Race HQ had been a hive of activity for several days before the tour got underway on Wednesday (17th June), with Sweetspot staff putting the finishing touches to many months of solid and meticulous planning. The atmosphere was that of quiet excitement and anticipation, okay overt excitement in my case as it has become my favourite week of the year! Once all the Sweetspot race staff are kitted out, courtesy of Steve Joughin's company ProVision Clothing, my job is essentially done. Time to soak up the atmosphere and catch up with friends from far and wide who can be found working behind the scenes at pretty much every major cycling event across the country.
From the immaculate fleet of Skoda cars lined up ready to have their race accreditation applied, to the arrival of the race staff and Race HQ slowly turning into the ultimate hub of all things cycling, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what makes the build up so exciting. After all, it is not every day of the week that you are stood in the breakfast queue behind Joanna Rowsell and Katie Archibald and discussing time trialling tactics with Dame Sarah Storey! Perhaps that is what sets the women's pro cycling scene apart from the men's - approachability and accessibility.
I was lucky enough to be able to spend Stage One on the road with the (American) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team. The drive from Ipswich to Bury St Edmunds was spent chatting to mechanic Geert, discussing road racing in Belgium, life on tour etc., whilst following the 'big blue' team bus driven by Luc. The team parking area was already busy with expectant fans, young and old, male and female, some with bikes some without. The UHC bus, by far the biggest team vehicle, unsurprisingly, attracted a fair bit of attention, especially with local rider Hannah Barnes on the team.
It was soon time to roll out of Bury and in the privileged front seat of the UHC race car! The crowds were massive and the support on every corner, QoM, Chain Reaction Sprint, village and town was simply superb. Sitting in our place in the convoy, we were receiving regular updates on race radio; two of 'our' riders were in the break - Katie Hall and Coryn Rivera. All of a sudden it was 'stop, stop, stop... enforced level crossing!' This provided an impromptu opportunity to get fluids to the rest of the team while they were held. The break had crossed just in the nick of time, so were now far enough up the road to enable us to move through the peloton to replace bottles and for Rachel (Directeur Sportif [DS]) to let the girls know what was happening behind.
Despite working well together - as was to become customary throughout the tour - the break was caught in the closing stages and formed a bunch sprint, won by Lizzie Arnitstead of Boels-Dolmans. A result which rapidly ended her Tour as she went flying head-on into an event photographer, taking several riders down with her, including both Katie and Coryn. Despite struggling on through Stage two, Coryn later discovered that she had broken her wrist, which also forced her to withdraw, not before she had secured her (Pro Vision Clothing) Best Young Rider's jersey for the second day though!
Part II: On the road with neutral service by Vittoria to follow...
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