AUGUST 21, 2010
While it is mostly just criteriums left in the US in August, the road season is still in full swing across the pond. Erinne and Joelle are based in Belgium for a month of racing with the Canadian National Team. Dave, our Webcor mechanic, is there with the Canadian team as well. Erinne continues the good form she showed in Cascade with her first top 10 placing in a European World Cup race.
Erinne and Joelle on the front:
Photo: © Fabrice Lambert
Joelle on the attack:
Photo: © CJ Farquharson/WomensCycling.net
Here is Erinne’s Report:
After Cascade I came over here to Europe with the Canadian National Team. We now have a base in Belgium where everything is kept and where we come ‘home’ between races. This works very well logistically, other than the long drives to France, the constant rain in Belgium and the flies.
We have 3 Webcor team members over here on the trip. Myself, Joelle and Dave is working as mechanic for us Canucks (and of course Dave is loving the Belgium beer).
This past weekend we raced the Plouay World Cup in France. Even though it was the World Cup finale for everyone else, it was our first World Cup of the year. Marianne Vos was leading the series with Emma Johanson not far behind. We knew those two riders would be watching each other very closely while the Cervelo Team and Columbia had strong teams that would be wanting a win. The Plouay course is very difficult with three hard climbs and very narrow roads for most of the way around. We did six laps. I knew my form was good and once I found out that Canada had an invite to this race, I made it a point to focus on this project.
The race of course started as fast as any World Cup. Cervelo was the main aggressor. They were launching attacks from the beginning and eventually got two teammates up the road together, Elizabeth Armistead and Sharon Laws. This was not a good situation for anyone else and Columbia was continually trying to bridge someone up. At the beginning of lap 3, which is normally very early for the leaders to start attacking, the four leaders got away. After the start finish/line their teams strung out the field and launched Judith Ardt, Emma Pooley, Marianne Vos and Emma Johanson in the first steep and very narrow climb. I was sitting about 10-15th position which is not too bad, but I think I was still in conservation mode because it was sooo early in the race. Unfortunately, when they went their teammates then all sat up and gapped the field. Once I realized they were away, they were already gone...very frustrating.
Anyhow, after a bit of a flat section, there is a descent and here Joelle went to the front and lead me into the next climb where I tried to bridge to the break. I got an immediate gap and the break was still only 30 seconds but then Evelyn Stevens chased me down and I didn’t make it across. There were a bunch of counter attacks and I was trying to go with everything. We then hit the highway climb and this is when the Fenixis rider attacked with Evelyn now on her wheel (I wish Evelyn could have been on my wheel instead of chasing me down!). After trying to be in every break for the past 10km, I now didn’t have the jump to close this gap across the flat windy section.
I was in the main peloton and most people were now happy, so the pace slowed way down, Cervelo was controlling stuff and the break started gaining lots of time. I decided that my best shot was to now wait until the last lap and try one last attempt to get away. On the final climb to the finish someone attacked and I just followed wheels until I countered over the top. I got away with a Safi Pasta girl and we worked together until the end. Cervelo was chasing as they wanted a sprint in order to gain as many points as possible for the WC team overall. Luckily, we stayed away and I out-sprinted my breakaway partner for 8th place. Emma Pooley attacked the break and won the race solo, and Marianne Vos won the World Cup series overall.
We had pizza waiting for us after the race and then a 8.5 hour drive back to Belgium immediately after. It was a long day at work.
Thanks, Erinne
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