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Here’s the report form Lynn and Roberto Gaggioli at
Team Monex.
After the success at the Joe Martin stage race, Team Monex
drove 2 hours closer to Little Rock to Russellville for the
Tri-Peaks stage race the following weekend. Host housing was
welcoming and put up with us for a week, the hosts happened
also to be the promoter and neighbor, who was the housing
coordinator. So we had the good information on the courses
and road the stages for training during the week and well
as generous housing.
The weekend started with a crit Friday night in the mid-90
degree temperature in the evening on the University campus.
It was tricky with many corners. Some of us felt good, some
felt tired from the week of training.
The next morning bright and early racing started at 7:30 am.
This was a good course, but the early start slowed down the
competitors of both the men and women’s races and while
there was a good amount of steep power climbs throughout the
course, the women’s race ended in a field sprint which
I won.
Sunday morning another early start, both the men and women
would race 96 miles ending with a 4km steep hill climb, which
many of us have never seen anything like before. This was
an astonishing climb and while I was still tired from the
week’s training I was able to win again and win the
overall. See posting below:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road.php?id=road/2005/may05/tri-peaks05/tri-peaks053
After Tri-Peaks the team drove up to Virginia to stay with
Lynn’s family on their farm. And a relaxing and beautiful
farm it is with a dozen cows, a dozen German short-hair pointers,
half dozen goats, two baby goats, two horses, three cats,
and a lama named Jimbo. Usually there is a handful more of
a litter of some kind of animal. We call it “Woody’s
arc” and everyone knows the animals are there for the
sake of enjoying the company of the animals.
Later that week, we drove onto Richmond for CapTech, a race
I has won two year’s prior and Monex’s Gordon
won last year. The men made a good amount of prize money and
enjoyed the challenge of a late night race.
Early the next morning Roberto drove me to Washington-Dulles
where I would fly out to Montreal for the World Cup that Saturday
and Le Grand Tour du Montreal the following Monday through
Thursday.
I had a great showing at the World Cup, the course was well
suited for me. On each lap up the climb, the field of women
grew smaller. Some attacks were made going up the climb, each
one I followed ready to make a break-away. However, come the
last lap there were still fifteen women in the field and with
a few very strong women to win the sprint at the end I took
a gamble. Instead of waiting to the finish for the sake of
finishing in the top ten after sitting in, I made my own move
and was solo for the first half of the last lap, I was caught
and attacked again. Within 500meters of the finish I was caught
in the uphill lead out for the finishing sprint, but still
managed to place 16th for the World Cup. Below is an except
from cyclingnews:
“The final lap saw Biovail's Lynn Gaggioli almost fool
them all. "Gagg" took advantage of a moment of hesitation
in the lead group over the top of the climb and used her terrific
jump to get a slight lead on the descent. But the pack strung
itself out and Gaggioli was brought back - until she launched
again, creating a gap of a few hundred metres that looked
like it might just work. But it was not to be; with a kilometre
to go she was reeled in.”
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2005/may05/montreal05/?id=results
The Tour du Montreal was another experience, each day the
stages started in the evening around dinner time. It was difficult
to sit all day waiting for the racing, but I was staying in
a nice hotel in Montreal near a very trendy section and enjoyed
the scenery and cute shops, next door was free wireless at
the Starbucks which also worked very well. The main goal for
the Tour was to keep in form for the Liberty Classic that
following Sunday. Nonetheless, not one to enjoy sitting in
this year, I made an early attack up the steep climb on Stage
2, Genevieve Jeanson went with me and looking back I saw that
a small chase group of the right people were not far behind.
So I dug in and powered across the top, hoping the chase group
would following suit and would soon join Jeanson and myself
making a winning break away. But my move was too strong, the
chase group was caught by the field. Jeanson and I went off
on our own to take time bonuses. Without knowing the course
too well, and lacking a good feed from the caravan I started
to fade after 30km and Jeanson went off on her own up the
hill. I was eventually caught by the field being lead by Judith
Arndt, and the field, a remaining group of 20, continued on
to catch Jeanson, within 20km to finish they did. There was
another climb to line and with a few attacks the group split
up leaving only 12 to battle for the sprint. I was blocked
in, but finished 9th. Not good for a sprint among 12 but,
good for the overall. Below is the report for the day:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road.php?id=road/2005/may05/montrealtour05/montrealtour052
The following day was fast and flat, so I decided to sit in
this day, relax and spin to keep my legs fresh and wait for
the field sprint. The final day was slower, the riders were
growing tired and resting more conservatively for the Liberty
Classic. The race ended with an uphill field sprint and I
again sprinted among the best.
On Sunday the men would race the USPRO Championship 157 mile
course and the women would race the Liberty Classic, same
course, but less laps totaling 57 miles. Usually in the women’s
race a break goes away on the fourth lap up the climb, or
occasionally ends in a field sprint. But this year, I had
an intuitive feeling a move would go the first time up the
hill. And it did, in a large part due to the work of the big
teams’ desire to race without the remaining 180 women.
A group of 16 pulled away for the day and finished in a tricky
and unexpected sprint, I placed 10th. Not good for a spring
among that group, but good for the overall.
After Philly we drove immediately onto Minneapolis for the
Nature Valley Grand Prix. Par for course in Philly, I caught
one of the circulating sickness, this year a sinus infection.
It hit Sunday night during the drive. I rested and took good
care of myself with help from Massimo Testa’s advice
and still started the time trial, but was cautious not to
overextend my health as my main priorities will be Nationals
the end of this month and the Giro d’Italia beginning
July 1st.
Nonetheless, each day my health improved and by the end I
was able to race aggressively:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2005/jun05/naturevalley05/?id=results/naturevalley055\
And as a result for the day I have been noted among the top
women in sport included Serena William and Danica Patrick:
http://www.womenssportsnet.com/
We have spent an enjoying week in Evergreen Colorado at 9,500
ft and will be on our way to Park City for Nationals in a
few days.
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