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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.
Back for more, but no gore
March 24-26, 2004: Vuelta Ciclista Castilla y Leon Feminas
Our drive from San Remo in Italy to the Castilla y Leon region in Spain took about two days. The morning following the World Cup, Amber and I got up early and rode our bikes west further along the coast for about an hour until we hit the French border. It was such a beautiful morning to be out. There weren't even that many cars out that early. We even got to see a regional men's bike race go by while en route. And it was great to stretch out our legs after racing the World Cup the day before, then walking all over the city of San Remo that night. When we first started riding, I felt like I was pedaling squares, but it soon got better.
Our destination in Spain was this hotel that we had stayed in two years ago just outside the city of Vallodilad. We'd never forget it, mostly due to the fact that several girls had come down with food poisoning from the hotel's kitchen. And we heard later that the Spanish equivalent of the FDA [Food & Drug Administration-Ed] had shut down the hotel temporarily until they got their food situation in a healthier order. Needless to say, we were a little apprehensive to return to "La Colina". It was just T-Mobile and the British National team staying there. And to the hotel's credit, they really tried to please us this time.
I had no idea that anywhere in Spain could be this cold and windy. Well, obviously the mountain regions must get snow, but I didn't know the largely agricultural area of Castilla y Leon would be so winter-like. The afternoon we arrived, the girls went for a ride. By the time we got back, I felt like my whole body was tilted to the right, from riding in the super strong crosswinds for so long. Our hopes of the wind dying down before the start of the race were fruitless. We had thee days of hard, windy, cold racing. I truly felt like I was racing the Tour of Holland again.
Stage 1 - March 24: Valladolid-Valladolid, 78.5 km
The first day was simply disastrous for our team. It started in our warm-up. The whole team was riding along a bike path, about 4km from the start line. Dede and I were leading and we came to cross a road. I don't really know what happened, but just out of the corner of my eye, I saw a car coming from our left. I didn't even have time to say anything. All I could do was swerve. Dede hadn't seen it at all and the car ran right into her. It was a horrible sound. Even though she was ok, she was very shaken up and badly bruised. Despite her accident, she still wanted to start the stage. That girl has the heart of a lion. I think we were all a bit shaken up, but if Dede was going to race, then so were we.
It was only an 85km stage. No problem, we thought. We can put up with anything. About a third of the way through the race, there was a short 1km climb to the top of a village on a hill. That was fine. But then Olivia Gollan attacked over the top and strung out the field single file down the descent and into a LONG, straight crosswind section. Those of us caught near the middle and back of the field were screwed. It became every woman for herself. And I quickly found I did not have the legs on this particular day. Part of it may have been that I was wearing a full jacket that was completely mushroomed behind me, acting like a big parasail. Dede later told me as she was coming up on me, she could see me from what seemed miles away! I was completely guttered, trying to find a wheel. But every girl that went by me flew by four times as fast as I was going and I couldn't quite catch on. Dede came by me and yelled for me to get on her wheel but I couldn't make it. My savior, Dotsie, finally came by and pulled me up to the next group. Holy cow, I felt horrible!
Finally, Dotsie and I and the two other girls we were with turned the corner, caught a tailwind section and rotated like mad women until we caught the next significant group ahead of us. In that group were Amber and Dede, so we thought we were in pretty good company. I later came to find out there was a group up the road of 75 women! Our lone shining star today was Stacey Peters. She had positioned herself so well on the climb, and strategically worked her way into the break of 15. Behind the 15 was the group of 60. As our bad luck would have it though, Stacey flatted with about 15km to go. She got a bad wheel change from neutral and felt like she was pedaling through mud. She couldn't even stick with the group of 60 when they came by her. Finally our team car pulled up to her and gave her another wheel change and then she was ok. Except that she was in no-man's land and had to wait for our pathetic group to catch her. The entire team finished 5'15 down from the field. Like I said, it was a disastrous day. But we still felt so fortunate that Dede was not hurt any worse, and that's what was really important.
Stage 2 - March 25: Toro-Zamora, 123.8 km
We went into Stage 2 determined to have a better showing than the day before. The course was a bit more suited to our strengths and we were prepared for the wind. I'm not saying I liked it, but I was prepared. Unfortunately, shortly after the start, Dede decided to pull out and get in the team car. Her bruised leg was beginning to swell and she just didn't feel quite right. The rest of us stayed in the game the entire day though. It was an active race from the start, and with two climbs, added some excitement to the winds and cold. All the girls rode well and we felt like we got a lot out of it. As we were coming into the finishing town of Zamora, a Farm Frites girl and a Ton Van Bemmelen girl escaped the peloton and finished 1-2. The rest of us, about 50 by the finish, came flying into the final kilometers through town at a rapid pace. Less than 1km from the finish, there was a great big pile up, but luckily none of us were caught up in it. We felt much better about the day overall, racking it up as great training and fitness.
Stage 3 - March 26: Zamora-Salamanca, 104.3 km
As we started the third stage on Friday, I noticed that many girls had pulled out. I figured it was due to the World Cup on Sunday and girls wanting to save their legs for that race. We, however, definitely needed to race. And we need to continue to learn how to ride in the wind! At the start line, I saw the temperature reading was six degrees Celsius. All I could think was that we're headed to Belgium and Holland next. It probably won't get any better from here on out!
Despite the heavy winds, the peloton seemed content to just let it roll for most of the race. Granted, when we were rolling with a tailwind, we were moving up to 60kph. It was still a tough race with it being guttered in the crosswinds, but not overly tough. I think the general consensus was to get it close to home and then punch it. Girls seemed to want to keep in mellow and wait for Sunday's World Cup to pour it on. Poor Dotsie though. She had the worst luck and got a flat tire about 40km from the finish. In these winds, if someone got a flat, there was little if any chance of catching back on. Luckily, three other riders that had been dropped earlier eventually caught her and the four of them rotated in together.
About 30km from the finish, Miriam Melchers attacked and brought along a Nürnberger girl. Mel eventually dropped the German and went on to finish solo in the town of Salamanca, winning the stage and the whole Castilla y Leon tour. Nice job Mel!
I had actually been talking to Mel before the start of today's stage. Our director, Jim, is trying to talk us into going to a bullfight in Vallodilad Sunday night. So I asked Mel her opinion. She warned me not to go, that it was way to cruel to the animals, and so much gore. I've got to admit I agree with her. I may not belong to PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals-Ed], but I don't really want to watch a bull get gored. I know it's the Spanish culture and that's fine. But I'd rather take in some Spanish sights around the town and enjoy some Rioja. That's my idea of a good time.
