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Rider diary: Pooley victorious in the mountains of Ardeche

September 26, 2011 - Filed under: Team Garmin-Barracuda

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Sharon Laws updates us on the progress of the women’s team, this time with a huge win by Emma Pooley at the Tour of Ardeche!

The Tour of Ardeche is one of my favourite stage races; it is held in a beautiful area of France, the weather is usually good and having done it 3 times before I know what to expect – slightly chaotic organisation, ghastly coloured jerseys, sketchy descents and excruciating climbs. This year was no exception – well apart from the jerseys, I was dismayed to find that they had actually turned pretty conservative, no multi-coloured diamonds, which was a real disappointment given that my team mates wore most of them at some stage!
This year a 2.6km prologue had been added to the race much to the delight of team pursuit specialist Lizzie Armitstead and team pursuit hopeful Iris Slappendal. Iris finished an impressive 4th place, just off the podium and Lizzie 6th. Emma was also within the top 10 with her 8th place. Slightly dodgy traffic control resulted in Carla having to pull the breaks on at the roundabout and poor Lucy rode much of the distance not being able to see as her TT helmet slipped over her eyes.

Apparently Theo, our Sports Director, couldn’t quite work out why she wasn’t riding in a straight line. I scraped in the top 20. Emelia Falin, HTC, won the stage and, having given her a lift from Girona, we felt we had a part to play in her victory. If we had known she would go on to win another 3 stages maybe we would have left her behind!

The first stage of 112.5km was similar to last year and a bunch sprint was highly likely. Iris wore the green jersey and Lizzie the white, young riders jersey (she’s young in France but not in Italy – it seems?!). With a sprinters jersey for the taking we helped Lucy secure some points. The finish was slightly chaotic Lizzie finishing 2nd and Lucy 8th. Moberg took the stage. Falin remained in the leader’s jersey.

Stage 2 was the 3.5km time trial. Unfortunately the early start meant a 6.15am breakfast which was a bit of a shock to the system. Whilst I’m used to early mornings when training in Australia I quickly settle into the late European starts so we all met rather bleary eyed over muesli. The time trial in 2009 was a nice 9km climb but now is limited to a 1km climb, windy descent and finish over speed bumps. It is much less appealing – well to climbers at least. Falin loved it however, winning the stage. Lizzie was 3rd, Emma 4th and Iris 7th. Luca, our soigneur, followed me in the car and was wonderful. I could hear this lovely Italian accent, yelling out of the car window, willing me to go faster ‘go ooooon Sharon, go on’. Unfortunately the legs weren’t responding and I felt terrible.

Fortunately the weather was good as we had 5 hours of hanging out before the afternoon stage, so it was time to get the legs up and chill.

Lucy started the stage in the blue combination jersey. It was 96km and turned out to be the decisive stage of the race. Unfortunately this was a result of a crash. We had warned Iris, Ardeche novice (having completed 10 Holland tours previously!), of this tricky descent after the first climb. One girl broke both her collar bones last year. It seemed that others were not aware or decided to take risks all the same. A girl just in front of me came round the corner too quickly, skidded hit the wall, her bike flew up in the air losing a wheel and she was tossed in the other direction. I seriously thought she was going over the wall. How she walked away I still don’t know.

This left a gap in the peloton and some slightly shaky riders behind. Meanwhile Lizzie, ahead, was securing the Claveyrolat sprint with its 500 euro purse. I was chasing and as we came over the first (official) GPM of the day could see the group of 11 pulling away. I was with 3 other riders but with 2 team mates in the front group could not work and with only one of them keen to try to get across it wasn’t possible; we waited for the peloton. On the final mountain Emma attacked the lead group and went on to win the stage in her trade mark solo breakaway.

Lizzie led the remaining 10 home winning the sprint. We won the team prize so were all up on the podium and Lizzie took the blue jersey and Emma the overall. I had an embarrassing moment as Ashley Moolman was unaware that she was holding the mountain jersey for Emma so hadn’t come to the podium. The organiser decided I would do instead so I was bundled onto the podium, introduced as ‘rider from South Africa, Ashley Moolman’ needless to say I felt a bit of an idiot but smiled anyway. What else can you do?

