Central Park CRCA Club Race-March 7, 2009

First race of the season.  We couldn't have gotten better weather and the women's field was a decent size for this time of year. 

There was a break on the 3rd lap and Maggie and Evie were in it, so Ashley, Erica, Cecelia and I sat in and basically had a chatty ride.  When we got to the sprint, Erica wanted to practice leading out, so I was on her wheel.  Right after the boat house she slowed down and I went around her.  My sprint then had to start early and last way way way too long.  It was fine though, I think we were competing for something like 8 place.  I managed to get 3rd or 4th, but the sweet part of the morning was that I had a great time sprinting.  I didn't really know that I actually enjoy sprinting. Huh.  Learn something new every race.

FITCHBURG 2008

 This was my first NRC race with the pros and I knew it was going to be tough, I wasn't disappointed.

Day 1 ITT

I warmed up and went to the start area.  They were measuring our bikes and weighing them.  I got a chuckle from the officials when they weighed my bike.  Yes, it is heavy.

I felt weak and nauseated but attributed it to being nervous.  I was wrong.  On mile 2 I threw up all over my bars.  I considered stopping but what would be the point?  So I slowed down the pace a bit and finished the best I could.  My time was 21;16, not much better than last years.  I was a bit disappointed.  I was 37th.  

Day 2 Road Race

69 miles of racing with Cheerwine and Colavita, this was going to hurt!  Again I didn't feel great, so figured I would see if I could go with a break and at least have a little fun.  Cheerwine attacked and I went with the move.  It didn't stick.  Then Colavita counter-attacked and I jumped right on a wheel.  That move didnt' stick either.  At least Cecelia witnessed my attempts which was kind of cool.

Every lap I fell back on the climb by the church.  I just couldn't keep up with the pace.  My legs felt awful and locked up and the nausea was a bit unbearable at times.  Elena looked strong and chugged right up the climbs every time.  It was amazing.

At about mile 50 when we were neutralized, someone asked if we all wanted to take a pee break.  It was a funny sight.  70 something women pulling over and pulling down their spandex.  I took the opportunity to throw up a little and then try to pee.  Couldn't pee, guess I didn't have to.

We continued on and I lost momentum on the final climb.  I felt weak and sick and just took the final ascent at a pace that I knew I could maintain.  Luckily, Elena felt great and placed 11th!  Amazing.

Dav 3 (circuit race) This course is fun but after the road race, the climb to the line seemed so painful.  Cecelia rocked this course last year and didn't disappoint this year.  She took 14th!  Awesome to see.  Elena made a great attempt to get away and scored some sprint points, but was swallowed up by the field.  Overall we raced well and not one of us got dropped.

Dav 4 (criterium) I finally felt a little better, still not myself, but at least an improvement from the previous days.  The laps were fast, but I felt safe in the pack.  I tried to always be in the top 12 up front and had a fun time jumping on Colavita's wheel when they tried to take off.  I raced aggressively so I felt good about this last day on the bike.  I took 22nd place and 34th in the overall GC.

 

Giro di Jersey

Day one was the ITT.  It was pretty straightforward.  Out and back with some climbing.  I felt pretty good and managed to place 8th.

Day two was the Road Race.  I think it was about 4o miles of a loop we did some 3-4 times.  There was one set of nice climbs we hammered up every time.  Ashley took off on the last lap and I quickly moved to the front of the field to slow things down and go with anyone who tried to bridge.  No one chased her until we were about to hit the climbs.  Ashley was swallowed by the group, but she held her own and placed in the top half of the field in the sprint.  I sprinted with Sarah C of CC, but she got me at the line.  I took 6th.

Day three was the circuit race.  It was pretty uneventful.  No attacks stuck and the climb on the course wasn't enough to drop more than a few girls.  It came down to a mass sprint.  I took the wrong wheel on the final turn into the sprint and lost quite a few places.  I am not sure what place I got, but it was something like 8 or 10?

GC.  Overall I took 6th in the GC and felt good every day that I raced.  The courses were beautiful and the prize money was generous.  

Floyd Bennett Field, ITT June 2008

What's the worst thing you can do to your time at an ITT?  Take a wrong turn!  This year the promoter didn't have a marshal or even at cone letting us know not to turn.  I was in my zone and had sunscreen in my eyes and maybe I was a bit delirious b/c of the heat, but I managed to turn when I was supposed to go straight.   I lost a lot of time and completely lost my rhythm and motivation.  Stupid on my part, yes, but once I heard how many people did this, it made me realize that the promoter really should have used a few of the dozens of cones that were at the finish to make sure no one turned where many of us got off course.  Oh, well.....  next TT I will do better for sure.

Harlem Rocks!! June, 2008

I really really wanted to do Housatonic, but with my coach's urging and the idea of being able to ride my bike to the start line, Harlem won.  

The race was fun.  It was a bit sketchy at times with so many new riders in the field, but I knew what wheel to be on and figured I would take lots of wind and stay safe up front.  I felt fine and my goal was to get a great speed workout and enjoy the atmosphere. 

There was one crash.  Luckily no one was seriously injured.  It happened right behind me and the crunching sound of metal is not one I get used to.

A couple women got off the front after a prime and I tried to organize a few of us to chase.  No one would work though and I think some of the riders were really exhausted. 

On the final turn into the final sprint I was right were I wanted to be.  Suddenly I was bumped from the right and left at the same time.  It was scary and I had to really focus to stay upright.  I managed, but did lose quite a few places leading into the sprint.  I finished 9th, the same placing that I got 2 years ago as a cat 4 racer doing my first criterium/first real race.  It's all good though.  I had a great time and there was a cold 40 ouncer waiting for me on the sidelines.

