Big smiles at Tour de L'Aude Feminin in 2004 (Image credit: velopalmares.free.fr)
The trick's taking it one step at a time
An all-rounder for one day events or stage races, German cyclist Trixi Worrack is one of the pillars of Equipe Nürnberger. The 24 year-old showed her great class for the first time when she won the World Time Trial Championships in 1998 as a Junior rider. Since then, the ambitious multiple German champion has continued to build up a successful career, winning the overall classification of the Tour de l'Aude last season and most recently taking victory at Primavera Rosa - by accident, so to speak, as she was actually planning to lead out the sprint for her teammates. Cyclingnews' Hedwig Kröner talked to Germany's next big female cycling star on the eve of the Flèche Wallonne 2005 World Cup race.
Cyclingnews: Congratulations on your victory at the Primavera Rosa. How did you see the finale on the Via Roma?
Trixi Worrack: Thanks. We were four in the front group that numbered about thirty riders, so we had several options open for the final. And when it came to the sprint, I was leading out for Oenone Wood and Regina Schleicher, but somehow I opened a gap to this group, so I just continued.
CN: How did your teammates react?
TW: Well, Oenone finally got third, and Regina fourth. We were all very happy! In the end, what counts is that our team wins the race. It's not about which individual rider does it.
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TW: Two riders were leading, and we were in the main bunch of about 20, chasing behind them. Then, one kilometre before the finish, we were directed the wrong way, so we didn't make it to the finish line [Worrack as well as the other riders were 'DNF' - ed.]. We'd been racing for third place, but in the end the group behind us got that. The World Cup points were awarded, and although we did protest against that decision, we couldn't change it. It was a real shame. At the time, Oenone was leading the World Cup, and I was second. We lost so many points because of that, and it wasn't even our fault. What a useless experience.
