17th Hewlett Packard LaserJet International Women's Challenge - 2.9.1

USA, June 8- 18, 2000

Stage 1 - June 8: Boise - Idaho City Road Race, 69.6 mi/112.1 km

Anna Wilson's report

The Hewlett Packard tour is underway in Idaho. The tour goes for 11 days and has 11 stages. A lot of the stages aren't as long as last year but that generally makes for more aggressive racing.

The tour began with the traditional Boise to Idaho City stage - 111 km with one climb in the middle which usually isn't hard enough to split the bunch much. Every time I have raced this stage it has been a bunch sprint, or someone has won with late solo attack. However, it wasn't to be this year.

It was a very windy day and it also rained on us a little at the start of the stage. This made for tough riding conditions from the start and no one was enjoying an easy ride in the bunch. The Autotrader team were aggressive, trying to split things in the cross winds. At about the 20km mark, Pam Schuster put in a good attack which had the whole bunch strung out. Then we turned left on a wet slippery corner and quite a few people crashed. This created a gap in the field and suddenly there was a breakaway. I was in the front group, along with Pam Schuster (Autotrader), Diana Ziliute (Lithuania), Kim Smith (Timex), Ceris Gilfillan (Great Britain) and Lara Ruthven (USA). Ceris worked really hard to establish the gap and a few more riders made it across from the bunch. Ina Teutenberg (Germany) came across, and then Clara Hughes (Saturn) with Rasa Polikevicuite (Lithuania) and Megan Hughes (Great Britain).

The ten of us all worked evenly until the climb. Clara and Rasa were the main ones who drove it up the climb and then Kim Smith was told to sit on because the Timex team was really here for Mari Holden. Pam Schuster was also suffering and she started sitting on as well. So the remaining 8 of us continued to work hard. At the top of the climb we had nearly 3 minutes on the chasing bunch and the word was that the Timex team and Jeannie Longo were chasing hard.

For the remaining 40 kms Clara was awesome - she did more work than anyone else. We continued to gain time on the bunch. Kim tried to disrupt the rhythm with some attacks but we kept on working. It was a nervous last 5 kms - I was worried about the sprint with Ina and Ziliute there and Clara was trying to attack to get away solo. In the end Clara took us into the last corner at 200 to go and I came off Ina's wheel to win the sprint. That gave me the first leader's jersey of the tour. The bunch came in 3 minutes and 24 seconds behind us.

We were all pretty excited to have started the tour so well, with Clara and I both now well-placed overall and Lyne still our climbing weapon.

Tracey Gaudry's report

Over the years, the Hewlett Packard Laserjet Women's Challenge has become one of the greatest women's stage races in the world. It always attracts a top class field, due to the difficult terrain, variety of courses, the excellent race organisation and of course, a very handsome prize purse. A few small changes this year have resulted in fewer pure mountain stages, the team's time trial and a short individual time trial have been omitted and the rumors of the race including a bunch of circuit races to emulate the Olympic style of course didn't eventuate. As a result the race will be considerably more tactical than in previous years with many riders of differing strengths being GC contenders.

Historically, this stage ends up in a huge bunch sprint despite the 6km climb in the middle of the stage. The roads are so wide and the way is so fast after the descent that the bunch reforms. This year we expected things to be different, with gale force wind conditions. Almost as a 'send-off' the rain started to fall just as we set off down a windswept descent to start this 11-day race. The bunch was erratic for the first 20km while riders attempted to settle into a comfortable formation. The cross-winds made things tough.

Attacks commenced right from the start, and I knew something was going to stick before the climb. We took turns covering, and just before a sharp left turn another attack went. Kim was straight in it. I was at the front of the group and then the 6 or so riders were just up the road, with other teams trying to get across. It was messy and then as we turned left two riders slid out completely on the slick corner. The small group in front gained a ready made gap. I dodged the crashed riders and quickly slotted into the single file train that was a chase group. As a couple of other riders attempted to get across I jumped on their wheels to stop them, and then Clara Hughes and a couple of others went across. Darn! We needed to have a helper for Kim up there too.

The break now included Diana Ziliute and Jolanta Polikevicuite (Acca Due/HP) Anna Wilson and Clara Hughes (Saturn), Pam Schuster (Autotrader), Ina Teutenburg (Germany), Kim and a couple of others. The major teams were represented but there were many teams that weren't. We hoped they would chase and we could counter, they didn't. Mari and I attacked to try to get across anyhow, but were continually chased down in the ravaging winds. If we kept this up we would bring the break back, but we wanted Kim up there. We settled to keep a steady tempo for the remainder of the stage, while the HP team forcibly continued to interrupt our efforts. It was all very messy. Up in the break, all riders were working except Kim and Pam, who didn't have a teammate up there. The break finished about 3.5 minutes ahead of a depleted main field, with Anna Wilson repeating her first stage victory of last year.

Marion Clignet's report

I ended up riding today with the jersey that the race organization is selling and was told that if my jersey dosnt show by Monday I'm out which suits me fine 'cause today's plan was to lead out Vera for the hotspots and possibly Diana for the final sprint. I've been here for three days and the sun has been awesome with 30 degrees of dry heat. Today we started with a tad of rain and 13 degrees if that. I contented myself, for the beginning anyway, to sit in the back...There was a dreadful cross wind that strung things out a tad but nothing major. Besides, Miss Longo was back there too as were a few others so I figured I was just fine until 28 to 30km when I'd promptly move my arse to the front and lead Vera Hohlfeld out for the first hotspot sprint at km35.

