Wow. Sarah Ulmer broke away with 12 laps to go in a 20 lap race at the Wellington Round of the Womens World cup. It sure looks good for her change from the individual pursuit to the time trial at the Commonwealth games. Straight after the race she spent the next 30 minutes signing autographs for kiwi kids. You have to be a kiwi to understand how big an icon she is over here. The media puts incredible pressure on her, without realising the quality of the opposition. How does she do it? A bit like that other Kiwi icon Erin Baker, she trains harder than the other women. A very tight course with heaps of corners, very strong winds, and several testing hills meant that the bunch could not afford to slack off at all if they were going to catch her. At some point they must have decided that the chase was in vain, and they would sprint for the remaining points, Ulmer not having the World Cup series as one of her goals . If you want to see how strong the winds were, read some of the other riders diaries. This time last year they were hauling windblown girls out of trees during the womens tour that preceded the World Cup race.
Photo by me.
Photo by me.
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