Lauren @ Chambery, France

Date: 3/15/09
Start time: 1:30pm (woohoo European start times!)
Location: Chambery, France
Distance: 80km
Place: 31/70
Teammates: Amanda Miller, Ashley Dymond, Einat Aargon
Course: 8km loop starting on the top of hill at a three-way intersection among a neighborhood. The race started on the gradual descent leading to a quick right and then left-hand turn into a twisty, pedaling but high-speed descent. At the bottom of the descent was a sharp right hand turn to a flatter section that led to an overpass and into a VERY tight left-hand hairpin turn. From this turn to the bottom of the climb was pretty much like an extended crit course: flat with several turns and a few scary round-abouts (that we actually went through on the right side). A decreasing radius left-hand turn took us onto the climb, which was about 700 meters long with 5 switchbacks and average grade of about 10% which got gradually steeper). The finish was at the top of this hill.

The start list included two French UCI teams (Bigla and BGL93?), Jeanne Longo and several strong-looking regional teams (Italian and French).

The race started at 1:30 and we lined up at 1:15. As we were rolling up the hill at the end of our warm up loop to line up Chris, our direction, came over the radio and told us that Jeanne Longo had just shown up. Oh my. We lined up and they called us up by number, which put all four of us in the second row of girls. I was nervous but because I didn't know any of the girls or what to expect it was a different nervous. The follow cars were all crowded around behind and to the sides of us.

We made it down the descent without any major problems. I could tell immediately that the bike handling here was very different. The riders are more aggressive and there is more jostling but somehow, despite all the scares and dramatic yelling, no one went down the whole race.

As we came to the tight left-hand hairpin Chris came over the radio and told us all to move up. I made my way to the front relatively easily but we were moving pretty fast. After a few turns there is a section where we go to the right around three round-abouts. These were the hairiest parts of the race because girls were trying to move up before the climb but the road narrowed around the round-abouts and curbs kind of came out of nowhere.

We pretty much bombed the first time up the hill making it up in about 80 seconds or so. I felt good going up the first and second times and stayed in the top third of the group.

On the second lap I was sitting on the right side of the pack waiting for someone to give me a free ride to the front and who comes around me but Jeanne Longo! I jumped on quickly and moved up to the front. I laughed to myself at the surreality of it all.

The third climb is where the break got away. As I got the to the second one I could see my teammate, Amanda, up at the front with the girls who were quickly breaking away and who would stay away for the entire race. Chris came over the radio as we came to the bottom of the descent to confirm that Amanda was in the break. Quickly a few girls tried to bridge but the pack kept pulling them back and Ashley and I covered most of the wheels that tried to get away. The break included three Bigla girls (the Swiss champion rider and her teammates), two girls on the other UCI team, a local Chambery rider, Amanda and Jeanne Longo. Chris told Ashley and I to control the front of the race.

On the fifth lap Chris told us the gap was up to 1:15 and the follow cars blew past us. For the third and fourth laps two teams went to the front and tried to team time trial and pull back the break but with the strongest teams (Bigla and the other UCI team) just sitting on and a UCI group off the front, their time gap just kept increasing. Once the cars passed, though, the few teams working started to give up and the pace slowed a bit.

Ashley and I did pretty well together covering anything that tried to get off (not many serious attempts except on the descent).

During the last 4 laps the girls in the break were attacking one another and their race finished with one of the Bigla riders winning followed by Jeanne Longo, who had initiated the attack on the lead group. The next group consisted of five break-away riders who had been dropped by the Bigla and Longo. Amanda finished on her own in 8th. At this point they had well over two minutes on the field.

On the peloton's second to last lap I asked Ashley how she felt about me leading her out for the hill. I knew she was stronger on the hill than I was at that point and I felt good enough on the flats to try and do something. The Italian team set up their leadout at the beginning of the last lap and started rotating on the front. I stayed in the top 10 until we cleared the cornering section and then went up to about fifth position. At that point there were only two Italians who hadn't popped yet and they were pulling hard enough to keep it strung out so I continued to sit on. Ashley was on my wheel but lost it when I had to cut left through the line to end up in third spot. I hit the hill hard thinking she was behind me. I pretty much sprinted the bottom third of the hill with the mentality that my finish was halfway up the climb to slingshot Ashley. As I made it to the first switchback I heard a crash behind me and knew that it was Ashley. I was surprised that we were dropping people and that I was maintaining third position but knew that I was going to pop sooner than would allow for a good finish. I just coasted the second half of the hill, which was about all I could manage after my attempt at a leadout.

It was an awesome race! The course was amazing and a ton of fun with all the corners and obstacles and, yes, even the hill. I think later in my career a course like this will be great for me.

Thanks for reading!

Lauren