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Race Results

"B" Worlds Road Race

Aigle, Switzerland

From  Derek McClean

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On July 3^rd, six women arrived at Aigle, Switzerland, as the Irish Road Squad to compete in the B World Championship Road Race. They had trained hard and raced hard since the start of the season and this was to be the main objective for their year. In alphabetical order the Squad was as follows: Debbie Booth, Karen Bothwell, Beth McCloskey, Marie Reilly, Kate Rudd, and Colette Swift.

Getting placed in the first nine guaranteed Ireland a place, or a maximum of two places for women at the Olympic games next year in Athens. The pressure of representing Ireland was apparent and the whole squad was nervous on the Friday morning when they went to recce the course under the watchful eye of Padraig Marrey who has been teaching, pushing, and forcing the best out of them all year.

Conditions were wet but warm and they completed two laps of the circuit between Aigle and Monthey. A ten mile circuit with a 2.5 mile climb each lap was going to sort out the wheat from the chaff, and at least a couple of the squad opted for a 25 tooth sprocket on the rear after their introduction.

All did not go smoothly though on this first ride as Debbie Booth crashed on the descent in the slippery conditions. Gravel rash and bruising on the left hip and knee were the result. Her Cannondale survived the experience with a few scratches as well. 

This was the biggest event I think that any of the squad had ever encountered and the first experience of  being pampered by Dolores Usher, Valerie Considine, and of course Padraig. Among them they massaged the legs and the minds of the six. John Keegan looked after the squads mechanical needs, leaving the team with nothing to do but rest, recover and prepare for the race.

Saturday brought another couple of laps of the circuit, this time at almost race pace and in brilliant sunshine. This helped Debbie, as after the crash, wet, fast corners were not her favourite pastime. Legs and mind were massaged and no one was allowed to be on their feet until early Sunday for breakfast.

A nervous gang of Irish women started the B Worlds at 9 o’clock on Sunday morning under a hot Alpine sun. The area really is beautiful but I don’t think the squad saw it that way.

Marie Reilly and Debbie Booth went for it from the start after a short neutralized run through Monthey Town. They dictated the pace of the race until the climb where near the top their early efforts paid the toll. Both lost contact with the bunch and near the bottom of the descent Marie punctured. Debbie hung back and together they set about getting back on. They were almost there when Debbie also punctured, however going through the start/finish going into lap 2 both were back in the bunch and after the short twisty lap of Monthey the whole Irish team were at the front of the peleton for lap two.

The second lap saw Kate Rudd away in a short lived break but showed that the squad were not there to be bullied.

On the climb on the third lap Li Meifeng of the Chinese team attacked with devastating effect blowing the field to pieces. This woman had the previous day won the Time Trial over 16km at a speed about 3km/hr slower than Lance Armstrong’s prologue in Paris at the start of Le Tour and used her time trial skills for the rest of the race. Meanwhile the rest of the Chinese Team tactically blocked any chasers for as long as they could.

When what was left of the bunch came through the start/finish going into the 4^th lap only Beth from the Irish team was still in contention. Colette and an Austrian girl were chasing hard to get back. Debbie and Karen were in a small group with two Vietnamese an Austrian and a Mexican and chased as hard as they could. Marie and Kate rode hard as well but mostly found themselves alone.

On the last lap, Colette and the Austrian got back with the main bunch and tried to ready themselves for a sprint, which could give Ireland a place or places in the Olympic games. Colette was the sprinter and with Beth in the bunch as a possible lead out things were looking good. However, the luck of the Irish deserted poor Beth as she after a Stirling ride, punctured a couple of Kilometres from the finish.

The Chinese team filed the rostrum with a stunning display of power and strength in depth. Nicole Cooke had better hope the Chinese don’t go to the Continent.

Colette finished 18^th with a turn of speed that impressed the commentators, Beth limped in after the puncture in 24^th. Debbie sprinted for the first time in her racing career to dispute 28^th place with a Mexican. Karen who was riding strongly had a chain derailment on the last climb and finished 33^rd. Marie who really suffered in the heat a strong 35^th and poor Kate was told by the Commissar to retire in case she would interfere with the finish, but she was never being lapped and many women who were behind her were credited with a finish.

So near but yet so far, the Olympic dream was not realised, close though. The squad rode the race as a Team and until the Chinese decimated the field they were aggressive and positive. Women’s Cycling in Ireland has taken a massive step forward this year and the Squad would like to express their gratitude to Valerie Considine, Padraig Marrey, John Keegan, Dolores Usher, Phil Cassidy, Brian Connachton, and the people behind the scenes in Cycling Ireland and those at Limerick Training Centre who helped to make this venture happen 

Two of the men’s team did however get Olympic places for Ireland, David McCann and Brian Kinneally brought home the bacon with McCann in particular finishing on the rostrum. This of course made it necessary to have a celebration after the race. Unfortunately I cannot remember enough about it to tell the story.

 Derek

PS. Kate and Marie have since taken the gold and silver medals at the Irish TT Champs..

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