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The Kimberly Bruckner Journal 2004
Like many top riders, 2001 US road champion Kimberly Bruckner has the Athens Olympics in her sights as she returns to racing after surgery for a soft-tissue tumour in her ankle cut short her 2003 season. With her T-Mobile squad in its second year, her diary this year will document the highs and lows of the US' top women's team.
Int. Thüringen-Rundfahrt der Frauen
Customs kerfuffles
Oh, the incompetency of the U.S. customs agents floors me. I wanted to let loose in Chicago yesterday while we stood in line waiting to get through customs on our way home from Germany. Our flight had arrived 40 minutes late and Amber, Lara, and I already had a tight connection to our next flights.
We practically ran off the plane to get a decent place in line. But of course, even though there's five "lanes" for US Citizens and more for those poor souls that aren't, only two were open on each side. Two. Even though there were six other customs agents just shooting the shit over in the corner, not wanting to help anyone out. The two lanes on our side that were open had three agents in them a piece... as if it takes three agents to look at my passport and say, "OK miss. Welcome home."
The men were just rude too. Lara was behind one lady who was a U.S. resident and looked very Middle Eastern with her three children. I knew they were going to give her a hard time. The agent kept demanding to know if she was bringing enough money into the country to take care of her kids. She's a US resident for Pete's sake! And what business is it of his to know how much money she's carrying. It was unbelievable. In the midst of this growing anger, I met a very nice man who was standing in line ahead of me. He had been on my flight from Frankfurt but had started in India. He offered to let me go ahead of him in line if it would help me make my connection, but I declined. Our flight had already left. U.S. Customs sure does not make a good impression to those first coming into the country... or those citizens that have been away. Holy cow...someone help those people.
Anyway, I digress. Sorry about that.
Stage 5 - July 24: Gera - Schmölln
The final two stages of Thuringen were just as fast as the first three. Saturday's stage was supposedly the "easier" stage of the Tour, but nothing about it was easy. There is no flat land here... always steep up and down. By the start of the stage, my helmet still hadn't turned up. It was probably floating in the lake somewhere. But luckily, Kenny had another one in the van, so I was on my way.
There were quite a few cobblestone sections on the course, more than we had the past couple of days, and would prove to be a major factor in the way the race played out. We were actively attacking into the first 40km of the race, but when the decisive break went, T-Mobile missed it in a big way. As did the Aussies, who had much more to lose than we did. Both Olivia and Oenone were only 7 and 8 seconds out of first respectively going into today. But on a longer cobble section where the peloton was strung out wheel to wheel, someone smart sat up and let a break of 11 go up the road. It had most of the heavy hitters in it too - Zabirova, Arndt, Melchers, Valen, Pucinskaite - all willing to work hard and work together. We were doomed.
The Aussies went to the front straight away to rotate and try and keep the gap down. Unfortunately, our radios didn't work... they never do. So I didn't hear Jim tell Christine and I to go to the front and help them. It wasn't until later that Kristin came up to me and told me three of us had to go help the Aussies and hopefully bring the gap down to a reasonable time where either Dede or Amber could jump across. We went to the front, but by that time it was too late. The gap had opened up to over two minutes, and with more girls working in the break than were working in the chase, the time wasn't going to come down.
The race finished on this 20km circuit that I recognized as the TT course from last year. And as soon as I realized where I was, I knew it was going to be a tough finish. Steep cobble climb, up, down, around, and up again. And even though the field was about three minutes back, it was still going hard with girls trying to attack out of it. When the break came into the cobbled, cornered finish, Anita Valen, SATS, went all out... and proceeded to take herself and Arndt out. They both finished, with Anita running her bike over the line, and then going on to the hospital to have her wounds bandaged. Zabirova had attacked the group at some point on the circuit and finished a minute up on the break, putting her in the yellow jersey. Arndt was now in second overall, and I'm honestly not sure who was in third. But GC had certainly been shaken up.
Stage 6 - July 25: Schmölln - Zeulenroda
With nothing to lose and a stage win to gain, T-Mobile went into today's stage with all guns firing. Sometimes I just don't think we fire them at the right time.
All the girls were active, trying to force a break. But in retrospect, I think it was too early. Because when the shit really hit the fan, three of us got popped right off the back. At first, Karin Thurig and Fabiana Luperini got off in a break... and you knew that one would motor away. In fact, Thurig motored Luperini right off her wheel. She got in some very good TT practice today for the Olympics! Zabirova's team, with some extra help, finally brought Thurig back into the fold, but just as we hit the QOM climb with about 35km to go, Brandli, Ljungskog, and Pucinskaite attacked and made the move the stuck the remainder of the race.
The rest was told to me since I was now in the quite large bunch that got dropped on the climb. Dede, Kristin, and Amber made the smaller chase group that got over the climb intact and worked to bring back the three. Dede was feeling like a rock star today and kept attacking, trying to make something happen. With about 10km to go, Dede attacked and got away with Olivia Gollan and Luperini. They worked together to try and bring the break back, with the chase group behind them slowly working their way back up.
Meanwhile, my big bunch included Petra Rossner, who first won Thuringen in 1987. As our group went up the final QOM with 10km to go, Petra rode at the front of the bunch, soaking it all in. This would be her final time racing Thuringen and although I didn't talk to her about it, I think it was rather emotional for her. She had told her teammate, Jessica, that five times out of six, she doesn't finish this final stage. But today she would for sure.
At the finish, the three stayed off, just 15 seconds ahead of the quickly approaching chase group. Dede's break just got caught at the line, but Dede held off to finish fourth. Zabirova won the overall with Arndt finishing second. This was a great tune up for the women heading on to the Olympics. That race will seem tame compared to this one! Ok, maybe not. But it'll be a great race for sure. Stay tuned.
