A flat tyre kept Oenone Wood from fighting for the stage win in the second stage of the Trophée d'Or Sunday. The T-Mobile rider was in an escape group with Team Bigla's Nicole Brändli and Noemi Cantele but the mechanical problem threw her back and she finished third, about four minutes down.
"Of course Oenone is disappointed. But something like this can always happen," said Anna Wilson, the team's sporting director on t-mobile-team.com. "But I am happy to see her doing so well in such a difficult and demanding race like this after her injury and the stressful trip to Peking."
Wood crashed out of the Women's World Cup race in Vagarda, Sweden, earlier their month, but persisted with a visit to the Beijing Olympic course with the Australian National Team. She won a stage in the Trophée d'Or in 2003 and finished third overall.
Cantele retained the leader's jersey which she won in the first stage, and Brändli, who won the second stage, is second, with Wood third overall. "As far as the top two places in GC are concerned, the Trophée d'Or is over," Wilson said. "The other riders are just too far back. We will try to defend our third place and go for stage wins."
T-Mobile and the others will have two chances for stage wins on Monday, with a morning ride of 75 kilometres followed by half stage of 70 kilometres in the early evening.
