A week ago I started a long trip to France, me and Monica in my team hit the road at 10am on Monday morning and arrived at the accommodation in France on Wednesday at 3.40pm. After travelling in the car for 13 hours on Monday, 9 h on Tuesday and 7,5 h on Wednesday, maybe not the best preparation for a 4 day stage race with lots of hills!! And unfortunately I could really feel it in my legs… When you really hit the wall it always feels like this was the worst time, even though it might not be, and that is how it felt this time – like nothing else! My legs were just not them selves, I finished the race but did not feel as if I was participating in the race.
Day 1 172 girls came to the start, it was chaotic already at the line up, everyone wanted to be at the front so the startline kept moving forward. This was because the route started downhill with lots of corners just to directly hit the first hill and after that on to a narrow downhill with corners again and on to the first hill sprint!! Big bunch, narrow roads, lots of corners and just up or down – felt a bit dangerous!!
We did 4 laps on this first route before we went on to a bigger lap. On a longer hill the bunch went into pieces, we formed a first group of 30 riders and I was happy to be there since my legs felt tired. With 20km to go and at the bottom of the last hill my chain came off and got stuck so I needed to stop for service and then had to go on the cars up and down the hill. I came back to the bunch at the bottom on the other side but in the meanwhile a group of 8 girls had escaped from the bunch and they finished 48 seconds ahead of us. I managed a second place in the sprint so finished 10th on the stage.
Day 2 was the Time Trail, but not a usual one, it was narrow roads and lots of corners and some of them a bit dangerous, so not a full on TT as I like:-). But I don’t know if I could have done any better cause my legs felt empty, had no power, so my 24th place was expected… Me and Ashleigh Moolman (from Stellenbosch, South Africa) was on the same second:-). I was now on a 17th place overall.
Day 3 my legs kept hurting and somehow I managed to stay in the bunch to the finish, on pour will power! I was cramping badly at the finish but managed a 19th place in the sprint, still happy with that. Was 16th overall after this day.
Day 4 looked very much like the others, only hills!! I felt a bit better from the start but about half way the power was finished and I had a really bad day at the office… 10 k´s from the finish I had to let the bunch go, I had nothing left to give and for the first time in a very long time I really hit the wall… I was on my own for about 5k´s when some girls finally came up to me from behind and I could ride with them to the finish about 1,5 minute after the bunch. I was completely finished after and could not even roll down to our buss cause I thought I would fall off the bike, my head was spinning. When I came to the bus I cried from exhaustion and relief that it was over!!
Got a 64th on the stage and dropped down to a 23rd place overall…
Now I can only wait and see if the form will come back for Friday and Sunday when we have the world cup in Vårgårda in Sweden! The form usually comes after a deep dip, so I am looking forward to Sunday!!!
It was so nice to come back to Sweden late Monday evening after the week in France which felt very very long, our accommodation was not the best and the standard was amongst the lowest… I am now staying with Monica in my team until tomorrow when we leave for Vårgårda!
We stayed in our race coordinator Thierrys house in France one night before the race.
The team at the coast on the way to Limousin
Henriette warming up for the time trail
Alriksson GoGreen: Johanna, Monica, Jennie, Madde, Jessica, Henriette
Madde outside our accommodation
The showers provided for us after the last stage... No luxury at ladies races