Le Bizet Weekend - Patience is a Virtue

Friday 9th May, Le Bizet

Le Bizet, is a small village off in the Wallone region that would be equivalent to Jamberoo with its surrounding farmlands. Some tight corners with gravel would prove difficult in the bunch with my lack of bunch skills, so it was fortunate that I got in an early break…. That lasted just one lap!

Lotto-Belisol rider Catherine Delfosse countered the move and soon later Ilse Geldhof (Deerlijk), Lensy DEBBOUDT (Keukens Redant Cycling Team) and Grace Verbeke (Lotto-Belisol) formed a chase group 200m behind. Having learnt that the early breaks seem to get away, I bridged across to the group of three and kept driving past to get to Delfosse. A lap later our group of five had 30sec on the peloton, then 40secs, then Delfosse demands to the group “one lap we go hard” to try and increase the gap, which drew out to over a 60secs.

With 3 laps to go, we had a very safe margin and the Lotto girls took turns at attacking out group - on the corner that I had the most trouble with! Debboudt wasn’t interested in doing more than she had to and Geldhof was caught off guard, so it was left to me to cover the moves. My work took its toll on the final lap, when Debboudt (a known sprinter) attacked into the final corner with 250m to go. When I say my work earlier took its toll, I meant I would make them pay! I jumped to Debboudt’s wheel with Verbeke in tow, 200m to go, 150m, 100m, 50m, my gosh I was actually patient!! At 50m to go I stepped out, Debboudt had thought she’d had it wrapped up, until nearly both Verbeke and I passed here in the finish. The photo says it all…. Finally, a win!

Le Bizet 62km, 11 x 5.6km lap. 50-odd starters, 25 finishers.

SCF Liedekerke Results:
1          Leonie Burford
16        Natasja Nobels
25        Ilse Temmerman

Results: http://www.wielernieuws.be/wedstrijd/lebizetjhwo_2008.html

Saturday 10th May, Burcht

Getting home after midnight from Le Bizet, meant I was not as enthusiastic about racing today! But it was a ‘long’ race in terms of kermese racing at 99km, so if anything it would be great training. Emma Joansson had the same idea, as she used the first half of the race as interval training (with the big UCI races like Tour de l'Aude on soon). Lap 12 saw her break away with Lieselot Decroix, Corine Hierckens and Ine Beyen, then the active Ludivine Henrion joined them and the group broke away. A group of seven tried to chase, but failed.

At 2km to go, Emma attacked with one on her wheel she attacked again at 1km to go and finished solo. Her AA Drink teammate Ludivine Henrion finished second and Lieselot Decroix third. It was great to see my team-mate, Natasja NOBELS, sprinted for 12th place!

Surprisingly the 27degree day proved to be a hot contrast to the snow that I arrived to in March. I soon realised that you need to organise a feeder diligently, as I didn’t manage to get a feed and suffered the consequences. You live and learn!

A great weekend to have consecutive wins for Emma and I! Thou I couldn’t see her plan of us finishing together on Monday coming off, but a nice thought!

Burcht 99km, 61 x 6.2km lap. 90-odd starters, 62 finishers

SCF Liedekerke Results:
12        Natasja Nobels
24        Leonie Burford
49        Ellen De Weerdt
59        Sarah Borremans

http://www.wielernieuws.be/wedstrijd/burchtbetaohsg_2008.html

Monday 11th May, De Pinte

Summer is really here, with glorious weather on the public holiday Monday. De Pinte is just 20km from home, so Emma and I rode to the race with the extra k’s good for the Tour of Limousine later on. Today was the East Flanders championship (or something like that?!) and part of the AA Drink series that Emma was actually leading. Though again, she was just using it as training.

After a chaotic start through very narrow pot-holed lanes, a break of four snuck away. I attacked with an AA Drink rider in tow, then pssssst, a flat! Plus the AA Drink girl got across to the break! With no laps out but lucky they actually had a spares vehicle (not standard in kermeses), I received an 8spd spare wheel with a buckle and watched the peloton roll away at 40km/hr or so. Surprisingly (to the convoy!) I was back on by the next lap, rooted, but back on. So where was I again, oh that’s right, on the attack again. But with Lotto, Swift and AA Drink having riders in the break, they weren’t letting me, nor anyone else go anywhere.

I called up my team to help bring back the break, with only Hannah responding it was hard work but we brought back 30secs, but we needed more help. In the closing laps it was brought back to just 19secs, close but no cigar. The SCF Leidekerke riders finished quite well in the mass sprint. British, Helen Whyman (Swift) taking a surprising victory in a close sprint to the line for the seven riders in the break. AA Drink still holds the white and yellow jersey for the series with still a few more rounds to contest.

De Pinte 86km, 12 x 7.2km lap. 80-odd starters, 79 finishers

SCF Liedekerke Results:
18        Hannah Verhaeghe
23        Leonie Burford
24        Anne Arnouts

http://www.wielernieuws.be/wedstrijd/depinte_2008.html

That’s a wrap

Two weeks, six races. Belgium is definitely the place to be for women’s racing, as I’ve since learnt that the only other country that has as many women’s races is Holland. It pays higher and a bit harder up there, so maybe that’s the next step. I hear that in Italy there is quite a limited schedule? Word from the Aust. National Team is that in the six weeks they have been here, they only do a few races, but of course World Cups and big UCI races. So it is certainly a different setup. They have time for blocks of training between races, whereas I just race hard and maybe get a long ride or two in between.

One Day I’ll write a short diary entry….. til then, patience is a virtue!

- Live the Dream