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Tour de Feminin Krasna Lipa · 14/07/10

Rapha Condor were offered the opportunity to take part in the Tour de Feminin Krasna Lipa a 2.2. UCI stage race in the Czech Republic. Not all the riders could attend due to other commitments on the UK scene and likewise other UK female riders wanted to take part in the race but didn’t have the support.

Rapha Condor formed a composite team to give the riders who wanted to attend the chance to race against the continents top female riders.

Natalie Creswick (Twickenham CC), Corrine Hall, Rachel Przybylski (Rapha Condor), Ali Holland and Anna Fischer (Max Gear RT). Flew out of London on Wednesday 7th bound for a sun drenched Czech Republic assisted by Rapha Condor’s Rene Groot and James Duguid.


Team riders from right to left: Anna Fischer, Alli Holland, Rachel Pryzbrilski, Natalie Creswick, Corrine Hall.

Day 1 – Stage 1
On paper an easy the 116km stage from Krásná Lipá didn’t look too troublesome. But the weather was hot and the stage was anything but flat and testing. The riders all finished in the front group placing the Rapha Condor All Stars team 5th overall from 29 teams. The stage win going to seasoned elite rider Trixi Worrack.

Day 2 – Stage 2
With a taste for the racing, day two would begin and end in Jirkov but tackle some serious ascents along the 110km route. As the race returned to Jirkov for laps around the town Natalie Creswick attacked. The Brit who rode to 7th in the recent National Champs extended her lead instantly but a bunch packed with full time professional teams refused to let her get away.

Day 3- Stages 3 & 4
The riders took went to bed early on Friday night ahead of the 7.30am police escort into Poland for stage 3 a 20km individual TT. The time trial would play to strengths of youngest rider in the squad, 18-year old Corrine Hall. Early this year she finished 8th in the 2010 National 10 and 3rd in the Individual TT at the Bedford 2day and meant a chance for riders to make places on the GC.

Legs were weary after two days of hard riding and Natalie brought home the time team finding herself just seconds away from the top 30 followed up by Corrine. The team slipped to 7th overall in the standings.

The race leader Trixi Worrack would continue to dominate the race and rode to a win in the time trial from 125 starters:

1.Trixi Worrack – 26min 41 secs
32. Natalie Creswick: 2mins 40 secs
38. Corrine Hall: 2min 44 secs
43. Anna Fischer: 2mins 58secs
95. Ali Holland: 4mins 55secs

Legs were rested up over lunch in preparation for Stage 4. 4 laps of a lumpy 23km course. The morning’s efforts showed with plenty of riders from across the peloton slipping on and off the bunch. Unfortunately this included Ali and Corrine and gave the team a few heart in mouth flutters but they fought hard and rode back onto the bunch.

But just as soon as they are on a crossing comes down for a train and in the front group which included Natalie, Ali and Anna but for a heart wrenching moment Corrine looked as if she could get delayed. Anna was taken out during the stage but wasn’t about to be stopped from finishing and rode back to the peloton to finish with the bunch.

Day 4 – Stage 5
The final stage was a lumpy 100km from Varnsdorf back to Krasna Lipa. Several attacks came to nothing/ The the overall placings on the GC has already been decided with Trixi Worrack taking overall victory. The Rapha Condor riders aimed to keep their places on GC and complete the race. The hot and hilly final stage began fast with several riders shelled but all Rapha Condor riders were safely tucked in the front group.

At 10km it was clear this was going to come down to a sprint. And sprinters teams organising themselves for the a gallop. A 1 km climb separated the Rapha Condor girls between that and completing the race. In the sprint Anna finished highest just inside the top 30 followed by Natalie and Ali a few seconds later and then Corrine.

Reflection

After the race the riders had time to reflect:

“The Czech republic was a great experience, it was a tough, hilly race which proved to be exciting on each stage.”

Commenting on the weather Corrine Hall continued

“the heat was intense which made the climbs that much harder. The quality of riders was high, but this gave us a better target to aim for and prove ourselves as a team.”

Speaking about what they ahead, Corrine said

“We are all very proud of what we achieved out there and it has helped set our targets for more larger races abroad.”

National Hill Climb champ Alli, had nothing but praise for their ride

“It was awesome! We had a great time time, it was a fantastic to be part of a team and ride as a unit. We all had a amazing experience and the racing was another level which we are not used to. We are looking to ride abroad more and enter the harder hillier races that we often don’t always see in the UK. Well done to everyone that helped us and to all the girls especially!”

Results
After a hot five days out in the east. The composite team for Rapha Condor finished 7th overall from 25 final teams and the girls finding their names in the top half of the final standings:

23. Natalie Creswick
27. Anna Fischer
44. Ali Holland
57. Corrine Hall

102 finishers from 175 starters, 25 international teams including several National squads.

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