At km 20 there was a crash on a left hand turn into an even fiercer wind. An echelon formed immediately with about 5 girls-diana Ziliute, Anna Wilson, Pam Schuster, Kim Smith, and a Brit. When the group was about 100m up the road Ina Teutenberg bridged up with another rider (another Brit I think) followed by Clara Hughes and Rasa Polikeviciute. Meanwhile, back in that turn I finally got myself in gear and came upon someone stopped in mid turn and another picking herself up. I continued on, bridged a gap then the girl in front of me sat up so I bridged another and when she sat up I continued on my merry way arguing with myself as to what other places I could be in the world at this very moment.

Finally made it to the second group after what seemed an eternity. Saw the timer who showed the lead group with a 1.38 advantage. Mari Holden launched a suicide effort of sorts with Rossner on her wheel, I followed and couldn't seem to get any closer than 2 meters to them. I bailed, the pack returned, and Mari sat up. So it was to be ....We lost four minutes eventually regaining one in the last few km which gave us a total loss of 3.12.

This morning during breakfast the local paper had a page on the women to watch. They also mentioned that Anna Wilson had already won this stage two years in a row. In France we always say theres never two without three.

Karen Kurreck's report

The HP Laserjet Women's Challenge, the biggest and richest stage race for Women in the US started today. We did the traditional Boise to Idaho City opening stage. All the top US riders are here as well as many international teams. I am racing for the US National team here with mountain bikers Gina Hall and Rene Marshman, U-23 rider Leah Toffolon and up and coming road rider Laura Ruthven.

We started at the World Center for Birds of Prey and I did indeed see a woman walking by the start with a bird of prey on her hand! A cold front moved in last night and most of us were shivering on the start line. As soon as we started to race, the rain started! Luckily it didn't last too long - just long enough to make our bikes and clothes filthy and the roads wet.

The wind was strong and the attacks started early. Nobody was getting much space though until at about mile 12-13, Pam Schuster attacked. There were 6 or 7 riders strung out on her wheel and then a small gap. I went after them and was just about to latch onto the back rider which was Leigh Hobson when we hit a turn. It looked wet and I slowed a tad and watched Leigh slide out in front of me. I went way wide and even going slow, my rear wheel slid a bit. I heard someone go down behind me. Out of the corner I accelerated to catch the break. After a bit, I looked back to see Laura on my wheel and the rest of the pack strung out behind me. I sat up and Laura came by and opened a slight gap so I sat up behind her and told her to go. Nobody reacted and she made it up to the group. At this point, I wasn't exactly sure who was in the break - many of the Europeans are wearing different jersies here.

We had turned into a strong crosswind and were bunched on the right. Clara Hughes (Saturn) and Rasa Polikevichuite (Lit) went flying by on the left. I was on Tracey Gaudry's wheel and she stood up to go after them but then hesitated and we were swarmed a bit. Clara and Rasa made it up to the break which turned out to be a critical move I should have been on. I didn't know it at the time, but Diana Ziluite (Lit) and Anna Wilson were also there. Great Britian had 2 riders, Timex had Kim Smith and Ina Teutenberg from Germany was number 10.

There was a lot of chasing and bridge attempts and we were strung out for the next 25 miles. We turned into a stiff cross headwind and this was where the break started to really pull away. There was a longish gradual climb at the halfway point, and the gap was 2 1/2 - 3 minutes by the base of climb. Jeannie Longo set tempo for most of the climb, but it wasn't really the "ride the pack off her wheel pace" I've seen before. We had a large group over the top. After the descent, other people started to realize that the gap, which was something around 4 minutes, was too big and something needed to be done.

Timex wasn't really happy with the mix in the break since only Kim was up there against 2 Lithuanians and their 2 GC riders, Mari and Tracey were in the field. They started riding tempo at the front. Schwab missed the break entirely, so some of their riders went to the front and so did I. We were fairly organized and there were quite a few of us working so it wasn't all that hard. The front group had a lot of power though and we brought the gap down a little but not too much. I haven't seen results yet, but I think the gap was something like 3 1/2 min. by the finish [yep].

Up in the break, Pam and Kim sat on the whole time, but everyone else worked. Anna WIlson won the stage with a leadout from Clara. Ziluite was 2nd, Ina was 3rd. Kim was 5th, Laura was 6th, Pam was 8th and Rasa was 9th after crashing in the last corner 200m from the line. The field probably split in half in the crosswinds so there were a lot of people losing a lot of time in the back half.

Pam Schuster's report

Sixteen out of the last seventeen years this stage has finished in field sprint. Being the first stage of eleven many teams were very reserved but when we all saw the strong cross winds at the start the race played out differently. Our plan was to ride up front and Andrea was going to go early in her famous aggressive style. After a few attempts with other joining in the rain began to pour. My teammate, Tina Mayolo wanted nothing to do with the rain so she attacked. This inspired me to do the same and after feeling pretty good even though it wasn't really the team plan I went again.

It was at this point and time that Anna Wilson, Diana Zilute, Kim Smith and 2 British riders appeared. One of the Brits attacked hard again and a substantial break had occured. Quickly Ina Teutenberg, another Brit, Rasa Polikeviciute and Clara Hughes had bridged. At this point and time I thought I had done a serious number on myself and team because last night's spicy pizza was lifting this mornings breakfast and I was clearly going in the red. Fortunately it got easier. Meanwhile back in the pack major shredding was going on as the Timex team chased hard in the crazy wind. The group of 10 riders gained 3 minutes over the next group of 50 riders who gained 12 minutes on the next group of 40 riders. 115 riders finished the stage.

Karen and Pam's reports courtesy of racereport@vcnet.com