Tour de Féminin (UCI 2.2) was made up of five stages, including a time trial, that stretched over four days. As we were warned the stages were considerably lumpy – the race profiles frightening enough just to look at. With all the racing based around Krasna Lipa, taking us through the Czech countryside alongside the german border.
With unfortunate meetings with the tarmac in previous races we, MGH, had lost two of our team members to injury; Jenna concussed and Alicia with a broken hand. So, for Czech, we were Five: Emma, Connie, Libby, Alana and I. With Alicia still joining us for a helping hand (one of her hands) as she committed to a superb soigneur job for the week. Also joining the team for Tour de Fem were Dirk, Lieve and Matias, our superhuman step in support team; manager, soigneur and mechanic, for the week – if it wasn’t for the bad to back days of potato soup, dodgy water and thunderstorms, this week might have been a dream with this crew by our sides !
Whilst the rough terrain and accumulated elevation gain, suggested the 4 days of racing were going to be pretty hard; the first and longest stage of the tour very much proved that perhaps the amount of rolling hills was vast, but wasn’t quite enough to split the peloton dramatically. So rather we saw the bunch come into the technical finish of stage one in Vaansdorf, only downsized very slightly from its initial 170 starters. All MGH riders, bar one, rolling in with the pack – with myself and Connie comfortably in the front 30 riders, both not quite nailing the exceedingly technical finish in order to mix it up with the front end of the bunch gallop. As our fifth rider, Libby, having kicked off to a cracking start at the lead end of the peloton, hit the deck early on in the race through one of the (many) notoriously dodgy roundabouts, which saw her chasing for the reminder of the race with an unusually swollen knee and stuck in her big ring as her DI2 clearly took some brunt in her meeting with the road. Which, due to the injuries Libby sustained, meant we quickly suffered, reducing to a team of 4 after only day one.
Then came the rain (and thunder!), that hung around for the remaining three days of the tour. The fierce weather and sopping roads adding a whole new element to the racing, with technical descents and the many off camber roundabouts making for some treacherous and bar gripping moments in the peloton – Czech definitely not holding back in reminding us kiwis how to ‘just send it’. Though, when on the road and very much upright, we kept our heads on the racing at hand. Throughout the second stage I kept up my hunt for Qom points and jumped on any opportunity to gain some time; picking up some sprint points and bonus time even, where I drove in an escape over the top of the Qom hill each lap. Regrettably, however, we watched the stage win ride up the road as Brodie Chapman countered a later break, where the peloton seemed to let her ease away; clearly not acknowledging the real threat of the Aussie. So as Tibco rider, Brodie, celebrated a cheeky lot of time, to aid her through the next two days and move her into yellow, the remaining of the peloton railed around the finish circuit, naturally not without a few crashes, to come in for another bunch finish. Again, myself and Connie mixing it up at front but not quite stealing the stage result to write home about.
The double day was next; kicking off with a hilly TT in the morning and a shorter 70km road stage in the afternoon – all accompanied by a good dosage of rain of course. As if a double day in the wet wasn’t enough, Czech threw in further obstacles as myself and Alana both kicked off the day with unusually unsettled stomachs and illness – where we had clearly consumed a fair bit too much of the tasty rust riddled Czech water running from the taps of our hotel.
The punchy 14.8km time trial probably went something along the lines of.. ouch, ouch and ouch for the four of us – as most time trials do. All of us, coming away with respectable times, with the stage contributing to a considerable shake up in the GC standings.
The 70km stage in the afternoon entailed the same TT climb(s) and a zesty cobbled finish, though aspects most threatening to the peloton today were less so the course and the force of leading teams, but more so the weather and apparently staying upright on the road-turned river situation at hand. All the while with thunder and lightning roaring in the background too ! This is where we could appreciate that the stage was only, a shorter 70km. Again, making it the finish in one piece, Connie and I stuck together in the last kms – with Connie doing her best to keep me well protected into the hectic finale. Setting ourselves up as well we could into the tricky finish where I crossed the line 14th and Connie in 22nd.
Being a wee way out of GC contention, after a not particularly eventful first few days, I went in to the final stage hungry for a result, with the hilliest day yet on the menu. Shortly into the 90km stage the peloton quickly started to splinter as we snaked our way along a thin winding road through the national park, where the peloton stretched into one big line as the pace went on at the front of the race. A couple of the MGH girls, along with a large chunk of the peloton felt the brunt of this pressure as riders continually lost contact with the leading group. I kept my nose tucked at the front end of the race, setting myself up nicely for the first notable climb and Qom of the day; where on fresh feeling legs I took the opportunity to put in a worthy dig, pulling away from the splintering peloton over the top and continuing my move into the fast descent. With the peloton quickly out of sight and a only four riders stringing out behind me, I committed to the effort seeing this as a potentially decisive move of five. Though, with a good 60km of the race to go, it was going to be a big ask, and where, in our group of five, we carried Brodie Chapman who sat in the highly contending position of second on GC – the pace that we were pushing wasn’t going to be quite enough to hold off the hungry yellow jersey wearer and the strong force of High-tech products team back in the peloton. So after a good 25km remaining hopeful, with the head down, and well out of sight of the chase behind – gaining up to 2minutes at some points, the peloton rejoined us half way up the second Qom climb of the day. Regretfully, I think this is where I lost the race, as in perhaps feeling a bit too fresh after my stint in the breakaway, and not allowing myself any recovery, I chose to go again. Apparently Brodie Chapman had the same notion as she too encompassed the ‘bright idea’ of hurting the legs once more half way up the second and longest climb of the day. Though, in serving us right for this somewhat absurd thinking, Yellow jersey wearer only countered our move – wearing fresh legs. Meaning neither of us could bounce back quite quick enough to follow the select group that pulled away with just enough hill left to crest the Qom with a somewhat threatening gap. The remaining of the race seemed to be an almost two man chase, as myself and Tibco rider seemed to be the only ones interested in bringing the escape group back. Being unsuccessful in my attempts, to bridge, chase, you name it; I took no end to kicking myself for that silly mistake, and came away from the final stage of Tour de Feminine more than disappointed with my result. Connie having another solid day coming in with the 3rd group back, but not without having a wee meeting with the ditch and a head first into a power pole shortly before the finish line. Alana and Emma also coming in strong, and all, once again, drenched in rain to finish off the four days of racing.
Final Results:
Emma: 103rd General classification
Niamh: 26th General Classification, 7th Youth classification, 5th QOM
Connie: 44th General classification, 19th Youth classification
Alana: 92nd General classification
Team: 12th
