Team Cyclingnews.com - 2005

Team Journal Entry - September 14, 2005, by Cam Jennings

A good block of racing

Hi all,

Well it has been a while since I've last kept in touch with how things are going, but it's been pretty busy of late and my inspiration to write has been low. So here goes...

Chateroux

I believe last time I wrote we were all getting ready for a good block of racing. The block started as we travelled down to France for the Chateroux classic, a 1.1 event a few hours south of Paris. It was a good event - fast - and we all had a good day out, trying our best to get amongst it and animate the race. Came down to a bunch sprint and Cody was up there but didn't get classified. I also tried to get in the sprint and came in at the back in 32nd. Bit of a team highlight was at the team presentation when the announcer Daniel Mengeas looked across and spotted our Daniel Willems. His face lit up like he was seeing an old friend and I know my French is no good, but he gave Daniel a huge wrap and the crowd went wild. Daniel doesn't seem to get much attention from the press as being one of Belgium's greatest cyclists so it was great to see him get a wrap. We could all tell he enjoyed it.

GP Stad Zottegem

Back to Belgium, and a day of rest before Zottegem on Tuesday, another 1.1. Again it was fast, and we dug in and had a go, but like Sunday it came down to a bunch sprint. There were numerous attacks on the last lap and I was away for a bit, but there were a few teams keen on keeping it together. There was a right hand corner some 500m out and low and behold there was a crash in the first 20 riders. Felled a few riders and caused countless others to stop and unclip, me being one of them. Cruised across the line and it was my turn to miss classification. Never mind.

Druiven Koerse Overijse

Backed up for Overijse on Wednesday; another 1.1 and probably the hardest of the lot. A real tough course, a lot of climbing, but was motivated to do a good ride as it was in our back yard and around my favourite training roads here in Belgium. The 200km started briskly again and it wasn't long before Glen and I found ourselves off and/or near the front. Glen followed a move and was away in a strong group. A couple of teams missed it and worked hard to bring it back. Over the three big laps of 35km the front group never got out more than two minutes and come the second tough local lap it was all back together, but only for a moment. It went again and Glen picked the group again and was off. It was then a matter of attrition up front, and in our chase group, staying with the moves and groups over the hills around Overijse. Eventually a group got away from Glen and rode strongly to the finish. Glen had a good day to finish 23rd and I finished in the big group a few minutes down. Happy to get three 190km 1.1 races out of the way in four days and showed that my condition was still ok.

Schal-Sels Merksem

Had a bit of time between races before lining up for Schal-Sels Merksem, another 1.1 in Antwerp. The 210km course floated around the north of Belgium before scooting off into Holland for a trip around the narrow twisty Dutch roads that we all love. By this stage a group of nine was off the front with Tom, so everything was looking good. However, over a stretch of cobbles the pace was upped and Tom was dropped and then groups of three and four kept on getting across so it came to a situation where there were 15 up front and none of thus. Once we returned to better roads we mounted a chase with the Jartazzi team. It was up to me today to get a good result and the guys were ploughing along up front catching all the riders that had dropped out of the front group.

As we got to the local laps only six riders were up front, but I was starting to feel pretty average. I told the guys to stop working and I would see if I could follow something in the last few laps. A few riders got away on the last lap but I couldn't go with them. Cody put in a sprint for the minor placings behind the six up front and I was also in that bunch. Also, in that race I started to experience a little niggle in my right knee, so the following four days before GP Jef Scherens were spent floating around and getting as much treatment on it as possible from Gilbert. Happy to say, that come Sunday it was feeling ok.

GP Jef Scherens

GP Jef Scherens in Leuven is a race that gets me going. Seems to be a race that suits me and I always have a good day there. Would like to think that this year was no different. A break of six riders went on the first lap, with all the big teams represented, and it quickly gained a lead of 45 seconds on the bunch. I then placed myself in a chase group of four trying to get to the leaders, but never really gained ground on them. After a lap of trying we were pulled back. More attacks, and Kane and Glen got into a strong chase group of eight, and after a good lap of chasing I joined Glen and Kane in a group of five along with two Davitamon-Lotto riders, Rory Sutherland from Rabobank and a Skil-Moser rider. We were catching the group up front but then the momentum in the group seemed to drop and anther group, a bigger bunch than we were told, caught up. And still the group out front had a minute or so.

With four laps to go it split again and Hamish got amongst it after being quiet and following all day. After a hard chase up front he caught the leaders. In the bunch Glen and I were lucking out getting into breaks, only then to see our efforts thwarted by the big teams who had riders up front. Kane unfortunately had to pull out with a re-occurrence of the leg injury he had in Canada. Meanwhile, Hamish was up front but couldn't hold the pace as the race entered its final lap, and dropped from the lead. Glen and I were frustrated in the bunch behind as riders who had been dropped continued to catch back due to the pace forced by the bigger teams. In the end Hamish was 11th and Glen and I finished in the big group, sprinting out for 20th or so. A bit disappointed with the end result but happy to be have been up at the pointy end of the race...

In other news, some of the guys are starting to filter off home and get ready for the Sun Tour back in more familiar surroundings. Tank's come back from England visiting family well fed and looking like a Ben Sherman catalogue. His busted wings have recovered well and has started training on the road again. Currently he's back home dodging Brisbane cab drivers and training hard.

Likewise Cody is home in Sydney (so the house phone is free everyone) and Dan is back home on the Gold Coast getting pampered by Mum, no less. So, this leaves only Kane, Jeremy and myself bouncing around the walls of our house. Still some good racing left to do and after an easy week where I am letting my knee settle down should go well. Then it's home, Sun Tour and the Tour of Queensland with the Rocky boys.

Till next time we meet,
Cameron