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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.
7th Ster van Walcheren - NE, Netherlands, June 17-19, 2004
Insanity prevails
I raced this tour three years ago, one of the first races I did in Europe in 2001. Three days, starting with two late night stages (7pm starts), both over 100kms of racing, so you finish around 10pm, and then a time trial and afternoon stage on the final day.
We had seven riders for the Bik team:
- Viginie Moinard from France, a good sprinter and in 2003 she was the under-23 European time trial champion;
- Corine Hierckens, one of the best Belgian riders, a talented climber and in good form having raced well in Tour de L'Aude recently;
- Danielle Bekkering, riding strongly after fifth place in a Dutch classic last week;
- Evelien Bekkering, the younger of the two sisters, and an experienced rider;
- Corine Dorland, one of the best Dutch mountain bike riders, raced in Sydney Olympics;
- Elisabet Chantzi, a Greek (and Danish!) rider racing her first full season in the Netherlands; and,
- Me. Keen to win a stage of the Walcheren - and the accompanying bet that would mean our DS gives up smoking!
The staff for the team include Rinus (DS) and Arie (coordinating everything), and our masseur Henk Sentse (a former Air Force officer, who has worked with Coast and Bianchi and now with the top German TT3 men's team 'Lamonta') and our mechanic for this tour, another Henk (from near Rotterdam, and with amazing dedication to bike polishing!).
Stage 1 - June 17: Middelburg - Domburg, 117km
Sign on and a bit of milling around in a courtyard in Middleburg before a fast stage (average 43.8 km/h). The route was well-marshalled, but with plenty of sandy sections and narrow roads and traffic islands to be aware of - particularly as the light faded later in the evening.
Corine Hierckens (Bik) was in plenty of moves and riding aggressively. The pace seemed high, and not much chance of breaks succeeding. You never know though - when the right rider from a few teams is represented - sometimes they just sit up and let it go! We needed to make sure someone from Bik was in position to cover any big moves like that.
I attacked with 15kms to go on the dyke. The pace was kept high with three riders from the Platterland team and three from Farm Frites. It was strung out, and a moment later Angela Brodtka (Mid Limburg) attacked. I went with Vera Carrera (Platterland), and then across to Brodtka. We worked together for a bit, but it was brought back. I jumped on the next move (but had nothing to drive it). The bunch regrouped and slowed up along the small roads leading to the finish.
My effort for the sprint was not great, as I had been caught out of position with five kilometers to go on small roads. I was happy to finish safely, and knowing I am riding well, there should be more opportunities. Brodtka won the stage ahead of Debby Mansveld (Vlaanderen), and Chantal Beltman (Platterland). Beltman had won more of the critical time bonus sprints during the race, and has the leader's jersey.
Stage 2 - June 18: Middelburg - Vlissingen, 100km
A similar stage to the previous night, even racing over some of the same sections of road. The pace was high again, with teams covering attacks and seeming to be keen to keep it together for a sprint. I went with a few moves, but nothing going far. The final kilometers were chaotic and quite bizarre with girls fully hitting one another, and others running off the road edges as it narrowed. There were short, 'knee-high' wooden fence posts in the middle of the grass lining the side of the narrow path. I didn't see the carnage, but heard the scream as one rider was pushed into the grass and soon after a line of wood posts... It seemed a matter of life and death for some.
I had one opportunity to get to the front, but did not quite have enough aggression in me to make a move from there or fight through the final corners. I rolled in with the group. Debby Mansveld won the sprint, ahead of Beltman and Kirsten Wild (@Home). Chantal Beltman still leads the tour, six seconds to Debby Mansveld and Angela Brodtka, but 20 seconds ahead of most of the field. Only the time bonuses separate the GC places leading into the time trial, so the final day is where it will all happen.
Stage 3a - June 19: Kamperland - Kamperland, 14km
It was not a technical course with only a few corners, and most of them sweeping and easy. There was a fair bit of wind. There was a strong tailwind for the first half of the circuit, and then a fairly solid cross-headwind for most of the way back. I was quickly in the smallest cog, running of gears with the disc wheel running easily with the tailwind. I knew the harder section was still to come, but I felt good, and caught a couple riders, pushing harder as each of the kilometre marker came up quickly. I think I paced it well in the end, building over the 20 minutes, as dictated by the conditions becoming more difficult towards the end.
I have had a tiny bit of a sore throat over the last couple days, and after the ITT, I lost my voice! I finished eighth, which I was very happy with. I am starting to believe people who claim that you can sometimes race well when you are sick - or just about to come down with something. I think the logic is that your body starts to fight the bug or virus, and that can make you stronger (for a day or so before you are then bedridden!).
Loes Gunnewik (Platterland) won the ITT in 19:43 (average 43.5km/h), 15 seconds ahead of Kate Bates (Ton van Bemmelen) and 25 seconds to Chantal Beltman in third place.
We fueled up on pasta and salad, with a few hours to relax before the final stage.
Stage 3b - June 19: Kamperland - Renesse, 127km
Hard stage. I knew it would be, but it hurt. A lot. Swamped in the field before a critical cobble section, I had to chase back with about 10 others to what was left of the front group. It happened again at some point, but all I remember is riding hard, and knowing that you can't do it on your own. It is just too windy to close much of a gap to the group ahead alone. (I was doing big chunks of the work though.)
The key part of the race was an eight-kilometre long bridge, which can actually block the water from the sea like a dam or a lock. It was built to prevent floods in the low areas around Zeeland, when the tides and wind create destructive conditions. I was riding good position, and towards the end of the main part of the bridge, Angela Brodtka attacked. I wish I had reacted, but I chose to stay hidden from the wind. It strung out quickly, and blew to pieces. The top 15 riders, with all the key players, got away at this point and developed a two-minute lead not too long later. We chased for a while, but as the numbers in the group increased, it was fewer and fewer people rolling through. I had been top 10 on GC from the ITT a few hours earlier, but that was now disappearing up the road.
I did more than I should have, and in the final circuit there was a tough section along a dyke, about five kilometres long. The first time I saw this bit, I had been riding hard at the front, and sheltered in the echelon between turns. On the final lap, I got caught out too tired and too far back as a few teams lit it up along this section. Gaps opened up ahead that I could not close. I just needed one more person to swap off hard with me and maybe it would have been different.
A couple of riders sat on my wheel for ages and then did weak turns when I tried to get them to help chase - and then when I had given everything to reduced the gap to the small group ahead, they sprinted the 50m gap, leaving me shattered and dark, with the gap opening again in the howling wind! I finished a couple minutes behind the main group, losing lots of places on GC - 28th in the end. Disappointed and worn out, I have plenty of time to think about it as I recover from the racing and nurse my sore throat and stuffy nose. The only way to race in windy conditions in the Netherlands is aggressively - not trying to hide!
Debby Mansveld won the sprint from Brodtka and Christine Mos (Therme). Chantal Beltman won the tour ahead of her team-mate, Loes Gunnewijk (Platteland), with Katherine Bates third (Ton van Bemmelen).
Next up is a hard hilly race in Belgium in a few days... Straight after the race I thought I should not race it, recover properly from my cold, but by the next day I am already thinking it would be a good race to do. Insanity must be a critical part of my motivation!
