Tiff any Cromwell
For many years, when I’ve planned my ideal race season at the beginning of each year with my team, I generally try to avoid as many race days in Holland as possible. It isn’t exactly my favourite country to race in, except if I find myself around the Limburg region, which is the only part of the country where you can find some altitude gain. Then it’s a completely different story. It’s not that I don’t like the land of tulips and windmills but when you’re a 50kg petite cyclist like myself, the notoriously windy flat land isn’t particularly friendly.
The past few seasons I’ve raced only two of the three Drenthe races in northern Holland, avoided ever having to line up in the Energiewacht Tour and after two DNFs at the Holland Ladies Tour, I said to myself I’d never go there again. So you can imagine what was going through my head when I joined Specialized-Lululemon and saw my race program would include all three Drenthe races, Energiewacht and, should I be on the team time trial squad for the World Championships, the Holland Ladies Tour, too.
For such a flat country it creates very challenging races. The words that come to mind when racing in Holland? Hard, fast, nervous, focus, stressful, positioning, push and shove… It’s a constant fight for position from start to finish as you battle some 160 women on roads barely wide enough for one car, and they all want to be at the front.
Then there’s the wind. Never have I seen the best riders in the world from the strongest teams line up 30 minutes before a race start anywhere else except in Holland.
With the narrowness of the roads making moving up through the bunch difficult and continual change in direction from start to finish, you can be hit with vicious crosswinds numerous times throughout the race. If you lose focus for one moment and find yourself out of position, in these winds it can be game over. Starting at the front is worth waiting around.
This year will be the year to conquer my fears and tackle the Dutch racing head- on. I do love a challenge and I believe racing your weakness helps you become a more complete rider. It has started well in Drenthe as I was happy with my performances throughout the three races but we shall see how I fair in the upcoming Energiewacht Tour.
If you can master the art of Dutch racing, you can master anything. Why else do you think the Dutch are the world number one nation in women’s cycling and produce so many world- class cyclists?