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1997 Results
Stage 1 - Boise Time Trial, 2.8 kms hill climb Profiling the Australian riders1992 Olympic gold medalist Kathy Watt and 1996 International Women’s Challenge Champion Anna Wilson highlight a contingent of Australian cyclists who will compete in the 1998 International Women’s Challenge, June 16 - 21, in Boise, Idaho.Consisting of six stages, the 15th International Women’s Challenge is regarded as the toughest cycling event for women in the world. Cyclists will race 444 kms in six days for a prize list totaling $US100,000. Australian competitors include: Kathy Watt, Patterson, Victoria - Watt, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist, 1994 Commonwealth Games champion and multi-national champion, has won three stages in previous editions of the International Women’s Challenge. Watt will be racing for the Texas Premier Cycling Team. Jane Despas, Sydney - An international marketing director who holds an MBA, Despas is also a world-class runner, duathlete and triathlete. She finished second at both the New Zealand and Alabama triathlons last year, and is a former national long course duathlon champion. Despas will compete in her first International Women’s Challenge for the Staples Cycling Team. Anna Wilson, South Blackburn, Victoria - Wilson, the reigning National Time Trial Champion and Hour Record holder, became Australia’s first and only International Women’s Challenge winner in 1996. In 1998, Wilson finished second in the Tour de Snowy and New Zealand’s Street Skills Classic. An Australian National Team member, Wilson has successfully balanced her law career with an international cycling program. She foresees the climbs up Idaho’s infamous 8700-foot Galena Summit as the biggest obstacle in this year’s event. "It’s going to be a really tough stage that may decide the race." Elizabeth Tadich, Shepparton - Racing for the Australian National Team, Tadich won the silver medal at the 1997 World Championships in San Sebastian, Spain. Last March, Tadich finished third at the inaugural UCI 1998 Women’s World Cup event in Sydney. Juanita Feldham, Brisbane - Feldham, a veterinarian working on her master’s degree, won a stage of the 1997 Tour de France Feminin. Tracey Gaudry, Canberra - When not cycling, Gaudry works as a statistician, where she has conducted university lectures and performed work for the Australian Defence Department. A 1996 Olympian, Gaudry will join Feldham, Wilson and Tadich to represent the Australian National Team at the International Women’s Challenge. Karen Barrow, Melbourne - Barrow is an accomplished track cyclist who will join Canberra’s Kim Palmer to race for the Bob’s Bikes Cycling Team. These cyclists will join a record international field of 140 competitors, including Olympic gold medalists Jeannie Longo (France) Petra Rossner (Germany), and Zulfia Zabirova (Russia); 1997 World Champion Alessandra Cappellotto (Italy), and former race champions Dede Demet (USA), Clara Hughes (Canada) and Rasa Polikeviciute (Lithuania). |