Toni in France

Immediately after competing with distinction at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, Toni took a break from cycling to recharge the batteries. This year Toni is taking up a proffesional cycling contract with Les Pruneaux dÁgen cycling team in the south of France. They are sponsored by a distributor of Prunes from the area near Carcasonne. The uniform is a little unflatttering (white with little brown prunes on it), but Toni wears it well.

Soon after arriving Toni and her other kiwi team mate Tammy Boyd, received their new bikes and kit and resumed training for a full-on season ahead.

First big race for the year was the Tour de Láude, one of the biggest womens stage races in the world. 10 days of tough stages in and around the Pyrenees.

Toni rode a very consistent tour with no real bad stages. Her team was lacking firepower with a lack-lustre performance in the opening Teams Time Trial, but after that Toni steadily improved every day to finish 26th overall, 2nd NZer and top finisher from her team.

Today Toni flies out to Montreal to compete in the World Cup there.

Az