GEELONG WORLD CUP

I slept for over 9hours last night, and although it was restless, I told myself it was a good sign that I wasn’t nervous. That was a lie! There was expectation and pressure placed on me…by me…and I didn’t want to let the team down. Starting today was our full team with me, Bird, Josie, Spratt, Tiff (pictured from L-R) and Carla. We rolled down to sign-on with oiled legs and race radios at the ready, prepared for 8 laps of a 15km circuit. The course could be made difficult by the one climb, gusty wind, or any of the 90 girls wanting to steal a victory. If the first lap was any indication of how the race would unfold, it was going to be a very hard day! Cervelo-Lifeforce (RLT) were aggressive and it took all of our man power to cover their girls. The opening lap had many eager as they went to cut the right-hand roundabout into the finish. Unfortunately for Karin Thurig (RLT), she missed the sight of a white post. I’m pretty sure, as her bike and body spun 360 degrees, that we had all learnt our lesson!

The first break went clear with Spratt making her presence, and despite every team being represented with more than 10 girls, team High Road decided to bring it back. As the half-way mark neared we were all caught off guard by an attack through the feed that saw Emma Rickards (RLT) and Christine Thorburn (WBC) form the winning break. As the time gap increased, the pressure was mounting on the shoulders of team High Road to chase back the stage win. By the time they made a decision, it was too late, and it became obvious they had spent some of their cookies too early. Just for a change it was Josie who punctured today, with Bird being an early domestique before retiring. The remaining girls finished safely in the lead bunch. Personally, I had a bad day in the saddle. My legs felt heavy, I suffered over the climb, a Chinese rider threw a banana peel at me, and I obtained a blood blister on my lower lip after smacking it on the handlebars! However, I still managed 12th, before treating myself again to that 600g steak! =)

Results: Geelong World Cup, Geelong - Road Race, 118kms