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Ohne Zweifel war der Giro der Frauen in diesem Jahr der bisher schwerste. Das amerikanische Nationalteam, ausgerüstet mit SRM-Systemen, stellte sich der Herausforderung und konnte erstmals die wichtigste Rundfahrt im Frauenradsport für sich entscheiden.
Mara Abbott war die Schnellste bei der zehntägigen Tour über 1.100 Kilometer. Sie siegte bei zwei Etappen, unter anderem der Hochgebirgsetappe mit Ziel auf dem Passo Stelvio. Auch die letzte Etappe konnte die US-Nationalmannschaft mit Shelley Evans für sich entscheiden.
Das US-Nationalteam hat sein europäisches Trainingszentrum im Firmensitz von SRM Italien in Lucca . SRM ist stolz, darauf, die talentierten und ehrgeizigen Weltklassefahrerinnen zu Gast zu haben.
Wir freuen uns, dass Amber Neben (www.amberneben.com) wie schon im vergangenen Jahr ihre Rennerlebnisse im Blog schildert. Amber, die Zeitfahrweltmeisterin von 2008, führte das Team als Mannschaftskapitän zum Erfolg beim Giro 2010.
USA Team Race Blog by Amber Neben
Whoa it is hot here. Puts Philly to shame. I saw 104 on my SRM while warming up today, and I think it got hotter! Then add humidity and stew. Soggy conditions. Same yesterday. Hydration is critical: Liters in must be Liters out!!!!
Stage 2:
With 8 more stages, the heat, and the mountains on the way, we had a fairly mellow 130km, flat race.
There were only two significant breaks of non gc threats during the stage. One had 2 riders and one was solo. Neither had any chance of surviving, but they did dangle because the peloton wasn't concerned until the circuits.
The last 30km of the race was a 10km circuit repeated 3x, and once we got here, the action and speed picked up. With another stage on the line for the sprinters, things got fast and crazy. My USA team did a great job of taking the lessons from the previous day and putting them into play today.
Winning a sprint here is both skill and art. The art takes a little time to figure out, but Shelley, Theresa, and Carmen are very close to dialing in the final 1km.
Shelley finished 4th in the sprint today, improving on her 7th the day before.
Meanwhile, there was a huge crash in the front, less than 1k to go, that took out a large portion of the bunch. Thankfully, all of the USA girls avoided it!!
Stage 3: 17km FLAT TT
I love TT'ing during stage races. Well, I simply love TT'ing.
In a stage race, though, the TT is a day to race away from the bunch, and sometimes it is nice to not have to deal with the elbows and chaos that is a normal part of racing.
The course was flat and not ideal for me. However, I never count myself out. When I am going good, I can still compete. I actually had a good ride. And all things considered with my build, the course, and the heat, I am certainly happy with the ride. I hit it hard the entire time. It was really hot, though, and I was wishing I had the special belly cooling/aero devices that some of the others had! BUT se la vie... I managed it (the heat) well, and only lost time to 1 GC threat, Arndt.
The other USA girls who went for it, Shelley, Mara, and Alison, also rode very well. Mara had a super TT and is set up very well for the mountains. Shelley is hanging around, too, and you never know what could happen.
I am feeling stronger every day, and I hope that bodes well for being a useful teammate or team leader when the massive climbing starts the last two days.
Tomorrow appears to be an innocent flat stage, but sometimes those days turn out to be very dangerous. We will be alert for sure!
Stage 4:
Stage 4 was a flat, point to point stage. The interests of both the bunch and our team were to go to a bunch sprint. This would give our leadout artists another chance to work on their craft of delivering Shelley to the line, and Shelley another chance to sprint against the best in the world. In addition, it would give Mara and myself a chance to sit in the bunch.
Again, it wasn't the most exciting stage, but I did keep myself mentally involved by staying in the front portion of the peleton. I also "took a bullet" for Shelley (her words not mine,) in the final 10km when I forced my way out of the washing machine (i.e. the changing positions in the front of the peleton) to take Shelley to the front. It was funny for me to push my way out, but I had to follow through on what I started.
The USA Team rode very well again. We stayed together. Kept our leaders out of trouble, and we got Shelley a little closer to a win. She finished 3rd, and afterwards it was fun to listen to Carmen and Theresa talk about the final few km's. Not perfect yet. There was no change in the GC.
Stage 5:
Let the climbing begin. This stage took us around the Lago di Orta.
