Route de France ( UCI cat. 2.1)

Stage 1. Time Trial Dijon - Dijon 3,2km

Ina Yoko Teutenberg from Colombia wins by 1" in front of Grace Verbeke from Lotto Belisol and Hedwige Pitel from Pro team Les Carroz. Suzie finished at the 62nd position with a gap of 35" by 80 starters.

Stage 2. Dijon - Louhans-Chateaurenaud 85,2km

Ina Yoko Teutenberg from Colombia takes it again. Monia Bacaille from Fenixs takes 5. Suzie finished at the 66th position same time as the winner.

Stage 3. Louhans-Chateaurenaud - Gueugnon 116,6km

Martina Corazza from Gaus RDZ Ormu wins the stage. Monia Bacaille from Fenixs takes 4 in sprint of the first group at 9". New leader is Grace Verbeke from Lotto Belisol. Suzie finished at the 67th position at 16`43" the first moutain stage.

Photo copyright by Jean-Luc LAMAERE

Stage 4. Gueugnon - Les Settons 110,2km

Luise Keller from Colombia wins the stage. Tatiana Antoshina from Fenixs takes 12 in sprint of the first group at 5'45". New leader is Luise Keller from Colombia. Black day for Suzie who finished at the 69th position at 27`17" the last moutain stage.

Stage 5. Fontainebleau-Argenteuil 138,5km

Very long ride won by Judovalkyte Urte from Chirio after a long break with 3'31'' advantage on the bunch. Best rider fron Fenixs was Monia Baccaille who made 6th place. Suzie was dropped at km 124,5 in the last climb and just joined the finish in a small group at 6'58''. Louise Keller stays in the lead of general classification.

Photo copyright by Jean-Luc LAMAERE

Stage 6. Lillebonne-Eu 132,2km

Another win for Ina Yoko Teutenberg with 12' advantage on a group of 9 where Tatiana Antoshina from Fenixs finishes 7th. No change in overall. Suzie who did good work for the team finished calmly in a small group at 67th place.

Stage 7. Elbeuf-sur-Seine - Elbeuf-sur-Seine TT 24,9km

Nice lap over 24,7km with 2 climbs. Tatiana Antoshina did a very good race, finishing 2nd behind the winner Louise Keller from the team Columbia and so did Monica Bacaille who finished 7th, so all in all a great performance for our team. Suzie did a good first part of the trial, but then lost her rhythm in the second climb. She finished 66th.

Photo copyright by CJ Farquharson, WomensCycling.net

Stage 8. Rouen - Rouen 98,9km

Fantastic Tour the France atmosphere on the final lap in Rouen and nearly a win for our team, Monia lifted her arms a second too early and was passed on the line by Georgia Bronzini. Suzie did great on the final laps, but in the third last round she had a slight crash and couldn’t get back to the first positions of the bunch. Still she made a good 39th place.

Photo copyright by Jean-Luc LAMAERE

Conclusion of a week of racing from Suzie

I was able to follow the best racers on the flat parts of the stages, I went into breaks, worked for the team but as soon as we got into a climb, my legs wouldn’t budge anymore, my head completly cutting of any contact with them. (Like my daughter uses to say: Chop off my head and I’ll do much better in races. But without head I would look silly wouldn’t I??) I believe I have a lot work to do on the psychological side for the next season, it’s not really the motor that failed, it’s the electronics!!

Anyway, I’ve finished with a good result and a good job done on the last stage in Rouen and I’d like to congratulate the organisator, all his staff and the guys from the garde republicaine for the perfect security on the roads. I really hope that the success of the race will help to find more sponsors for better accomodations in the future.

Special thanks also to the two "hostesses" Emilie and Erika for their support of the team and to the osteopathe Julie, who helped me with my neverending pain in the back!

Hope to return next year!

Suzie