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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.
BMC Software Australian Open Road Championships, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, January 15-18, 2004
A disappointing ride
For the third year we were racing at Buninyong, not far from Ballarat in Victoria for the Australian Open Road Cycling Championships. Early season (mid-January!) and one of the most important events on the Australian Cycling Calendar. It is the only time of the year that the Aussie professional riders, who race the European season or in the US, are back home and can contest the national jersey.
It was cold for summer in Australia. The previous week in Geelong had been a shock to the system after weeks of hot weather in Sydney. My thoughts of staying hydrated were no longer so important with the priority on trying to stay warm. Must remember to bring warmer clothes when I head down this way again!
Day 1 - January 15. Elite Women/s time trial, 28 km
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The time trial for the women was on Thursday - 28 km long with a solid climb at the start. I had a plan to ride a little steadier for the climb so I could really get some speed up on the top half where it flattened out, and onto the rest of the long straight sections of the course. I was not able to pick it up at the point we had chosen. Where I should have been moving through the gears I was struggling to get a good rhythm. I had avoided the sweet drinks that sometimes make my throat a bit flemmy if made too strong or if the racing is flat out (like an ITT!). The Coke I had before the start had been too fizzy, making me burp and wishing I had just had a coffee and a more solid warm up! I found patches during the race where I rode well, but the power was not there. I was not pushing a big enough gear - focusing on staying on top of it with a high cadence - but not enough guts and vigor to drive it the way I had to.
I started just behind Kathy Watt, and ahead of Alison Wright. Watt rode the hill quite slowly but took off after that - probably riding the rest of the course faster than almost all other riders to make up time lost on the hill. I lost sight of her through the twisty section after the climb. Alison Wright had me well in her sights at the top of the climb, but didn't catch me until half way through the circuit. Oenone made most of her time on the climb - 30 seconds faster than the next best rider (about the same margin she won by).
The beautiful Cervelo ITT bike was flying over the circuit when I did efforts in the days leading up to the race. I was confident I could do a good ride, and had come to the Nationals with some form. The clock does not lie, and I was easily two minutes behind a respectable time, and four minutes off the awesome time Oenone Wood did to take the championship from Sara Carrigan (2nd) and Kathy Watt (3rd).
I will get a chance to do my ITT bike justice at the Canberra Tour prologue in early February. The bike deserves to have a good result. I could have ridden much better. A disappointing National ITT.
Day 3 - January 17: Elite Women's road race, 100 km
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A few days later we woke to the sound of rain and although the sun was trying to make an appearance, it was a wet start and a frozen feet day. The temperature was meant to get to 19, but I don't think it got anywhere near it. With a tough three kilometre climb on each 10 km lap, it is the ultimate course of attrition and makes me have very little hope in the 'mad early break' scenario. Last year, three riders attacked in the third lap and stayed away until the final assault by Olivia Gollan, who seemed to real them in easily. The women race defensively, trying to ensure they have enough to go with the moves that matter by the stronger riders on the climb. I was planning to do as little as possible in the first part of the race (just follow wheels and stay sheltered in the bunch - but in a good position to go with attacks!), and then in the final part of the race be aggressive - taking risks to really have a shot at taking the jersey. I could tell early on that I was not as comfortable on the climb as I had hoped, and felt my plan for aggression later in the race was not going to happen.
Amy Safe made a move in the third lap and got a good margin quite quickly. An attack in the feed zone on the fifth lap saw the bunch strung out up the climb, and me working through the groups to get together with a few others chasing back for the rest of that lap. The pressure had whittled the field down from about 60 starters to 20 or 30 with four laps to go. Amy was still a couple minutes up the road and making me wonder if the early break might win against the odds today. At the top of the climb in the next lap, Sara Carrigan attacked, Oenone the first to respond. I was about eighth wheel going over the last part of the climb, with it strung out and gaps appearing. I tried to pick up my speed as soon as the attack was launched, but the road is unforgiving, still dragging up beyond the top corner - I didn't have enough to stay with them.
I was with a group of six, 30 seconds behind the front group of seven who we could see just up the road. Kathy Watt, Ali Wright, Sara Symmington (UK), Jessica Ridder, Hiroko Kurami (Japan) and I chased for a lap. Watt opened up a little gap on us at the same point just at the top of the climb the next lap, reducing our group to five. I tried to attack our little group on the final time up the climb, but did not have the legs to hold them off. We sprinted for ninth place. I was hoping to go early in the sprint on the left to take advantage of the wind from the right - but I left it too late and stepped out into the wind once the others were in full flight. Not an impressive end to a race I had hoped would work out quite differently. I feel I have some strength, and I am not climbing badly, but was not in a position to do what I would have liked today. More training, more hill sprints, and better racing legs as the season warms up with the racing in Canberra and Geelong in February.
Olivia drove it up the climb in the final lap. Amy was reeled in, but managed to stay with the front group for a while. Oenone took the sprint ahead of Katie Mactier and Sara Carrigan to win her second national jersey for 2004! There is only one more jersey on offer - the National criterium championship at the first of the women's three races connected with the men's Tour Down Under in Adelaide next week. I'll be hungry for a good result. I'm motivated by disappointing results in Ballarat, and big plans for a good year with SATS (more about my team for 2004 soon!).
