BC Superweek - 2004

The Tour de Delta is an omnium tour, meaning that points are awarded based on how you place in each stage. The omnium winner is the rider who accumulates most points over the 3 stages. Stage 1 was a hill climb that ascended about 600m and then after a sharp left bend had a 200m flat section to the finish. This used to be an individual event but the organisers changed the rules and 2 riders started side by side every 30 seconds and were able to draft off one another. I was paired up with Sara Neil (Trek) who I had never heard of but later found out she was a former Canadian Olympian and was retiring from cycling after this tour. I crested the hill ahead of Neil and thought I had a good gap on her as I sprinted to the line. I saw her shade and then her front wheel with about 10m to go. We both hit the line together but the results concluded that she beat me by 0.08 of a second - about the width of a human hair. Amy Moore (Quark) also beat me by 0.04 of a second. So after stage 1, the omnium was Neil 11 points, Moore 9 points and me, 8 points. Stage 2 was a 30km criterium around the tiny township of Ladner in the south of Vancouver. Team mate Willy and I were outnumbered by 4 Quark riders and couldn't ride the aggressive race we wanted to. Willy had her work cut out for her, chasing and bringing back any breaks that we weren't in, while I tried to conserve for a predicted bunch kick. On bell lap, Manon Jutras (Quark) who is heading to the Athens Olympics, drove it hard for her team mate Sarah Uhl while I sat patiently on Uhl's wheel. On the back straight Leah Goldstein (Trek) attacked but Uhl and I jumped straight on her. After the final corner, Uhl and I both jumped together but Uhl, a former junior world sprint champion got me by a wheel at the line. The omnium after stage two was Uhl 19 points, Neil 19 points and me, 18 points. It was going to be an interesting day tomorrow to see who would take out the Tour de Delta. Stage 3 was an 85km circuit race consisting of 11 laps of a course that had an 800m steep climb. Moore (Quark) spent 4 laps off the front alone until Leah Goldstein (Trek), Willy and I brought it back. After catching Moore, Willy and I were constantly chasing Quark and I wished we'd had another team mate to contend with their 4 riders. During the final 5 times over the climb, my quads locked up with cramps but I climbed seated and stayed with the front group On the final lap, 6 of us got over the climb together and without Uhl (Quark). However, seconds later, the men's commissaire neutralised us to allow the pro men to pass us. We were neutralised for nearly 3km, which gave Uhl plenty of time to chase back on and rest for the sprint. Quark set up a lead out for Uhl with me fighting hard for her wheel. I took the final corner too fast and nearly wiped myself out. I braked to avoid the barrier and then had to sprint across a 15m gap I had opened up to Uhl. With 200m to go I tried to come around Uhl but she held me off to win both the stage and the Delta omnium. Neil also came off my wheel in the final few metres, which left me 3rd in both the stage and omnium. I had really hoped to win this tour and admit to feeling disappointed afterwards. I also wondered what the outcome could have been, if we hadn't been neutralised in the final 6km but we'll never know - I guess that's racing.

Gastown Criterium

21 July 2004

The Gastown criterium was held in down town Vancouver with over 20,000 spectators lining the circuit. The tight corners, cobble stoned sections and gradual climb to the finish line made this a challenging course. Typically I do well in these criteriums, however tonight my legs felt like heavy bricks and I had no energy at all. My sprint was lethargic and I suffered through the entire 30 laps of racing. There was never a moment that I felt good and I wondered if I was either sick or just needed a day off. There were 8 intermediate sprints throughout the criterium, each worth $200 but I didn't have the legs to win any of these. Willy my team mate worked hard to chase down break away attempts. With 3 laps to go, Manon Jutras (Quark) launched solo off the front and we didn't react fast enough to shut it down. Once her gap extended to 200m the peloton started to think about racing for 2nd place and no-one wanted to waste energy chasing. On the final corner, I didn't fight hard enough to maintain my position, was pushed wide and came into the final straight in 15th wheel, eliminating any chance of a podium result. With self-annoyance, I sprinted anyway and finished 7th. Afterwards, as I spun the legs a bit on the trainer I decided I needed a few easy days to revitalise the batteries and tune up for the Tour de White Rock.

Tour de White Rock

23-24 July 2004

Stage 1 was a 900m hillclimb with gradients of up to 18%. It was a short tough stage that killed the legs and lungs. My tactic was to climb seated for the first half and then stand and nail it over the last steeper section. I finished the climb in 2mins 15sec and took 2nd place. I was happy with my result, given it was more of a mountain goat climb than a course for a large power climber. My host family was also pleased as they found a vase for my 4th bunch of podium flowers, with the lounge starting to resemble a florist. Stage 2 was a hilly criterium that I loved. My legs felt awesome and Willy and I started attacking from lap 2. I launched an attack and strung out the field. I drove it hard for two laps and then eased slightly to let Willy counter my move. The field watched her ride away and she did an awesome job to ride tempo over the next 20 laps, maintaining a 15 second lead. I had fun sitting on any rider who tried to escape the peloton but eventually Willy was caught with 5 laps to go. I felt confident I could have won the sprint but for some reason I decided to attack with a full lap to go. With 200m to go I looked back and still had a gap but was caught in the final 30m and finished 5th. I was really bummed, as I knew I could have won today but was just impatient and sadly, my hosts missed out on some wonderful looking roses! I didn't race the final stage of the Tour de White Rock, but instead flew to Pittsburgh in preparation for the Tour d'Altoona. Stay tuned to hear about racing 500 miles in the humidity of Pennsylvania.