From Maggie Bromley
Rimini is a seaside resort on the Adriatic Sea, which in the height of season is crawling with tourists out to have a good time. Fortunately at the end of September it was a lot quieter and there was plenty of room for all the athletes and their supporters..
We arrived on Thursday, the weather was cool, cloudy and blowing a gale, not what we had expected for Italy in September. The wind continued to blow throughout Friday and Saturday..
First impressions were that things were well organised. We all received a copy of the athlete’s handbook in our goody bag. As well as the usual T shirt, socks, energy drink we all received a new wheelie sports bag.
The athletes briefing was scheduled to take place on Friday at 3.30 in one of the hotels. It was only when we all arrived that we were told that only the team managers would be briefed and they, in turn, would brief us immediately afterwards, which just happened to be when the parade of nations was due to start.
The GB team manager gave us a briefing when it emerged that many of the times in the handbook were wrong, including times at which transition opened, start times etc. Arrangements for collecting one’s chip had also changed. The changes were, on the whole, fairly minor but some people got very stressed by it all.
After the GB team briefing we strolled down to the parade of nations. It was bitterly cold with a biting wind and those of us who had been too mean to buy GB fleeces immediately regretted it. Fortunately we weren’t kept hanging around for long and the parade consisted of marching for at most 400 yards, standing around and chatting for a while and then beating a hasty retreat to somewhere warmer.
The GB team support was very good with 2 bike mechanics and 2 physios. The physios went out of their way to make sure that everyone who needed treatment received it. As Andy had hurt his back just before we came out to Italy and could barely put on his shoes and socks, without some vigorous sessions with the physios he would have struggled to race.
The elite and junior races were on the Saturday morning and the women’s age group race started at 4.15. The wind was still blowing but at least it was dry as we started. The sun came out during the first 10k and for a while it was quite warm.. The run route was a 4 lap course which twisted and turned. It was well marshalled and there was never any risk of going the wrong way. Apparently it was about 11K rather than the official 10 K. I had a good first run, particularly if it was 11K.. Aileen was also going well. Transition was well laid out but involved running quite a long way with the bike over cobbles, although these had been covered with a carpet.
The bike course was 6 laps up and down the promenade, straight and flat apart for a little dink a third of the way along the outward stretch. It was at this point that things began to go wrong for me. As athletes streamed past me, I got terrible cramp if I tried to pick up the pace. I finally completed the 6 laps and got cramp again as I went into transition. I managed to pull back about 1 place on the second run, but finished 16th overall. I was disappointed, particularly as I was beaten by several people I had beaten before, but there is always another year. Aileen had a great race and finished 5th . The standard was very high and 5th is a real achievement.
The age group men raced on the Sunday starting in 3 waves, with the oldest (50 and upwards) starting first at 7.45. Andy’s spirits were not lifted when he opened the curtains on Sunday morning to pouring rain. The rain meant that the bike course would be slippery, the sand blowing off the beach didn‘t help. The weather didn’t improve much during the race although the rain did ease off. After all his injuries in the run up to the race Andy was just pleased to finish. He still managed 41st which was about half way. His age group (50-54) was won by a Bristol man-Pete Wheddon of BAD Tri
The weather steadily improved through the rest of Sunday and when the youngsters started at 2.30 it was warm and sunny. At least it made watching more enjoyable.
Overall the GB age group team won 14 medals and, of course, Pete Amey won gold in the elite men and Catriona Morrison silver in the elite women.
It was great to be part of an enthusiastic and supportive GB team. The atmosphere was great and the spectators cheered on everyone. I will definitely try and qualify again. The prize for the most enthusiastic team must go to the Japanese. One of their men won a gold medal and the whole team, of about 15, accompanied him to the stage waving and cheering and once he had received his medal they threw him in the air (and caught him). They were also keen to swap kit, and we saw the team sight seeing on Monday in the old part of Rimini, all dressed in the national kit of a range of countries including GB and South Africa.
November 4th, 2008 at 11:23 am
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