Tracey Gaudry

The Tracey Gaudry Diary 2000

The Local East Coast Australian Time is

• Last year's diary
• Australian road titles (January 16)
• Canberra to Cooma (February 26-27)
• Time out Down Under (March 2)
• Tour de Snowy (March 4-9)
• Canberra World Cup (March 12)
• National Individual Time Trial Championships (March 18)
• BMC Criterium & Tour of Williamette & more (April 9-20)
• The Tour of the Gila (May 3-7)
• Back to Italy: Giro del Piave, Giro del Trentino (May 14-21)
• Montreal World Cup (May 28)
• HPLJ Women's Challenge & BMC San Jose (June 8-24)
• Fitchburg Longsjo Classic (June 29-July 2)
• Giro del Cento (July 22)

Giro del Cento, 17x6km circuit race

Saturday July 22, 2000

After nearly two weeks at a National Team training camp in the Italian alps at the picturesque Livigno, it was time to think about gearing up for my final phase of racing before the Olympics. I had completed a solid fortnight's training, despite the atrocious weather during the first week. We had every bit of a Northern European winter - rain, hail, snow, more snow, more snow - but it's the middle of summer! It fined up a couple of days before we left for the day long hike back down to the Toscana region for a formal reception before heading across to Cento the next day for the race. I was weary from the training, and the extended travel didn't help one litte bit.

All the big hitters from the Italian based teams were there, and the race was bound to be aggressive, with good prize money and being on the UCI calendar. It was hotter and more humid than I had experienced anywhere yet this year. As expected the attacks went from early in the race. Anna and Alison were looking to go for the sprint primes during the race, with the rest of us covering breaks and for Juanita and myself to look for opportunities for a break later in the race. There was so much happening early that it was impossible to sit in without the risk of missing a break.

Anna was doing a good job of looking after herself for the sprints and Alison and I were pretty much going with everything that moved to make sure that no break formed without us. Though my legs were strong, I felt dizzy right from the start. I lost a bidon from my cage over the rough cobbles on the first lap and had only one bidon to last for 50km. Covering attacks and bridging across to breaks was wiping me out, but we couldn't lose control early in the race. Alison was doing a superb job and I hoped that the others would be around for a move later in the race as I knew I didn't have much left. It looked like most of the field was hurting, it being so hot and sticky.

At about 60km I started getting alternating hot sweats, followed by freezing chills. This was not good. Thankfully I could see Hayley and Sara moving up. I motioned to Anna that I had only enough left for one or two more efforts unless I got into a steady break soon, but she had already seen the state I was in, from the excessive amount of salt sweating out onto my knicks. With three laps to go, that was it - finishing the race would have done nothing but serious damage to my body, with little else to gain. As the decisive break formed with Anna safely in it, I sat up and rode a lap at snail's pace waiting for the chills to subside and the nauseas feeling in my gut to abate. The break of eight riders ended up staying away and Anna finished a very strong second behind Greta Zocca. Little Alison continued her impressive sprinting to win the field sprint to take ninth overall. A very good result to our first National Team campaign since our last block of racing.

Back in the car for the hike back to Livigno - we arrived at nearly 2 am, and needless to say I had come down with a severe head cold by the morning. Fingers crossed that I am well enough to race at Thuringen in less than two days time!

Results