t deter the rest of the riders and it continued to be a fast race with girls trying to get away, myself included. Although I was in the bunch it felt like I was having a good race and thought surely soon another attack would have to stick, that is until for the first time ever in a race I punctured! I’m pretty lucky to have escaped it this long but as my bike clattered across a huge hole in the ground I knew I would end up with a flat and I just prayed it would hold out as I went round the tight right hand bend straight afterwards. Holes in the road seem to be par for the course in Belgium and a race doesn’t seem complete without those and piles of gravel littering the roads (although I did see a lady scraping a dead hedgehog off a course with her shoe once, so perhaps not all hazards are acceptable). Riding shoulder to shoulder in the bunch it’s often impossible to miss going into holes and this unfortunately was one such occasion. I was gutted but also quite excited to then get a new wheel from the yellow Mavic service vehicle. They don’t usually turn up! It was then a case of getting in as close as I possibly could behind the car to chase back on to the bunch, a gap that was larger than I would have liked as it seemed to take a while to get the new wheel on. In a strange way I actually quite enjoyed motor pacing along the roads like this. I didn’t dare look at my speedo as there was no way I was taking my eyes off the car in front but it felt pretty nippy.
As we came into the farm lanes and upon the Commisaire’s car I was left to fend for myself to catch up the bunch and eventually met them as we took a new road on the first of the shorter loops and I found myself face to face with an unexpected cobbled climb. In truth, the shorter loops didn’t feel any shorter especially with the addition of the climb which zapped the energy from your legs despite being less than 100m in length. As we continued on the race all I could think was that I had caught the bunch up so what was stopping me doing the same but off the front? Why not gain the time at the head of the race rather than at the tail end? With two laps to go I put some power down up the hill near the finish to test out the water and continued through till we had crossed the start/finish line, looking back a number of times I was largely left dangling by myself and it didn’t seem like anyone was going to chase too much. Annoyed that I hadn’t made that a committed attack I decided to go for it again further into the loop where there was more chance of me hiding round friendly bends and corners. I quickly made up a decent gap and as time went on I began to extend it. I don’t like looking over my shoulder as I would rather just keep my head down regardless as I don’t want to feel like the attack is unachievable but it’s difficult to avoid. I saw one other girl attempt to bridge over to me unsuccessfully and then the bunch disappeared from view. I knew I must have made up some time when a service motorbike came from the bunch to follow me, although I had no idea how far in front the leading girls where.
So a 20km time trial panned out in front of me and I was dreading the bunch finding me before the finish. There were quite a few people out to watch and as I crossed the finish line a spectator asked to take my photo and told me I had come in third. I couldn’t quite believe it but unfortunately the tale doesn’t end quite as happily as I quickly learnt that while I was out the back having my puncture five other girls had gone off the front and made up a winning break of seven meaning my solo effort only actually secured me 8th place. The peril of having no team, team mates or race radio to tell you such things and my own fault really for presuming that the race had continued without incident while I’d not been a part of it. Certainly a lesson to take forward for next time but I’m still really glad I attacked and made it stick on my own especially as I made up a minute and a half on the bunch in the last 20km. The winner was Grace Verbeke (Lotto Ladies Team)who also won the Ladies Tour of Flanders earlier this year and is leading the series overall.
Some pictures here
http://www.cyclingnews.nu/Wielertrofee%202010/Erondegem06-08-2010.htm#16de
and here
http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=17408
And results here
http://www.cyclingnews.nu/uitslagen/2010/Erondegem06-08-2010.pdf
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