Photo: © Casey Gibson

Time for a change: The Kimberly Bruckner Journal 2003

Last year the 2001 US Road Champion Kimberly Bruckner left the number one ranked women's team in the US after two years with Saturn and joined the growing force that is Team T-Mobile. With her sights firmly set on the Worlds in Hamilton and the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, Kimberly's diary is sure to provide compelling reading.

• Index to all entries

Giro d'Italia Femminile, part ten: The going gets weird

Stage 9 - July 13: Mira (VE) - Venezia ITT, 24 km

Today's time trial would decide final GC and even though many positions were already set, first place overall would be decided between Edita Pucinskaite and Nicole Brandli. Only five seconds separated them. Joanne Sommariba seemed rather well set in third place overall, but fourth through thirteenth were all within similar times and could switch dramatically. T-Mobile went into the TT with Amber in ninth and me in twelfth. Fabiana Luperini was only one second behind me and would be my minute person off the ramp, so I was definitely motivated to try and catch her.

The time trial was 24 kilometers long, flat and fast, and not technical at all until the final 2km. The race promoters definitely had some Italian pull with closing the streets and autostrada down for our race. We raced from the town of Mira to the island city of Venice. There's one main highway and bridge for cars to take over the water into Venice, and they shut it down for us! And they didn't leave us just one lane - we actually had two. As I flew by all the cars that were stuck bumper to bumper on the highway in a major traffic jam due to our race, I felt just a little badly for them. It was too hot of a day to just be sitting in traffic in your car! But it was great for us. Once we crossed the bridge, we took a sharp right onto a tiny little street and weaved around for approximately 2km to the finish line. But then it got weird. We were supposed to keep 'racing' for another 2km down this narrow little footpath, up and over bridges, around and around more corners, just for the crowds. Our director had assured us at the beginning that our official time would be taken after 24km and not after the final destination at 26km. Still though, it was odd when I crossed the finish line and slowed down to just ride the rest in. I kept thinking, "What if this is being timed and I just totally ruined it for myself?" It all turned out all right though.

From the start, we had a bit of a headwind. I tried to find my comfortable yet speedy cruising gear right away and started looking for Luperini. After just a few kilometers, I could see her ahead of me and it motivated me even further. I caught and passed her around the 17km to go sign. Our other director, Jean-Paul Van Poppel, was behind me in our team car and said that when I went by Luperini, she immediately tried to jump on my wheel and catch a draft, but just couldn't quite do it. I had considered that she might be drafting behind me once I passed her but didn't even look. I didn't want to waste the energy and I already had a minute on her anyway!

I think the bridge into Venice was the toughest part for me. It was at least 4km long, if not longer, but it felt like 20 miles. I kept looking up to see if the buildings appeared as if they were getting closer, but they were not! I knew though that once I crossed the bridge, I only had two twisty kilometers to go and tried to hang on. I crossed the official finish line and then the make-believe one. I don't know any Italian except the basics - 'prego', 'grazie', 'gelati' - so I couldn't understand the announcer but I did keep hearing my name. I kept my fingers crossed that it meant good things. Finally, Herwig came over to tell me I was currently in second, which was exciting, but I knew I had 11 super-fast girls behind me, including the two battling it out for first overall. Even so, after all the girls were in, I was still in second. I couldn't believe it! But to make things tough, I learned I was out of first by only five seconds. Oh, if only I had pushed it harder over that damn bridge! Oh well, I could beat myself up forever but I'm still extremely happy with the results today. And on a flat course too. Amber finished fifth, just 12 seconds behind me, so we both moved up on overall GC. Dutch girl Loes Gunnewijk of Ondernemers Van Nature won the time trial, then me, then Joanne Sommariba. Brandli beat Pucinskaite by eight seconds or so to take the overall Giro win. Edita rode so strongly all week holding her lead. It must have been tough to lose it on the last stage like this.

Our finish line was located right next to a beautiful cathedral that Herwig told us was called The Church of Good Health or something like that. How appropriate for our final stage of the Giro! Now if we hurry back to our hotel, we'll be just in time for the men's Tour coverage. I'm pulling for Tyler myself. And then it's out on the town of Venice tonight with the team. Time for some Italian wine and no pasta!

Tomorrow Amber, Mari, and Kim are leaving our little group and heading home. Stacey, Dotsie, Kristin and I will act like tourists in Venice for a few days, then head to Verona to check out the site of the 2004 World Championships, and then meet up with Dede in Germany for the start of the six- day Thuringen Rundfahrt.

Until then!
Kim

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