Cycling: Lows and huge high for Norwegian

By Suzanne McFadden

HAMILTON - Gunn-Rita Dahle, a colourful Norwegian cyclist with 16 earrings, could not believe her bad luck in yesterday's World Cup race around Hamilton Lake.

Dahle punctured, crashed, lost her steering and then got dropped from the frontrunners halfway through the 102km race.

And then her fortunes swung. With blood pouring from her forearm, Dahle fought to get back in the thick of it and jumped away with the eventual race winner, Italian Roberta Bonanomi.

Bonanomi, who won the Tour of Italy 10 years ago, outsprinted Dahle, one of the world's top mountain-bikers, at the finish-line.

The pair broke away from the exceptional field of 100 with four of the 18 laps to go.

Dahle is in only her second year of road cycling - she was second in the world mountain-bike championships last year - and she learned some tough lessons yesterday.

Bonanomi chose not to work with her in the final two laps, letting the Norwegian tow her around the testing course. Dahle told her to take a turn at the front, but Bonanomi, who does not speak English, shook her head.

"I'm starting to understand how this game works now," Dahle said.
Speaking through her American team-mate Mari Holden, Bonanomi, a veteran of four Olympics, said she was feeling tired towards the end of the race and decided to wait for the sprint.

"To win the World Cup is a very big deal. I am usually the worker in my team, so it is exciting to get a win," she said.

It was a mixed day for the New Zealanders in the star-packed field. The top Kiwi finisher, Jacinta Coleman, was a creditable 14th, finishing in the pack with three former world champions. Fellow Aucklander Vanessa Cheatley was 31st.

New Zealand's big hope, Susy Pryde, lasted just 100m. Giddiness forced her to the side of the road after crossing the start-line - an after-effect of her crash last week. Commonwealth Games track gold medallist Sarah Ulmer was not far behind her.

Australian barrister Anna Wilson held on to her lead in the World Cup series, finishing fourth yesterday after her win in the opening round in Canberra last weekend.

Wilson and her team-mate Tracey Gaudry were never far from the front of the field, always trying to hem in former world No 1 Hanka Kupfernagel, of Germany, who repeatedly led the main peleton up the steepest hill of the course.

Despite attempts by Kupfer-nagel, Gaudry and American Karen Kurreck to get away, the bunch stayed together for 14 laps. Then Australian Juanita Feldhan instigated the race-winning break - Bonanomi and Dahle jumping on her wheel. Feldhan slipped quietly back into the bunch.

In the sprint for third, 1m 3s behind, Wilson graciously let Gaudry take the honours.