🚴♀️ Lone Wolf, Borrowed Bidon & a Comeback for the Win 🏆🔥
Ahhh Trebujena. Quiet little place, best known for its wine, wetlands, and — as of this past weekend — hosting the latest round of the Copa de Andalucía Fem 💥. What better way to spend a Sunday than baking in the heat, riding in circles at breakneck speed, and trying not to get your legs ripped off by a well-oiled race team?
The course? A 7km crit-style loop that might as well have been drawn by a sadistic GPS with a vendetta against cyclists. Tight corners, no shade, rolling terrain, headwind and absolutely nowhere to hide. You could practically hear the organisers whispering: “This one’s going to hurt.” 👀
From the moment the flag dropped, it was full gas. No time to get comfy, no time to settle in. Straight into the red zone like we were trying to escape a swarm of bees 🐝. I’d done my homework and had my eye on one rider in particular. She’s fast, smart, and strong — basically the holy trinity of people-you-don’t-want-a-solo-race-against.
One slight problem: she had a team. A real team. With matching kit, coordinated attacks, and legs that looked dangerously fresh. Me? I was flying solo. Just me, my bike, and my trusty old Ford Ka 🚗 parked awkwardly between glossy team vans that probably cost more than my entire race season. No mechanics, no soigneurs (chief cook and bottle washer), — just a girl with a dream and a Head full of stubbornness 😅.
The early laps were brutal. Her teammates were clearly on a mission: keep the pace sky-high, make everyone suffer, and launch their leader into orbit 🚀. Mission accomplished. By the third lap I was hanging on like a cat on a washing line — heart rate in the clouds, legs screaming, lungs negotiating their resignation. I had a big decision to make: dig even deeper and risk blowing to pieces, or back off and play the long game.
So, I made the call. I let them go. Tactical retreat, obviously. Not dropped. Strategic 😇. I figured if they went too hard, too soon, they’d blow themselves to bits and I could sweep in later like a shark smelling the blood of its prey.🦈
Trouble was… they didn’t look like slowing. In fact, she had a solid 2-minute gap, and I wasn’t exactly clawing it back. And just to really put the cherry on my suffering sundae — I was completely out of water 💦. Not just “ooh I could use a drink” thirsty — we’re talking “dry mouth, salty tears, and questioning my life choices” thirsty 💀. That’s the joy of racing solo — no feed zone helpers, no team car, just me, a boiling circuit, and a bidon-shaped hole in my soul.
But then… something magical happened.
Another rider rolled up beside me — we’d been riding in the same second group — and she offered me her spare bidon. Just like that. No fuss. No drama. Just pure class. In the middle of a race, while battling for podium spots, she handed over her water to me — a competitor. Honestly, I nearly cried right there on the handlebars 😭.
With hydration back on the menu and a glimmer of hope on the horizon, I started noticing something. That two-minute lead? It was shrinking. I could see her now — just a little figure up ahead. Had she cracked? Slipped? Blown a gasket? No idea. Didn’t care. She was coming back, and that’s all I needed to know 🔥.
The girls in my group spotted it too. We had a quick chat — mostly heavy breathing and knowing looks — and decided to go for it. We organised, started rotating, each of us taking our turns at the front, riding like women possessed 💪. Suddenly we weren’t just riding — we were chasing. Hunting and could smell blood.
By the start of the final lap, we were about a minute down. That’s when the teamwork really kicked in. Every pedal stroke felt like a lifetime, every corner a gamble. But we kept pushing. Eyes locked ahead. And then — just before the final stretch — we caught her.
Now, catching someone is one thing. Passing them and staying ahead? That’s a whole different beast. But we did it. We surged past. I dug as deep as I’ve ever dug, and when I looked back, there was space. Glorious, beautiful space. We crossed the line with a 12-second cushion — and the Elite win was mine 🥇.
So, what did I learn?
💡 Never underestimate the power of teamwork — even if it forms mid-race with total strangers.
💡 Always check your bottle cage before the start.
💡 And when someone offers you a random bottle in the middle of a race? TAKE IT. You never know — it might just be your ticket back to the top.
💡Learn how to Pick locks and hotwire a large Motorhome, Or Buy me a coffee and one day I may be able to get one by legal means.
With that win, I’m back in control of the championship with a 40-point lead 🎉. But let’s not get carried away — there’s still a lot of racing to do, and the field is stacked with fierce, talented, and determined riders. They’re not going to make this easy, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Bring on the next battle. I’ll be ready — Ford Ka and all 😉
— Frankie x 🚴♀️💥