April 10, 2008 (Holland) – Today was our first race here in Holland, Drentse 8 van Dwingeloo, round one of the Ronde Van Drenthe (Tour of Drenthe). We arrived two days ago with the national team after Redlands and not quite recovered from the jet lag. We knew today was going to be a tough day. The 124.5 km course was five laps around a 25km circuit with five sprint lines per lap – 95% cobblestone, on narrow and windy roads, and of course completely flat.

The race started out really fast since the first sprint was only 3km into the race. After that there were some attacks that Erinne and Leigh covered. At about 18km a rider attacked in a section with a few sharp turns, I was near the front and decided to go with her. Soon after there were six of us with a gap that was slowly growing. We kept a very high tempo, and since High Road missed it they were launching off girls from the main peloton to try to bridge, but nobody would let any of them go.

The tempo stayed high for the rest of the race, we never let up. The only chance I had to rest was when the girls went for the sprint lines and I just sat on to save some energy. The US team and a few others kept a steady pace back in the main peloton. When the gap was at about 3:50 with about two laps to go High Road started chasing. We were all getting really tired and a couple girls would occasionally stop pulling which really started to frustrate some of the other girls. Since the gap was getting closer, (now at less than two minutes) one of the girls in our group attacked and nobody wanted to close it. Then another girl went with her. So now there were four of us working together about 15 seconds behind the other two.

Our group got caught with about 12km to go and the peloton kept chasing hard until they caught the other two out front as well. I stayed near the front so I could be there for the final sprint, but with about 8-9 km to go as we entered a 1-meter wide nasty cobble section there was a crash right in front of me which I couldn’t avoid! So I did a total flip over the handle bars and landed in the bushes right along side Alison Powers. It took a while to get unstuck and fix my bike. The pack was long gone.

Once I got on my bike I noticed that my radio was missing, and as we were given strict instructions before the race from Vincent (Jourdain, our coach) not to lose it, I went back to get it. About 10 of us rode in together for the rest of the race. Erinne and Leigh finished about top 25.

Unfortunately we didn’t get top 12 where the UCI points are but we all got in some good hard miles in our legs! And I have to say that Drenthe might have been the hardest race I’ve ever done – I’ve never held that hard of a tempo for 100km before! We are all resting up now for the World Cup on Saturday. Gina sat out today and will be racing on Saturday as well.

Thank you to our national team sponsors that made this project possible: L2RCP, H&R Block and Tim Hortons.

