Best Wishes Tamar

[the other Steve Dennis]

Tamar has been chosen to ride in the Surrey Women's team in foreign climes. So go for it Tamar, congratulations...

Read more here.... [url]http://www.londoncyclesport.com/news_2004/women_dom.html[/url]

[steve c]

i'll be the 1st to 2nd that.

[Tamar]

Thanks, but don't get too overexcited. Save your congratulations for if I actually manage to finish. I hear that they're pretty fearsome on the continent and we'll get pulled out if more than 5 mins off the pace.

Seeing as I almost got dropped in the neutralised zone on Sunday I don't fancy my chances.

Will post on Thu to let you know how I get on.

[Ian A4size]

Well done Tamar, all those mallarca miles must have paid off

Ian and Joanna

[Tamar]

Woooo! Belgian racing is amazing.

I started well up the pack of 120 riders but then encountered a slight problem in the neutralized zone as myself and several other riders ended up going down the left hand side of the road which then split off and we had to hop over a drainage channel to rejoin the race. I was crapping myself as my bike handling skills still leave a lot to be desired and I had visions of my wheels being whipped from under me. I even considered stopping and walking across. Anyhow - made it in one piece and on 2 wheels, but had lost a lot of ground.

Then the race started in earnest and as predicted it was fast and attacking from the off.

Tight corners, narrow roads and potholes aplenty made for a sporting event that quickly sorted the wheat from the chaff. A was most definitely in the back of the race when a big pile up on lap one slowed things up and gave me the opportunity to catch on a wheel. Hung onto a small group for half a lap but then got dropped. Tried to catch on again but eventually decided to hang around for another group to come by. Sure enough a group containing several other UK women came past so I hopped in with them. We eventually settled into a steady group of 6, but then me and another woman broke away and 2-upped onto another pair which included Chioma Cureton, a junior who rode an excellent first half of the race but then faded towards the end. We dropped Chioma and the remaining 3 of us were supposed to be working to catch the 2 women I could see ahead of us, but I didn't see my companions coming through v often. Was a bit peeved, but not too much as I felt great and was steaming along quite happily.

Then there was some commotion and a car came past, honking, with a guy waving a red flag and shouting something in French. I wondered if there was a crash ahead or something, it was all a bit confusing. Anyhow, as we approached the finish with 3 laps to go I think, the woman who'd made the initial break from the 6 with me, but who'd been gasping on my wheel for the last lap, suddenly started to sprint up the hill, I wondered what she was doing and thought, never mind, I can reel her in easy, but then we went through the finish and got told to stop. Apparently that was what the red flag and shouting meant. Ho hum. Doesn't matter - one place somewhere near the rear end of the field makes no odds. Had brilliant day out. Beat a fair few riders and stayed in the race for 1hr 40 mins...about an hour longer than anticipated. To give an idea of the standard, the race was won by the woman who's won the World Points Race championship for the last 3 years!! Scary stuff.

[JayneToyne]

that sounds great Tamar, can I copy and paste that in to the womens email group? do you still get the emails from that, they come through as [accbella] in the subject heading.

also a big congrats to Huw G for his success so far.