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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Giro d'Italia Femminile - 2.9.1, Italy, July 2-11, 2004

Plan B

Stage 4 - July 6: Bareggio - Bareggio, 118.4km

Today was your basic 118km crit on a 14km course with roads that were elevated in some spots causing Olivia Gollan to show us her future cyclocross talents when she rode off the road and onto the grass a bit below the road and had to somehow get back on with out bowling the peleton.

Other excitement for the day was dodging flying waterbottles/ People love tossing the empties without looking and I have a feeling I'm gonna get conked in the head before the tour ends. So for the race part, plan A was actually for me to take off and try and win the stage solo (if the peleton took a wrong turn or something). With about 60kms to go when we came through the start/finish the speaker announced that Capellotto from team Asoloforno was 43 seconds up the road. I was kind of surprised because of course I saw nothing go.

We're not using radios so I tried a few times to attack hard alone, provoke another attack and attack that but nothing would go. The next lap the gap was at 1.31 and Fanini started attacking one by one with Guerciotti always on the ball and me in tow causing me to realize that Capelotto was not off the front, in fact it was Cathy Marsal.

After a full-on four laps she was reeled in and we put plan B into the works. I would give the lead out of my life, and possibly the last of my career to Austrian Isabella Wieser and third in GC rider, Anette Buetler, which could put her closer too, if not in the pink jersey. With two kilometers to go we somehow got to the front with Isa on my wheel screaming, (ok, she was coaxing, it doesn't take much) "Go baby go, you're the best", and I went as fast as I could and Anette snuck up the inside in the last turn causing me to stand on the pedals to look over everyone else sprinting to make sure she got it. That was fun, much funnier I'm sure than tomorrow s 21km mountain (Swiss mountain) TTT. It will be.....cough,spittle,hack.

More to come.

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