We had reached the infamous Kapelmuur, a cobbled climb starting in a village and reaching a lovely little church at the top. It has pitches at 20% and is the point where the race is often won, with only 16km to the finish. The corridor created by anaebriated, screaming, cigar smoking cycling fans is noisy, even in the women's race.

I was riding next to an American, she was covered in mud from crashing into a trench about 30km ago, and I was covered in mud in general. I looked over at her and said "Happy Easter, hey!" and she replied, "goddammit! All my girlfriends are eating chocolate and having lunch with their families!"

20% gradient cobbled climbs do that to you. They make you take the lord's name in vain, even on the day he was resurrected and you're a blonde homecoming queen.

So we smiled at the crowd, and I saw some Brits waving flag, and yelled "how easy am I making this look!?"  (At this point, we was somewhere between the 3rd group and hell, but I was so goddamn-Jesus-in-his-cave-covered-with-his-shroud relieved to have made it to a point where I knew I would finish the race. I even thought, 'well, it could be worse, it's not snowing').

Two years ago, the legendary Tour of Flanders was my first race in Europe with the National team and I was completely unprepared, and unskilled. I was pulled from the course, along with dozens of others once our group was too far behind the peloton. This time, I was riding for our team leader, Italian National Champion Monia Bacaille. She finished 3rd here in 2005, and had had many top 10 finishes since.

It meant my job was real simple, I was to stay at the front, and get to the 1st section of pavé on the front. Trouble is, every DS of every team instructs their big, unskilled Aussie domestiques and team leaders to do the same thing. Oh, and everyone's riding like women possessed. Crashes happened indiscriminately, and trying to keep an eye out for tiny Monia was not that simple. Who knew? I think I rode over someone's arm, but war is crazy man, and at Flanders, a lot is at stake.

I wasn't much good to the team after the 2nd climb at 42km, and through endless hills and over brain-rattling pavé, the peloton of 150 splintered with every corner. The other 5 in the team rode very well, and when it came to the finale, Belgian Grace Verbeke scored a fabulous win, 3s clear of the Vos winning the sprint for 2nd (already the World Cup leader after her impressive win at Cittiglio last week). Monia did a great job to come 12th.

I'd like to make special mention of the bastard driving the Forno d'Asolo team car. You know what you did. That's illegal, rude, and downright dangerous. You are not Bo Duke in the Dukes of Hazzard, and I sure as hell aint Daisy.

Results at http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/7th-ronde-van-vlaanderen-women-cdm/results