Behind the front of the race

There is a lot of racing at the front of the bunch, and today there were stage wins for Mila, Floor, Lennart, Bjørn, Erin, Tim, Tommy, Katie, Otto and Harry but behind the front there is a lot happening too. Phaedra and José were the human broomwagons for the youngest categories in Lieveren.

In category one Sofie van Steenoven was the lanterne rouge and me, José stayed with her. Every time I cheered her on she went a little faster. We constantly had Lize, the rider in front of us in sight but we couldn’t bridge across. During the race Sofie had time to update me on her dad’s sprained ankle situation. She was super cheerful and happy to race. The last kilometer with a headwind was a tough one but Sofie crossed the line and is ready to go again tomorrow!

Phaedra rode behind the category 3 riders who in all honesty are just way too fast for me. “Ryan Quigley sadly crashed early on in the race,” Phaedra recalls. “I helped him get the chain back on and he raced on. For a while he worked together with Tim Slootweg and then left Tim behind to race on. It’s really good to see how Ryan persevered after so much bad luck. That’s what makes a great bike rider!”

In category 2 I was ready to roll again behind the 32 riders. I told my littlest Welsh friend Harri I would beat him but alas, Harri averaged 35 km/h and for this 47-year-old that’s just way too much.

I stayed with Jennifer who got dropped in the first part of the race. She has some medical problems and needed an inhaler. On the back straight with the crosswinds Jennifer was struggling and got an astma attack. It was hot and dry. She stayed remarkably cool, got off the bike and took the inhaler that was fixed to her frame. I think I panicked more than Jennifer because I offered a seat in the broom wagon. She was adamant. No way. And we rode on.

Sadly, it happened twice more and this clumsy webmaster even dropped her inhaler. We agreed we would stick to one lap only and she crossed the line like a champ.

Jennifer showed that even when you have physical setbacks your mind can be strong, and she WAS strong and composed. Mum waited for her on the line and Jennifer was her happy self again and ready for tomorrow.

Every race has a winner but every race has multiple stories. It’s those stories that make our sport great. We can be inspired by the panache, perseverance and strength of these youngsters.

Thanks to everyone on the side of the road who cheered on all the riders, even the last ones! And to the motorbikes who even stayed with us!