We did 3 laps, each 40k long and each with 2 main climbs. Nothing "long" yet. Then, the finish was a 2k climb similar to Fleche. The goal, again, was to keep Mara and myself safe and get us to the last climb. The USA girls did another fantastic job of controlling the peleton and taking care of Mara and I. They were organized and efficient, bringing back one dangerous break midway through the race.
Then, in the final, it was Mara to take a chance at a stage win. She was tough, but Vos's big acceleration got her the stage and the pink jersey. Mara was super strong, and she stayed right on track for the overall goal.
My day was ok. I struggled a little with the heat, the length, and my developing form, but I am looking forward to the next days.
Stage 6:
This stage "looked" like it might be an easier day. However, the climbing and the course turned out to be quite challenging. There were no long climbs, however, there were multiple 2k or less sharp ones. There were also three technical downhills. It was actually a course designed my Naomi Cantelle, an Italian rider on the htc squad. Kind of cool.
The USA team did an excellent job of remaining on the front of the peleton for the first 35k's while we safely navigated the first climb and downhill. After the GPM climb, the bunch was small, and only Mara and I were left. I did my best to cover and control for Mara in the middle of the race. I knew the less stress for her, the better for the overall pink jersey goal.
For the most part this small group went into the final 5km's together. On the final downhill and on the final climb, things broke up. Mara did a great job of doing just enough. She finished with her main GC rivals.Time to recover fast, because the really hard racing was about to start.
Stages 7:
OK... NOW the REAL climbing began. We started along the south end of Lake Como and raced 15km up the east coast. At that point, we turned directly onto a 13k climb. WooHoo. Then, we went downhill, followed by around 40k flattish, before another long climb up to the Madonna Ghisallo.
Game was on. The plan was to have Team USA deliver Mara and I to the bottom of the first climb. Then Mara would hammer away, while I planned to stay as close as possible, so that I could come back and help.
The team was awesome! They gave us a perfect 15k leadout, and we were off. Mara was away w/ only 2 other riders at the top. However the gap was not big enough to keep off the chasing descenders. I was close enough to come back after the downhill.
In the middle of the stage, Evelyn Stevens, USA but riding for her trade team, got away solo on the flat section and stayed away to win the stage. Amazing ride by her. While she was on escape, Guderzo's team did some chasing. I attacked before the last climb, forcing Guderzo and the others to eventually react. I was caught part way up the climb, at which point Mara went again. She was not able to solo away, but she did get away with only 2.
Meanwhile, I sat on Vos, who was wearing the pink jersey. She and Hausler chased the others back on the downhill. The run into the finished had a few more attacks, but we ended with our group sprinting for 2nd. Great day for Mara. She showed her strength, and we saw who the threats were.
I was super happy to feel my legs and fitness coming back. Not all the way, but it was fun to have something to play with.
Stage 8:
This Stage started in Chiavanna and proceeded up for almost the entire day.
The first 30k were up, with the last portion being the Majola Pass. After this climb, we rode along the lake near St. Moritz. Spectacular.
Then we climbed up over 2000m two more times before finishing down in Livigno. USA was at it again.
Today, Amanda did some huge pace making along the road before the Majola. The other girls were good, too. I hit the front at the bottom of the Majola and tried to ride a tempo that would set Mara up.
She was awesome. She exploded out of the bunch with Pooley and ended up solo'ing to victory and into the pink jersey. YES! Que que classico!!
Stage 9:
This was the stage that we all had been waiting for.
We started in Livigno, headed over two "small" climbs, and then finished on the Stelvio.
I was really, really looking forward to this day. Mara had a good grasp on the pink, and my fitness was coming around. For Mara, the day was beautiful again. Also again, Team USA showed our strength and unity. However... Amanda and I were in a bad crash on the first downhill. We were both in the front 15 going down really fast. Someone tried to squeeze by Amanda unnecessarily and bumped her bars. This caused her to go down hard. I was behind. Her bike flew across the road directly in front of me. I could not slow fast enough to allow it to pass by, nor could I get around it, it sawed off my front fork and took me down.
Mama mia. I ended up breaking my collarbone. Ouch. Amanda was covered with road rash but finished the stage. Today...
Stage 10 is going on while I am sitting at the hotel. I will post a quick note later, but Mara is safely in the pink jersey, and she and the USA team will win the Giro d'Italia.
It has been a really incredible race. Mara is such a special rider, and it has been fun for me to watch her grow and look out for her this week. In addition, it has been very fun to be with this entire group of American riders.
We have done a fantastic job of looking out for each other off and on the bike. The atmosphere, the growth of the group, and the performances have all been super. It has been a pleasure for me to race with these guys and to be a part of winning one of the greatest races in women's cycling.
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