STAGE 1 CANB: KOWALSKI TOUR

Three stages in three days. We predicted pain and rain, and surprisingly we received none of the latter on our first day. It began with buffet breakfast and finished with buffet dinner… that all sounds rather pleasant until we mention the 15.5km Individual Time Trial. To put it simply, I had a shocker. With little equipment and little form I was caught by the winner in Vicki Whitelaw a mere 4kms in, I hardly managed 20th!!

Kate had been to see a doctor the week prior and acquired a prescription for antibiotics. She decided to do a hit out in the Time Trial and pulled up poorly; however, she still thrashed me in 16th, and decided to give the tour a miss catching up on some much needed sleep. In the meantime Bel was showing promise and almost ran a top 10. Ruth was placed second of the ‘Perform Group’ girls, decked out with a time trial bike and disc wheel she surprised even herself for GC contention, finishing 8th, 1:12mins off the podium. Our star of the day Lou, rooming with the sick one, put in a blinder of a ride to claim third. Outclassing Kathy Watt by half a second she’s proved that some serious training since China has put her in good stead for France.

Results: Kowalski Tour, Stage 1, Individual Time Trial, 15.5kms