Two years of waiting. Of course, if you look at Christine's track record. Majerus Every season, she wins the Luxembourg national championship, but she herself knows its relative value. She's won 31 races, including road races and time trials, but it's not the same. It's not the same as any other race, with teammates and opponents from all over the world, in any category. He had been waiting since March 11, 2022 to get the full result and when you are 37 years old you know that every opportunity counts, time is slipping through your fingers like sand through your fingers.
Christine, it's your day…
Final stage of Tour of Britain. The SD Worx she's doing her usual thing, leading the overall standings with the world champion Lotte Kopecky, the team one, the points one, if we add the stage victories, it is the spoils to which we are now accustomed in cycling. In the morning, at the pre-race meeting, we discuss what to do. Defending the lead isn't in question, but we think it would be nice to do something different than usual..
During the stage, nearly 100 kilometers with start and finish in Manchester, the team reaches an agreement: they're racing for Christine. It's a fitting reward for her commitment. This time Kopecky and Wiebes They will be her lieutenants, they will pilot her towards the finish line, but then it will be up to her to give the final push. The Luxembourger is beside herself with joy, during the race you can see her smile, she knows that something she has been waiting for for a long time is about to happen.It's still a WorldTour event, and putting your stamp on it at your age isn't something you do every day.
Paternoster out of action
We're getting to the final stages and there aren't even that many of us sprinting, the group has fallen apart. There isn't even that thorn in the side of the Paternoster, slowed down by a puncture that will cost her the podium in the general classificationBut they're there, in force, and they launch the sprint like those who know they're the masters. Only this time the roles are reversed.
Christine leaps forward, confident, savoring the moment. Kopecky and Wiebes are there, almost squires of her success, just inches away. She raises her arm. She raises it too soon; Ruby is unexpectedly at her side. Roseman Gannon, the Australian national champion. He hadn't even seen her.
David against Goliath
Yes, because the forced absence of the Paternoster had messed up the plans of the Liv Jayco Alula, with the Australian no longer knowing that her partner was missing, so no more train to put together, but She threw herself in anyway, with courage, almost like a David against the Goliath identified in the entire Dutch team. Perhaps they hadn't even noticed that she too was rushing towards the finish line.
It's a matter of centimeters. A flutter of wings. A leap of the heart. The verdict is merciless: the Australian has won, and at SD Worx, everything is in turmoil. Kopecky is a raging river in front of the first notebooks: "We chose to focus on Christine in the sprint and we did it perfectly until the end. When I saw Christine go I was sure we would win, instead it was a stupid mistakeIt could have been a great ending for Christine, but we finished well as a team," she says, then heads off to the team bus. The officials calm her down and tell her to pour water on the fire.
Key word: soften the tones…
The press officers are doing their job, which is to sugarcoat what's happening. Subsequent statements are much more nuanced, released via social media (and, of course, agreed upon): "It may seem silly, but you can only understand our decision if you know how much respect we have for each other.We decided to let Christine sprint for the win. Even if it didn't go as planned, we would have made the same choice anyway."
Christine is devastated. In all her years of career, nothing like this has ever happened to her, suddenly experiencing her own disappointment, along with that of her teammates and captains. TestShe stands low, her shoulders seeming to bear an enormous weight. The journalists are merciless; the news is her defeat, or rather, how it came about. She manages to say a few words, softly: "It's my fault if I celebrated too early, but congratulations to Ruby for believing in her potential right up to the finish line. I thank my teammates for giving me the opportunity and I'm sorry for ruining everything.».
He who is without sin…
Knowing his commitment, his dedication, and the respect for his career (he's been on the top circuit since 2008), he deserved a different ending. Also because someone once said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone," and we don't even have to go too far back in time: Amstel Gold Race, Wiebes raises her hand from the handlebars and Your the joke. Perhaps we should think twice before judging and coming away from Manchester many wondered: will they give her another chance?
