I'll keep it brief. I'm trying to stay chipper, but being solo in a smoker's room in a Sviss-German hotel in Bern isn't doing much to lift the already wavering spirits.

The race went off today without a hitch: weather was il fait beaus, there were light breezes, no technical mishaps, a fabulous team of Nico (mechanic) and Michel (Director Sportif) to make everything run smoothly, and plenty of supportive and encouraging text messages and emails.

I felt great: ready, and strong. I rode the best race I could, taking good lines through the corners, feeling confident, being aggressive.
It's just that mostly everybody rode faster than I did. I was making time on my 1 minute gal (25s in the first 11km) and holding even time on Nicole Cooke. But then the hill came, and I rode like a large Belgian sprinter, not a tanned Basque climber. Who knew!! Cooke caught me on the evil 17% ramp and even though I descended bravely, and had some rather hairy cornering experiences, I failed to catch her again.

There were plenty of crowds, very supportive with their cries of "hop!
hop! hop!" Then there was plenty of torture as I won the random draw prize of anti-doping. It took a lifetime to materialise, but at least I talked Medical specialities with the winner, Austrian Champion Christiane Soeder, while we encouraged our kidneys. My proxy transport up to Bern, Team High Road (Oenone Wood, Judith Arndt and DS Ronnie) tersely waited in their car, and after 3h in a caravan, 4 litres of fluid, and more than one false start in the urination stakes, I peed a measley 96ml. Fearful of irritating ze Germans any further, I refrained from asking for a toilet stop on the 90 minute autobahn journey, despite the remaining 3904ml pressuring my urethral sphincter with increasing intensity.

Results:
1 Christiane Soeder  (AUT) 28.46  
2  Kristin Armstrong   (USA) + 22s  
3  Amber Neben   (USA) + 31s
4  Karin Thurig    (SUI) + 46s  
5 Susanne Ljungskog  (SWE) + 1.01
6 Christine Thorburn  (USA)
7  Jeannie Longo   (FRA)
8 Nicole Brandli   (SUI)
9  Judith Arndt    (GER)
10 Trixi Worrack    (GER) + 1.21
11 Emma Pooley   (GBR)
12 Nicole Cooke   (GBR)
13  Mirjam Melchers   (NED)
14  Priska Doppmann  (SUI)
15  Andrea Thurig   (SUI)
16 Bridie O'Donnell   (AUS)     + 3.03
17 Pascale Schneider  (SUI)
18  Oenone Wood   (AUS)

I'd like to say a very big thankyou to friends and family, sponsors and supporters, in my rather ambitious quest to podium in this fine company.
It was a long shot, but I prepared and raced as though it was possible, and I couldn't have done it without you.

Special mention to:
The Australian Sports Commission and the AIS National women's road team for making this opportunity possible, especially the coaching staff and physiology department AIS Talent ID and development program for providing me with the use of a shiny new SRM for training and racing Donna Rae-Szalinski - for unfailing support, sound advice and excellent brownies CBD Cycles Shotz sports nutrition Oakley eyewear (you'll be happy to know that Armstong coveted my Thumps during the warm up!) Zipp wheels City of Melbourne Brunswick Cycling Club Victoria Institute of Sport and of course, Mitch.