Tour Of Dairyland - Fond du Lac

Tour of Dairyland - Fond du Lac

Day 4 in Dairyland started with a bang - literally. We got the most pressing matters out of the way early, and stopped to stock up on fireworks on the way to the crit. Judging by the amount of explosive material heading out of that shop, these Midwesterners really know how to have a good time! With the important business dealt with, we piled back into the monster truck and trundled off to downtown Fond du Lac, where a flat and fast 4 corner, 1km circuit awaited us.

The whistle blew for the start and the field bolted like a startled rabbit towards the first turn. On a course like this, position is everything, and consequently everyone wanted THAT good position. The ends were maybe 40 metres long, with the straights being nice and long and wide, so if you were willing to stick your nose in the wind, there was plenty of room to work your way up on the straights before melding in nicely before rounding the bend and consolidating or doing it all again.

Thankfully the rain held off, but there was some blustery wind to contend with. The back straight, aided by a tailwind was super fast (think 50k/h), and plenty of attacks were made, but none got much ground. Webcor put in a few jumps, and Haley patrolled the front like an over zealous security guard high on caffeine, letting nothing escape out of arms reach. There were plenty of primes called to keep things strung out, with Team Type 1 and Mellow Mushroom sweeping the majority and laughing all the way to the bank.

With 5 to go they called a $300 prime, and Laura Van Gilder, in the leader's jersey and having dominated the week, danced across the line as if her name had already been written on the cheque, before holding position as the pace got hectic over the next couple laps and duly taking out the sprint as well, in front of no less than Cari Higgins. All at an age where she's old enough to be mother to half the field. Respect!

Haley continues to rep the green, and rode strong and aggressive the whole race, finishing the best out of the team in a credible 26th. We finished the night on a nice note with a free dinner put on by the Dairyland organisers. They're looking after the women really well and it's much appreciated. We're off to Milwaukee tomorrow for the Downer Classic, so keep your ears pricked for news of what will hopefully live up to its name and be an absolute classic.

Bec