6-9 Apr Tour de Lakes

Gabby flying through the Prologue course

Over Easter weekend, Soul Star Racing riders Gabby Vermunt, Laura Thompson, Kat Jones, Aimee Burns and I (Jeannie Kuhajek) headed to Central Otago to race the Vital Signs Tour de Lakes, an awesome event put on each year for the last 17 years by Cycling Southland http://www.cyclingsouth.org.nz/index.php?pageLoad=108. Race Director Allan Dunn does an excellent job putting on a great tour and has placed an emphasis on growing the women’s event. We had 20 amazing women come out and race this year. Let’s get behind Allan and aim for an even bigger field in 2013. 

Prologue

The Tour started on Good Friday afternoon with a 5.4 km prologue in Cromwell. SSR made a great start with Gabby putting in the fastest ride of the field to begin the tour in the yellow leader’s jersey with Laura not far behind in third. Track-specialist Kylie Young filled the number two spot.

Stage One

Saturday morning, as we waited for the start of Stage One, 45 km from Kingston to Five Rivers, the sun bathed us in warm rays, warding off the morning chill. With a nasty climb right at the start of the stage, we decided to take an aggressive approach. I attacked on the climb less than a kilometre into the race. A very in-form Sophie Williamson (H&J Outdoor World) responded immediately and the two of us were clear by the top of the hill. We were soon joined by Haley Mercer (Benchmark Homes), followed by Laura, and then Julia Grant (Benchmark Homes) and Erin Criglington.  Motivated to gain time on Gabby, Sophie, Julia, Haley and Erin drove the pace and the bunch was quickly out of sight. Within less than 10 km to race, Sophie showed her impressive hill-climbing form, riding away on the final climb and grabbing the QOM jersey which she retained for the remainder of the tour. In an exciting finish, we reeled her in within one kilometre from the line. Laura powered away for a solo finish while I sprinted in to take second, Erin third. The break moved Laura into yellow and me into the green sprint jersey.

Stage Two

Saturday afternoon’s stage, 80 km Five Rivers to Manapouri, was a fairly quiet stage with any breakaway attempts by SSR riders quickly neutralised. Heading into Manapouri the bunch was keen and the finish got messy. In a long, gruelling sprint, speedy Southland sprinter Sequoia Cooper (H&J Outdoor World) came away with the win with Sophie on her wheel in second. Laura skilfully manoeuvred through the bunch to grab third with no changes in GC.  

Stage Three

Rainbow over Manapouri Sunday morning

Easter morning, we were treated to a brilliant rainbow brightening the skies over Manapouri as a light sprinkling of rain fell while we warmed up for Stage Three, a 20 km individual time trial from Manapouri to Te Anau. The course headed gradually uphill for 16 km followed by 4 km of gentle descent into the finish just outside of Te Anau. The drizzle passed by the time the first rider headed off, but the relatively still air in Manapouri became a crosswind en route as the course headed north, and then eventually a brutal cross-head wind over the last one third of the course. The result was trying conditions for race-weary legs. But strong riders prevail when the racing gets tough, and the ride of the tour came from Gabby who showcased her top-notch time-trialling ability and showed herself to be the strongest rider in the tour, powering to an amazing time over the 20 kilometers over 2 minutes faster than the next rider. Gabby’s time was 13^th fastest of the 103 competitors in the entire tour and beat all but two of the B-grade men. Awesome work Gabby.  In a mirror of the prologue podium, Kylie took second and Laura third, adding an extra 52 seconds to her lead.

Stage Four

Aimee winning Stage Four

After lunch, rain once again threatened on the horizon but fortunately passed with little more than a brief sprinkle before the start. The afternoon stage, 80 km from Te Anau to Five Rivers, was an exciting and dynamic stage with SSR putting in attack after attack. Eventually a three-rider break stuck and Aimee took the fourth stage win for SSR with Georgia Timpany (H&J Outdoor World) second and Julia third. Sequoia moved into the green jersey with Laura retaining yellow.

Stage Five

Lake Wakatipu from the road to Glenorchy

Monday morning, the tour headed along the picturesque road between Queenstown and Glenorchy hugging the shore of Lake Wakatipu. The 45 km stage along undulating roads, including several substantial climbs, was challenging on tired legs. Coming into the fast finish just outside of Glenorchy, we launched Gabby off the front of the pack but the effort was just a touch too early and Gabby was swamped at the line with Sequoia taking the stage, Sophie second and Laura third.

Stage Six

Laura finishing the Tour at the top of Moke Lake Road

The afternoon took us 40 km back along the road we’d just come, up the steep side of Mt Creighton, over the punishing climb out of Wilson Bay, before turning off to finish with a 3 km grind up to Moke Lake. Kat did an excellent job for SSR controlling the pace over the first half of the course. Mid-stage, the long climb up Mt Creighton shattered the bunch and the front was whittled down to five: Laura, Gabby, Sophie, Haley and Julia. Sophie used her excellent hill-climbing form to up the pace on every remaining climb, pushing Laura to the limit and in the end prevailing to take the stage. Julia crossed the line second, with Gabby third and Laura fourth. Laura put in an amazing fight to keep the jersey. At the top of the final climb, it all came down to mere seconds, with Sophie taking the yellow jersey by 4 seconds over 9 hours of racing. SSR took the top even spots with Laura second and Gabby fourth, and Julia finishing third.

Thanks to Bruce Wilson and Rick O'Shay for some amazing photos.

We had a great tour and, although we remain in the steep part of the learning curve as a team, we’re moving forward rapidly, shaking off injuries and fine tuning our form. Our next race is this weekend in Round 2 of the Benchmark Elite Cycling Series in Hokitika on Sunday. While Kat and I take a break concentrate on healing up our injuries, Gabby, Aimee and Laura will be joined by Serena Sheridan in her SSR debut.