This weekend Team Coop – Hitec Products was racing on two different places. In Spain at the Challenge by La Vuelta, the five days stage race that started on Wednesday, and in France at the one day races Travers les Hauts de France and La Choralis Fourmies Féminine. It was a weekend with good results, but also different perspectives as Ingvild Gaskjenn rode her last race for the team after six seasons, while Stine Dale made her debut. They both spoke about it after their races.
In the Vuelta, the team started with a 17th place in the team time trial, after which the peloton had to do four more stages. Ending 14th in the final stage in Madrid, Josie Nelson was able to get the best result for the team in the Women’s World Tour race. Ingvild (photo top), who is going to the world championships in Australia next, came to the race with low expectations.”I personally felt bad coming into the race, so I didn’t really expect much”, she says. “But I felt better than I thought I would. So I am happy with the feeling, and I think we raced well together.”
Next year, Ingvild will be racing for the World Tour team BikeExchange. As she starts at the world championships with the Norwegian team, this was her last race with Team Coop – Hitec Products. “It was a bit emotional that this was my last race with the team. I’ve had so much fun, and I’m so grateful for the past six years. I’ve grown so much as a rider and person, and I look back on the time with the team with joy!”
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Debut for Stine
For Stine Dale, this weekend was the opposite. The Norwegian rider who combines cycling with triathlon, made her international debut for the team. “I have now done two races with the team. And first of all I want to say how fun it is to be a part of the group”, she looks back on her weekend in France. “I have gotten so many good tips from the others before, during and after the races, which I’ve really appreciated.”
It was a weekend full of new experiences in France. “It is new for me to ride in such a big bunch, and after the races I feel like that is what I need to work the most on going forward. I spent a lot of time in the back of the peloton, so I probably wasted some energy on that. However, I was still able to keep up with the peloton, so I feel my capacity is quite good. But I definitely need to improve my ability to ride in a field and to be comfortable with a lot of people close around.”
‘Great help from the other girls on the team’
For Stine the support of the other riders was there. “During the races I got great help from the other girls on the team, so I was able to go forward in the peloton and to be at the front of it. So I’m really grateful for all the help that I got. I am really looking forward to the next races, because I really enjoyed it, although I still have to improve a lot.”
Photo top: Flotographie