Results

1. Ina Teutenberg (Ger) Team High Road Women 3.15.00 (38.307 km/h)
2. Regina Schleicher (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung
3. Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Menikini – Selle Italia
4. Julia Martisova (Rus) Gauss RDZ Ormu
5. Martina Corazza (Ita) Gauss RDZ Ormu
6. Lauren Franges (USA) US National Team
7. Belinda Goss (Aus) Australia
8. Emma Johansson (Swe) AA-Drink Cycling Team
9. Oxana Kozonchuk (Rus) Menikini – Selle Italia
10. Ludivine Henrion (Bel) AA-Drink Cycling Team
11. Lianne Waghto (Ned) Restore Cycling Ladies
12. Suzanne De Goede (Ned) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung
13. Jennifer Hohl (Swi) Bigla Cycling Team
14. Elke Gebhardt (Ger) Germany
15. Bettina Kuhn (Swi) Bigla Cycling Team
16. Oenone Wood (Aus) Team High Road Women
17. Arantzazu Azpiroz (Spa) Bizkaia – Durango
18. Adrie Visser (Ned) Team DSB Bank
19. Kori Kelley Seehafer (USA) Menikini – Selle Italia
20. Daiva Tuslaite (Ltu) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox 0.07
21. Pascale Jeuland (Fra) Vienne Futuroscope
22. Claudia Witteveen (Ned) Merida
23. Romy Kasper (Ger) Germany
24. Kelly Druyts (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen Thompson Ladies Team
25. Bianca Knoepfle (Ger) Team Flexpoint
26. Rasa Leleivyte (Ltu) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox
27. Sofie De Vuyst (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen Thompson Ladies Team
28. Erinne Willock (Can) Webcor Builders Cycling Team 0.09
29. Elodie Touffet (Fra) Gauss RDZ Ormu
30. Leigh Hobson (Can) Canada
31. Karen Steurs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen Thompson Ladies Team
32. Adriene Snijder (Ned) Team Flexpoint
33. Elisabeth Braam (Ned) Team Flexpoint
34. Iosune Murillo Elkano (Spa) Bizkaia – Durango
35. Emma Mackie (Aus) Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam
36. Anne Samplonius (Can) Canada
37. Vicki Whitelaw (Aus) Australia
38. Sara Carrigan (Aus) Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam
39. Liesbeth Bakker (Ned) Vrienden Van Het Platteland
40. Suzanne Kuiper (Ned) Restore Cycling Ladies
41. Mirjam Hauser-Senn (Swi) Team Specialized Designs For Women
42. Jacobien Kanis (Ned) Team Flexpoint
43. Marieke Van Wanroij (Ned) Team DSB Bank
44. Marit Huisman (Ned) Vrienden Van Het Platteland
45. Olena Sharga (Ukr) Ukraine
46. Veronica Andreasson (Swe) Bigla Cycling Team
47. Verónica Leal Balderas (Mex) Gauss RDZ Ormu
48. Sandra Van Veghel (Ned) Merida
49. Catrine Josefsson (Swe) Bizkaia – Durango
50. Marlen Jöhrend (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung
51. Carmen Mcnellis (USA) US National Team
52. Linda Villumsen Serup (Den) Team High Road Women
53. Kristen La Sasso (USA) Team Specialized Designs For Women
54. Christina Becker (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung
55. Alexis Rhodes (Aus) Team High Road Women
56. Vera Koedooder (Ned) Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam 0.18
57. Amanda Spratt (Aus) Australia
58. Silvia Parietti (Ita) Gauss RDZ Ormu
59. Judith Helmink (Ned) Odisys 1.12
60. Emma Silversides (GBr) Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam 1.31
61. Eleonora Van Dijk (Ned) Vrienden Van Het Platteland 1.5
62. Iryna Shpylova (Ukr) Ukraine 2.36
63. Ana Garcia Antequera (Spa) Bizkaia – Durango 3.59
64. Megan Gaurner (USA) US National Team
65. Silvia Valsecchi (Ita) Menikini – Selle Italia
66. Emma Pooley (GBr) Team Specialized Designs For Women
67. Alex Wrubleski (Can) Webcor Builders Cycling Team
68. Mariëlle Kerste (Ned) Merida 4.03
69. Virginia Hennig (Ger) Germany
70. Emilie Blanquefort (Fra) Vienne Futuroscope
71. Bertine Spijkerman (Ned) Restore Cycling Ladies
72. Caroline Steffen (Swi) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team
73. Trine Schmidt (Den) Menikini – Selle Italia
74. Andrea Wolfer (Swi) Bigla Cycling Team
DNF Katherine Bates (Aus) Team High Road Women
DNF Hannah Welter (Ned) Team DSB Bank
DNF Yvonne Leezer (Ned) Team DSB Bank
DNF Josephine Groenveld (Ned) Team DSB Bank
DNF Evelien Bekkering (Ned) Team DSB Bank
DNF Eva Lutz (Ger) Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung
DNF Sereina Trachsel (Swi) Bigla Cycling Team
DNF Emma Rickards (Aus) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team
DNF Patricia Schwager (Swi) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team
DNF Pascale Schnider (Swi) Cervelo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team
DNF Elise Van Hage (Ned) Team Flexpoint
DNF Maxime Groenewegen (Ned) AA-Drink Cycling Team
DNF Gabrielle Rovers (Ned) AA-Drink Cycling Team
DNF Grete Treier (Est) Gauss RDZ Ormu
DNF Martine Van De Herberg (Ned) Vrienden Van Het Platteland
DNF Monique Verstraaten (Ned) Vrienden Van Het Platteland
DNF Nathalie Jeuland (Fra) Vienne Futuroscope
DNF Emmanuelle Merlot (Fra) Vienne Futuroscope
DNF Wenxia Wang (Chn) Giant Pro Cycling
DNF Sufen Ma (Chn) Giant Pro Cycling
DNF Fei Wang (Chn) Giant Pro Cycling
DNF Xin Liu (Chn) Giant Pro Cycling
DNF Linn Torp (Nor) Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam
DNF Lien Lanssens (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam
DNF Mireia Epelde (Spa) Bizkaia – Durango
DNF Dorleta Zorrilla Braceras (Spa) Bizkaia – Durango
DNF Jana Süss (Ger) Germany
DNF Denise Zuckermandel (Ger) Germany
DNF Sissy Van Alebeek (Ned) Odisys
DNF Yvonne Baltus (Ned) Odisys
DNF Njisk Nauta (Ned) Odisys
DNF Sofie Van Horik (Ned) Odisys
DNF Nina Kessler (Ned) Odisys
DNF Alison Powers (USA) US National Team
DNF Brooke Miller (USA) US National Team
DNF Jocelyn Loane (Aus) Australia
DNF Bridie O’donnell (Aus) Australia
DNF Sue Palmer-Komar (Can) Canada
DNF Felicia Gomez (Can) Canada
DNF Nina Ovchatenko (Ukr) Ukraine
DNF Oksana Kashchyshyna (Ukr) Ukraine
DNF Nataliya Fihurska (Ukr) Ukraine
DNF Loes Sels (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen Thompson Ladies Team
DNF Katrien Van Looy (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen Thompson Ladies Team
DNF Monika Furrer (Swi) Team Specialized Designs For Women
DNF Larssyn Rueegg (USA) Team Specialized Designs For Women
DNF Tanja Hennes (Ger) Team Specialized Designs For Women
DNF Yulia Blindyuk (Rus) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox
DNF Valentina Bastianelli (Ita) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox
DNF Veronica Alessio (Ita) S.C. Michela Fanini Record Rox
DNF Mirjam Van Dijk (Ned) Restore Cycling Ladies
DNF Kirsten Peetoom (Ned) Restore Cycling Ladies
DNF Marije Profijt (Ned) Merida
DNF Imke Hartogs (Ned) Merida
DNF Gina Haatz (Ger) Merida
DNF Ingeborg Kreuze (Ned) Peoples Trust Cycling Team
DNF Rixt Meijer (Ned) Peoples Trust Cycling Team
DNF Marieke Van Nek (Ned) Peoples Trust Cycling Team
DNF Judith Jelsma (Ned) Peoples Trust Cycling Team
DNF Joukje Braam (Ned) Peoples Trust Cycling Team
DNF Janieke Kalsbeek (Ned) Peoples Trust Cycling Team