Now for the women's Giro...

After being in Europe a little under a week I was asked, what races in Europe, if given the opportunity, would I most like to race? I answered, the Women’s Giro of course, and some of the world cups. I thought it was a possibility that I would one day get to race the Giro, at least when I had been in Europe for more than three months. I said to myself, in two or three years maybe I’ll get that opportunity.

Just a few months after being asked that question I found myself donning the Australian colours for the second time and taking the start line of one of the biggest races on the women’s racing calendar. Seven other fellow Australian female cyclists also pulled those green and gold stripes over their shoulders and took to the start line of the Giro Donne or the Women's Tour of Italy. Two of these girls, Lauren Kitchen and Miffy Galloway had progressed with me through the junior ranks and it was great to share the experience with both girls.

Amber Halliday (current Amy Gillett scholarship holder and a team mate in China), Carlee Taylor (current AIS scholarship holder and former Amy Gillett scholarship holder), Belinda Goss (current AIS scholarship holder and medalist at this years Track World Championships), Shara Gillow (Queensland Academy of Sport scholarship holder) and Tiffany Cromwell (current AIS scholarship holder and member of the American professional team, Colivata) made up the remainder of the Australian team.

With an average age of 21, the squad was one of the youngest and most inexperienced teams competing in this years Giro which was to be a ten day tour, with one 2.5 kilometre prologue, one 13 kilometre time trial and eight road stages. The majority of the road stages were unfortunately plagued with 10 kilometre burgs to suit the Italian favourite and last years winner, Fabianna Luperini.

Despite having been advised that the blogging of my Giro exploits should be limited to ‘I refuse to acknowledge the Giro’ and ‘Moving on from my Giro experience…’ I will try and provide you with a bit more insight into what it is like to race one of the hardest, and longest professional Women’s stage races on the calendar.

Far removed from the mass of media, fenced off areas, VIP sections, crazed fans and podium girls of the men’s Giro d’Italia, the women's Giro d'Italia instead has a surprisingly casual atmosphere surrounding it. This was especially surprising for a race in Italy, where passion and drama come second only to tans.

Friends and family make up the majority of the fans (thanks Mum, Dad and Chelsea) and the fenced off areas amount to a single yellow tent where teams congregate before signing on before each day’s stage, a tent that is far from impregnable. Team vans are parked in fields sans toilettes where bushes became the next best option.

Pasta with tomato paste sauce became our staple diet for the 10 days. Luckily for us our amazing swannie, Beth, has a knack for knowing exactly what cyclists need, practice makes perfect. Tasty sandwiches and a mind-blowing breakfast box, full with fruit bread, fruit, nutella, and scores of cereal helped keep us sane and our stomachs full.

The course for this years Giro was incredibly challenging and definitely something I wasn’t mentally, or physically prepared for. I had raced against many of the world’s top riders, such as Ina-Yoko Tuetenburg, Kirsten Wild and Marianne Vos, but never over 10 days and never over terrain presented by this years Giro.

The 2008 Giro d'Italia Femminile was a similar format to this years, however, the terrain was very different. In 2008 four of the seven road stages finished in mass bunch sprints. In 2009, only two stages were gruppo compacto at the end, even better, only one of them was actually raced by the entire peloton as many assessed the last stage’s course to be too dangerous to race on and chose to effectively neutralise the race.

Belinda Goss and I went into the Giro as the team sprinters, our job on the stages where a sprint was not likely was to look after all the girls by helping them with food, water and positioning. Carlee Taylor and Tiffany Cromwell had been singled out us the teams General Classification riders while Lauren Kitchen, Amber Halliday, Shara Gillow and Miffy Galloway were given the jobs of looking after both Tiff and Carlee to the best of their ability throughout the entire tour.

The 2.5 kilometre prologue was done and dusted for all of us in just over 3 minutes, Tiffany posted an impressive time and went into the first road stage in third position in the Young Rider classification.

Unlike 2008, there was to be no easing into the tour with a few flat stages, rather we were thrown straight onto the mountainous terrain which Italy is so well known for. I quickly found myself for the first, but definitely not the last time, in the ‘Bus’, ‘Laughing group’, or the ‘Grupetto’. This is the group that forms at the back of the bike race, where dropped riders work together to make sure they finish within the time limit for the days stage.

My first real chance to do my job as the team sprinter came on stage 4. The stage, which was a circuit course ridden four times, while not completely flat with a 7 kilometre drag, was one suited to the sprinters. I went into the stage eager to do what I do best, sprint.

Throughout the race I felt strong and positioned myself well. A puncture on the second lap threatened to curtail my race aspirations, but the team was quick to come to my aid with Amber Halliday immediately stopping with me to swap wheels and Lauren Kitchen helping me make my way back to the peloton.

Within 5 kilometres we were all back in the race and the flashbacks to my experience in the third stage of the Tour of Chongming Island were pushed to the back of my mind.

Despite the quick recovery from the puncture it was not to be my stage. A sharp left hand corner on the descent 10 kilometres from the finish proved to be my undoing. Taking the corner too fast my front wheel slipped out from under me and I came crashing down, signalling an abrupt end to my hopes of pulling out a result for the Australia team.

I made my way to the finish with the chasing group, never making contact with the front bunch again. The stage was won convincingly by Ina Tuetenburg.

After a few more visits to the Grupetto I was eventually forced to abandon the tour when I found myself isolated and at the back of the race. This marked the end of my first ever Giro d'Italia Femminile, seven days and 485 kilometres into my first major European tour.

Being pulled from the race was truly devastating, I can now fully sympathise with those riders struggling through this years Tour de France but not quite making it to Paris. Next year, hopefully I’ll be back, stronger and better prepared.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t the last of the Australian girls to find the Giro over before the last stage. Miffy, suffering from chronic back pain didn’t start the 7th stage and Belinda, while starting the 7th stage wasn’t able to finish due to continuing pain in her arm after a crash in the United States a few weeks before.

The rest of the girls continued on with the tour doing Australia proud. Tiff finished third overall in the young rider classification and Amber began to find her feet in the European peloton with some strong finishes towards the end of the tour such as her 13th place in the eighth stage. Lauren, Carlee and Shara continued to work for the team doing their jobs well.

The Giro was, although incredibly hard and emotionally draining, a great experience. It was great to ride again in the Australian colours in such an awesome team. Martin Barras ran a very well organised and professional team which I felt privileged to be a part of. It was great to share the experience with girls like Lauren, Miffy and Carlee, girls who I’ve grown up and competed with for years.