Trophee d’Or

My highlight of the season, that should also have been a highlight for Buba.

But she abandoned after a crash with a car on 4^th stage!

First stage St. Amand/Sancoins

Finished 41st of 99 riders in same time as the winner Ziliute. A first satisfaction that I am still able to keep the rhythm of the bunch when it’s going fast, I can do my job for the team without being dropped in the final!

Second stage Chateaumeillant/Orval

In the two local laps at the begin of the stage we had two money sprints and I made 3^rd on the second at km 29 (20 Euros for a beer in the evening, lol).

On the narrow streets it was quite dangerous , so we had to stay in front to put our leader Buba in a good position for the final climb before arrival. Buba got a 16” lead together with Ziliute, Johannson and Pucinscaite and finished fourth in Orval. As the day before I took 41^st place in the same time as the first rider of the bunch.

Third stage Mehun sur Yèvre

In the afternoon we had another stage of 3 laps around Mehun/ Yèvre, very fast and nervous as there were only 65km to go! This time I was 43^rd in the same time as the winner.

Fourth stage Cosne sur Loire

The hilly stage that should have been Buba’s option for a final win turned to a nightmare for her! In the first registrated climb she broke her rear shifter. I stopped to give her my bike, but she preferred to wait for the car and take the spare bike, which was fixed on her size. The bunch was gone and we worked hard to get back, so hard I couldn’t follow her at one moment. Lucky me, so I was not in the crash she had with the car of a Belgian amateur team which pushed her off the road. I was terrorized seeing her and the bike flying off! Nevertheless I caught the end of the bunch just on begin of the second climb, but due to the efforts done before I couldn’t follow and went on in my rhythm with a handful of other riders. With several Canadian girls and some of team Stuttgart we worked stedily and finished at 16’ from the leaders but only 7 from the bunch.Fortunately 3 riders from our team had finished with the first group, Cath Williamson, Sioban Dervan and Karin Aune, so the team kept hope for a good final classification!

Fith stage Avord

In the very flat but windy stage of Avord a girl from team Canada escaped right at the begin of the first of 2 laps of 56km each. No one reacted, rode at cyclotourist rhythm for half a lap, but at the end of the lap a group with a lot of big names, Cooke, Ziliute, Johannson, Cantele, Antoshina, Martissova…, went away and no one of Fenixs was in. Marc was very angry on us and when the gap that was up to 2’ stabilized around 1’30”, he pushed us to chase it down (all of us had ear pain from his shouting, lol!) and with the help of some riders of other teams, it was done at 10km from the finish. The chase had cost a lot of forces and I lost contact to the end of the bunch for a few meters at the entrance of Avord. Just a few hundred meters after I had slightly dropped, I was reentering the bunch in a sharp right turn, when the first commissioners car, that was on my right blocked my way, (the commissioner had seen me, but not his driver!!!) and I was forced to break to complete stop in order not to crash. So I was caught back by a little group coming from behind and finished 71^st only.

Nevertheless the commissioner excused himself for his driver and classified me in the same time as the last girl of the bunch, so I lost only 23” on the winner. Marc was very satisfied of the job, the team had done, we finished first team of that stage, and the general classification for 3 of us stayed still open!

Sixth stage Saint Germain du Puy/ Saint Amand

Thelast stage was the fastest of all with an average speed of 41,8km/h! We had the order to stay attentive all the time, so all over the first 75km, Cath and myself we chased every break, tried even to get away with a Russian girl, but no success. On the final local circuit, I stayed all the time quite close to the front, but before the arrival the road was too large so a lot of girls assed again and I finished 45^th in same time as the winner .

Overall we made 4^th team, 9” down on the leading team, Catherine 9^th at , Siobhan , Karin , Urte and myself 66^th at 16’53” from the winner.

99 riders started the race and 83 are in final classification.

Now I try to keep this good form until the world cup in Nurnberg, then I’ll take a rest before the first cyclocross races.