UWCT final - hard work, emotion and fun

Jane Moraz (left) on the podium for her silver medal in the time trial final ©UCI

Sep 17th, 11. Rachel Larner was not the only Kiwi to earn a medal at the UCI World Cycling Tour Final.

Jane Moraz is a Kiwi living in Switzerland working as a journalist for the UCI, she won silver in her time trial event and placed 4th in the road race.

My experience of the UWCT Final

By Jane Moraz

Last weekend I competed in the World Championships.

Ok, let me explain: I'm not talking about the UCI Road World Championships which will take place in Copenhagen next week and will reunite the planet's biggest names in cycling this year.

No, I'm talking about the UCI World Cycling Tour (UWCT) Final for us non-pros.

Did I say non-pros? Maybe. But I can assure all detractors that this event, which took place in Stavelot, Belgium, made me feel like a professional for a weekend. What an event!

The UWCT is a new concept introduced by the UCI in 2011. Riders can qualify for the Final, our very own World Championships, at any of the qualifying events held around the world.

This year there were seven qualifying events; next year there will be more. The Final replaces the former Masters World Championships, and the beauty of this concept is that everybody who competes has had to qualify. So the level is pretty high... the motivation too!

When I qualified by winning my age group of the Swiss qualifier event in Bulle, my UCI work colleagues encouraged me to give the World Championships a go. Which is why, just two weeks later, I found myself in Stavelot...

Time trial: any tips welcome Fabian!

My first jolt came when I turned up for the time trial on Friday morning, although I guess I should have seen it coming. This was my first ever time trial (I qualified at a road race) so imagine my dismay to see my competitors warming up on rollers, decked out in streamlined helmets and with disc wheels on their bikes.

That's when it finally hit me that this really was the World Championships. (Take a deep breath Jane. You've got a very nice bike and it just doesn't matter if you've got spokes on your wheels and holes in your helmet. You can do it.).

My anguish diminished somewhat while waiting for the start. These women were really friendly. They were scared too. Phew. No they weren't pros either. They were just a bit more used to this kind of thing than me.

We set off at one-minute intervals, with the countdown and the starting signal just like the pros. I wobbled my way down the ramp (guess I could improve my starting technique – any tips Fabian?) and then gave it my all.

For 20km I punished my legs and my lungs as I followed the motorbike (yes, my very own motorbike opening the way!) along a course that had everything: a long flat section, two scary hairpin bends, a couple of tough climbs and paving stones at the end that nearly shook my arms out of their sockets. Oh yes, and rain. But I made it! What a buzz. And I was almost looking forward to the road race two days later.

Road race: 107km of hard work, emotion and fun

It was raining again two days later. The men who raced in the morning had a hard time of it. But just before the women set off in the afternoon, the rain stopped, the roads dried up and we could enjoy near-perfect conditions for the 107km course.

It was a relief to be able to take off my rain jacket before the start as I'm not too sure that my bike handling skills extend to extracting myself from outer layers of clothing in the middle of a peloton without causing a major crash.

This road race was also a first experience for me. It was just amazing to find myself in an only-female peloton. And wow, could those women ride!

We stayed bunched for about 50km and then the young ones up front attacked. Those who could went with them. Yours truly didn't! So I can't tell you what happened up at the head of the race.

But what I do know is that it was a magnificent but demanding course, that my fellow competitors were as enchanted (and as tired) as me, that despite our different nationalities we worked together, chatted a bit, encouraged each other and congratulated each other at the finish.

And that is what the UWCT is all about: the Final is tough, the level is extremely high, it's full of emotion and above all, it's fun.

763 riders representing 30 countries raced in Stavelot at the weekend, and this is just the first year of the series' existence. Next year there will be more opportunities to qualify and I can honestly say it's worth giving it a go!

Some become World Champions but many more, like me, simply get to say... "I competed in the World Championships."

Photo: Time trial podium, Women 45-49, (from left) Jane Moraz (NZL), Marti Shea (USA), Elizabeth Hall (AUS).