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The Emma James Diary 2004
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Welcome to one of Cyclingnews' up-and-coming female talents, Australian Emma James. Emma has spent the past two years with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) team based in Italy, and in 2004, she has graduated to a full professional contract, firstly with Team S.A.T.S. and now with Bik Gios. She's a gutsy rider who's decided that she'd rather be testing the waters of professional cycling than testing the salinity of the Sydney's waterways as an environmental scientist - which used to be her previous occupation before Emma decided to take the plunge.
New colours
June 2, 2004
I am not one to jump ship, and loyalty means a great deal to me, but occasionally I guess things don't work out even with the best intentions. Most of it is hard to explain and understand, but I have had a stark reminder of how important communication is between management and employees / riders. All of this means that for the rest of 2004, I will be in the blue kit of the Dutch Bik-Gios team! Not only that, but I now have a race program, enough kit for double sessions, and a very positive feeling about the team atmosphere.
My first weekend of racing with Bik-Gios was down in Belgium over the 'Pentecost' long weekend. I drove 300 km to Hennuyeres, just south of Brussels. There was a good field of Belgian riders and about 15 Dutch riders including Mirjam Melchers and Debbie Mansfield. The circuit was quite tough with two little climbs in the 7 km lap. The Bik-Gios team had five riders with Lenie Dijkstra, Corine Hiercksens, Ludivine Henrion, Virginie Moinard and me. We raced well together, countering moves and covering attacks well. I was in a good position when Mirjam attacked about half way through the race. Debbie Mansfield jumped onto her wheel quickly and stayed with Mirjam up the climb. I was 10m off the wheel and holding the pace up the climb, but unable to close the gap and jump on. It was a good move, and I wanted to be there, but I had to close the gap quicker. You can't give classy riders that much of a head start and think you can pull it back! Over the top of the climb they flew away from me, as my rear wheel started to feel rather soft in the corners. Half a lap later it was dead flat, but close to where I could grab a spare. I got a slow wheel change with me still half clipped in and making it difficult for the mechanic. With air in the rear wheel the chase was not too bad at all, and I was back with the group a lap later. The race was up the road, with Mirjam and Debbie now two minutes ahead. I could have, would have, should have… been there.
It had been wet before the start of the race, and with a few laps to go the dark clouds had built up again and the temperature dropped and the rain dumped on us. In the last couple of laps I attacked up the climb and got a good gap with a couple other riders. We were chased back by the Dutch Junior National team. In the final lap a Vlaanderen rider got away, but the Dutch girls had not so much left for the chase. My efforts up the climb to break it up were unsuccessful. A crash in the final corner strung out the 30 riders left in the field. I rolled in about 20th, regretting not being quicker to cover the obvious key move for the day, and for not changing my old tyre that had needed replacing weeks ago. Learning slowly.
We started the search for somewhere to sleep for the night, but with the local rural guest house accommodation booked out we headed to a hotel near a slightly larger town. Luckily they had a couple rooms for us, and a beautiful restaurant for a BBQ steak - cooked at the table over a little hand turned spit with a little burner beneath! Good meat cooked to perfection, reminding me of Aussie BBQ action and Japanese style hot rock meals.
The next day was a 90km race, held in at the same time as the men's Fleche Hesbignonne / Cras Avernas. It was good to see the Cyclingnews boys, Chookman sounding cheerful before the start, and Phil Thuaux finishing in style in the small, select front group, just getting caught before the finish after a gutsy move towards the end of the race. Rory Sutherland won for Rabobank, and I proudly told everyone anywhere near me about the Aussies in the race!
In our race I was keen to know that I could cover moves by the best riders, and I was hopeful that it would be tough enough to break up the field a bit. The Bik-Gios riders raced well again, countering moves well, covering attacks and defending perfectly when one of our team was up the road. There were times when a few riders got a small gap, and I was hopeful that one of the ones I was in would stay away, but the Vlaanderen team were keen to keep it all together for Debbie Mansfield. Belgium seems to have numerous individual strong riders who cover moves rather than countering, which will always mean the racing ends in a bunch kick. I was happy with how I was riding, but it was not my day. I kept my nose in the sprint for as long as I could, but still haven't got sharp enough elbows to place well.
I stayed with my new team mate Ludivine Henrion that night, thanks to her family's hospitality, and had a wonderful Italian pizza close to where we had raced. The next day I drove through Germany on the way home, in search of a lamp base for a friend. It was an amusing expedition, a beautiful ride in the hills by the Mosel river near Gindorf and now I have a cheap, dodgy, Tiffany replica, lead light lamp to remind me of my travels!
No shortage of racing now, with a Dutch classic of 140km on the program for the next day. Just enough time to repack the car and set the alarm for an early start. With the change of colours I can now plan my racing and training! Things are looking good for the rest of the season!
