Back on track: The Marion Clignet Journal 2004

French track legend Marion Clignet retired from racing in 2000, intending to become active as an advocate for women's sport. But after two years off the bike, and perhaps inspired by the other female champions she's encountered while working as a presenter for French TV, Clignet returned to the velodrome in 2003 to the velodrome in a determined comeback. After a solid year building a foundation, Marion's back competing at thehighest level in 2004.

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Novilon Internationale Damesronde van Drenthe

A bad hair day

Stage 1 - April 9: Coevorden-Hoogeveen, 112.7 km

Parcours: 112km with no less than five sprints, one pavé sprint, two GPMs (over an old mountain of garbage that has since been paved and was 23 percent for 400m) and one time bonus sprint.

So off I went, la di da, training wheels and all in honor of the pavé. I figured it would be another type of criterium, jostling for position at the front to avoid being pushed off the bike path and into the canal, or just squeezed out into oblivion. In any case, it seemed to me that my legs weren't responding so well and I got to thinking that after having broken three saddle rails (one chrome, one titanium, and one carbon fibre last week) it was recomended that I move the saddle forward a notch. So my little brain started going and thinking I must be off because of a position change or whatever, blah, blah, blah.

Turned my brain off and pushed on, got to the pavé and it must be the vibration that woke me up. (If you're wondering what having an epileptic seizure could feel like, by the way, ride the pavé for an hour...) I got going, pushed my way to the front and kept hearing a rattling noise; looked down and it seems my sensor had dropped down to the bottom of my fork and was ding-dinging into the spokes. Now let me tell ya it is an art to ride at 48kph and pull your sensor up your fork, stabilize it, and not lose four fingers in the process. Having that done I was off again in quest for a spot at the front. Checked my computer to see where we may be in terms of the GPM or bonus sprint but of course my computer no longer works because the sensor is now on backwards.

I calculated that we had about an hour and a half to go meaning, that we'd be hitting the GPM soon and shortly after the time bonus sprint. Now at the front and comfy I decided to stay. Went for a stroll off the front hoping to entice someone to accompany me but no one seemed up for the task and the thought of riding 60km alone didn't excite me all that much. That brings us over the GPM and to the time bonus sprint. Still at the front and determined not to get boxed in, some of the bigger teams were just starting to get their trains going. With what I thought was about 1km to go we came around a curve and I saw the Rabobank arch not far off, so I told myself to be patient and with 200m to go I went for it. Wow, what a sprint, and no one even contested it really. Seemed a bit odd, and then of course, the pace picked up and we rode under the red flag so it was now really one km to go.

Still determined to pick up a few seconds and a bit bummed about my absolute fuck up I managed to get boxed in anyway and miss out on the time bonus. Oh well. From there it was about 35-40km to go and attacks started here and there. Got in a break with 20kms to go but it wasn't meant to be and before I knew it we were winding up the sprint. With 1km to go I was there, still there and determined to move up. Here we go, last turn, and with 400m to go I'm boxed in, have to back out and ride up the left. I'll get this down yet I swear! I ended up 19th, all in a day's work.

Results

Stage 2 - April 10: Hoogeveen-Hoogeveen, 139.1 km

Parcours: 130km, five sprints, four pavé sprints, three GPMs, two time bonus sprints, and absolutely more bloody fun than should be allowed!

While we were waiting for the start in the warmth of a huge hangar the rain was coming down. Couldn't decide what to wear: rain gear, no rain gear, vest, no vest, mascara, no mascara. Finally opted for arm warmers, hot leg cream, and no mascara. Left the waterproof at home. So off we went for 139km. Seems that there was an 8km neutral start because we were supposed hit the climb at 9km and we hit it around 17km. No worries, I'll figure it out. On the way down the GPM I heard a hissing noise, oh yes sort of like a slow leak. I pulled over and looked back. One of my team mates, Canadian rider Kathy White wasn't far off and she kindly gave me her front wheel. Off I went in hot pursuit and managed to get back on with about 10km to go till the pavé. Once in the pavé I flew through, loving the feeling of pushing a huge gear and powering through the mud. And wouldn't ya know at km 43 I flatted again, this time the rear.

Got a wheel change from neutral support and managed to, once again, ride up through the caravan and back to the tail end of the group. Ooff, only 20km to go till the next pavé. This is what you may call a bad hair day, bad day at the office, whatever. We got to the next pavé section and I managed to slalom through people to move back into some sort of contact with the front when - surprise! I flatted again! Okay, so I won't bore you with the details but I got back on, again - the caravan was used to me by now - flatted again on the next pavé section and that was it.

I was a bit peeved and managed to get back on to a group of 30 who absolutely did not want to go any faster than 30kph. Whatever. From there on I was absolutely bored, no longer in for the running, out two sets of wheels, blah blah blah. I managed to keep myself entertained by the thought that I had just broken a new personal record, four flats in one day and I had learned a new word from the Kiwis: TAPS - thick as pig shit! Yeah, so this is what an old mind does when it's bored, what more can I say? Finished a few minutes down from the main group which was, I hear, preceeded by a group of eight.

And tomorrow? Full on crit on a motorcycle raceway...

Till then
Marion

Results