With Emma holding a 2 minute 20 lead over the other 10 in the group, stage 4 was a perfect day for a breakaway. Lucy, Iris, Carla and I all tried our chances with attacking early in the race. Carla finally succeeded taking with her Stevens of HTC and another rider. This group grew to five riders as two others escaped from the peloton.

Stevens, proved to be the strongest rider of the day attacking the group on the longest mountain and rode away. Meanwhile Emma attacked the peloton on the final climb taking the other contenders and they caught the initial break but Stevens won with a hefty 4min 23 margin but not enough to threaten Emma. A stage of 127km it was a long day in the saddle.

We started stage 5, another long day of 123.5km, knowing that we could let a non threatening group go but had to keep our eyes out for the ones closest to Emma on GC. A small group escaped quite early; with none of the close on GC we weren’t too concerned. Sundstedt (Finland) attacked the group on the climb and went solo in the latter stage of the race. Falin of HTC (also in the lead group), escaped later, catching Sundstedt on the rolling roads after the final mountain. Falin went on to win the stage.
Behind in the peloton, with the time gap now quite large, we worked to reduce the gap assisted by some of the other GC contenders who were at risk of losing their position. Emma remained safely in her leader’s jersey. Lizzie unfortunately wasn’t feeling well and pulled out during the stage.

The last day was ‘only’ 75km but still hard. I made the difficult decision not to start the stage. Although I wanted to help Emma, I was confident she and the others could hold the jersey without me and I was not feeling at all good. On the previous days stage I finished with goose bumps and shivering despite the temperature being well over 30 degrees. I had been struggling all week in a race which usually suits me and with World Champs so close and Chrono Champenois time trial the next day I decided I was just digging a deeper hole for myself if I continued.

It was horrible not to race the final stage and I still feel disappointed not to have finished but I know it was the sensible decision. The team did a great job for Emma. Lucy and Iris controlled the race till the first climb, which resulted in shaving down the peloton. Carla, then took over and by all accounts rode on the front for much of the rest of the race until Emma attacked on the last climb.

In a small group coming into the finish Emma threw in a few attacks to go for a stage win, knowing she had little to lose. The others were not content to let her escape and, despite some confusion at the finish with 2 riders heading in the wrong direction, Falin took another stage win, making it 4 in total. With Millar still holding the white jersey, HTC won the team prize.

We all enjoyed Emma’s victory and watched her proudly on the podium. The racing and the roads were hard so good preparation for World Champs and much more sunny and dry compared to Holland where our team mate Noemi was racing with her National team. With so few races in May and August it seems a bit ironic that in September, just before World Champs, races clash and you can nearly race all month.

Carla, Emma and I jumped in the car for a long 7 hour drive north east of Paris for the Chrono Champenois time trial while the others enjoyed a dip in the river and ice cream (I’m guessing!) before heading to Tuscany to race a few days later. We fell into bed at midnight that night ready for the time trial the next day. The weather was in complete contrast, rainy, windy and cold.

The prospect of 33km on a time trial bike was not that appealing. With wet, slippy roads Carla unfortunately crashed but gallantly still continued. A single day’s recovery had done little to make my legs feel better and I finished safe in the knowledge that I needed to go home and rest up well to be fresh for World Championships two weeks later. Emma completed the time trial in an amazing 5th place – amazing given that she finished 2nd in the David Fardelli time trial on the Sunday before starting Ardeche (on the Monday) and went on to win a stage and the overall at Ardeche. Maybe I’ll swap legs with her one night when she’s asleep.

So that’s it. The 2011 season is almost complete. Lucy, Iris, Carla and Lizzie race in Toscana this week, in the last race of the season for Garmin-Cervélo. We then pull on our National kit as team mates become rivals and we compete for the rainbow jersey. Emma, Lizzie, Lucy and I have the advantage of being on the same trade and national team so the other nation’s better watch out as we’ve been working together the whole year and are ready to take them on!