Balloon Race, June 2008

This race was fun, except for the fact that I didn't know my shifting cable was worn or broken until it was time to shift into the small ring the first time up the climb.  Ouch.  I did 80% of that climb in the big ring and couldn't keep up with the girls who attacked.  It was frustrating, but what can you do?

I organized with a couple women and we had a nice rotating paceline going in our chase group.  On the next lap I was able to shift into the small ring, but couldn't get in anything easier than a 21.  I was determined to dwindle our chase group down, so I ignored my mechanical issues and just pedaled even though I could hear metal on metal, an unhappy bike.  After the climb we were just 3 and continued on together to the end.

I sprinted at the line and came in 8th overall.  Not too shabby considering what I  had to work with as far as gears.  I was a bit frustrated, but got over that quite quickly when I spotted Tron and Reed on the balcony of our hotel yelling for me with cold beers.  They had both flatted, so I really had nothing to complain about.  At least I got to race and got a great workout.

Last year our car died on the way to this race, this year I had limited gears, next year I will podium at this race!  Revenge.  :)

Bear Mt. 5/11/08

A beautiful day for a race, but my body didn't agree.  After almost 2 hard months of racing and training, my legs finally said "no".  I knew it was inevitable, so I did what I could and tried to smile through it.

The women's P123 race was 4 laps, 55 miles.  Elena, Erica, Cecelia, Ashley and I lined up early to avoid being in the back of the steep decent with the U turn into the climb.

The race broke up quickly and every lap there were fewer women up front.  I stayed with the pack until the 3rd lap at the end of the climb.  I told Ashley that I was going to drop back.  Maybe I would have suffered a bit longer if I had no teammates in the break/lead group, but Ashley and Elena seemed to be doing great, so I quietly fell back.

As I slowly fell back, I found myself with one other woman.  We took turns taking short pulls, but each time she took wind, we slowed down quite a bit.  Soon a group of 5 women caught up to us.  We began rotating immediately, but within a few minutes we were just 4.  The 4 of us stayed together until the end.  Two of the 4 were teammates that didn't seem to like each other too much and were taking short short pulls.  The other rider, LJ and I were a bit irritated, but we both just wanted to finish.  I considered pulling over before the final lap, but  I have never not finished a race.  It didn't matter how I did, I just needed to finish.

After the feedzone on the final lap, no one would pull through.  As we approached the finish line, I went to sprint and this guy dropped from another field got in my way.  I had to hit my brakes.  Nothing threatening, but hey...not taking any chances for what?  the difference between 19th and 20th place?  Sh*t happens.

I was happy to hear that Ashley and Elena stuck it out with the top girls until the end!  Turns out that the sprint was a bit chaotic and super fast with all of those strong women, but both finished in one piece and made the team proud.

Jiminy Peak Road Race 5/3/07

The morning was cold, damp and windy.  Ashley, Maggie and I would represent the team at this year's race at Jiminy Peak.

The pace was on the slow side at the start of the race, but soon the attacks started.  There was one after another, after another.  Maggie and I were up front at one point and she looked over at me and mouthed for me to attack.  I figured she would counter attack and hopefully get away.  I waited a moment and then slowly positioned myself to the right of the field.  I then took a deep breath and attacked with everything I had.  I was chased down fairly quick but I didn't mind since the point was to set up Maggie for a counter-attack.  It never happened.  She got a flat.  :(

On the next lap we caught the two girls that had gotten off of the front.  As the finish approached, the pace increased.  Ashley and I were staying near the front.  We needed to be in the top 10 or so coming into the last turn before the finishing climb.  The two of us managed to do this and then I told Ashley to hop onto my wheel.  Some ladies took off early on the climb and I was trying to catch them, but their pace was brutal.  My legs were done, but I hoped I could get Ashley closer to the group so she could get a good place and some upgrade points.  I guess I slowed down (sorry A., I was dying!) and Ashley started to come around me.  I tried to increase the pace, hoping she would jump back on my wheel.  The rest is a blur to me since I was so exhausted.  I could see the riders ahead of me and the tent at the finish line, but I wasn't sure if Ashley was still on my wheel and I didn't have the energy to ask or look back.  I put my head down and just pushed one leg after the other waiting for the misery I was feeling in my thighs to end.  When it did end we found out that I placed 7th and Ashley came in 12th.   Pretty good results for Radical Media with an impressive number of Cat 1's and even a Pro or two in the field.

Palmer Road Race, Mass. 4/27/08

My legs were still quite sore from the hills and pace at Sturbridge, but I was ready to race.  Elena and I would represent the team in the P123 field.

Luckily it had stopped raining and the roads were dry.  60 miles in wet weather would have been miserable.

There were some familiar faces in the field from Saturday, but quite a few new ones, including 4 or 5 women from Independent Fabrications.  They showed up with fresh legs and reminded us of that throughout the race. 

The course was the same as last year.  There were some small rollers, some nice descents and a false flat coming into the finish.  Elena and I tried to stay up front to cover attacks and there were quite a few.  All of them were chased down and nothing got away until the last lap.  Silke attacked and got off of the front with only a few miles to go.  A girl from Terry chased her and both teams blocked the rest of us for a bit until they had a nice size gap.

We came into the final turn before the bridge leading to the finish.  It was a bit chaotic.  Suddenly I found myself swallowed by the pack.  A women in front of me hit her brakes and our wheels rubbed.  My bike wobbled a bit and my back wheel brushed against the wheel behind me.  I didn't feel safe in the pack and wanted out, but it would be hard to get up closer to the front.  I was determined though and didn't panic.  I just slowly eased my wheel forward and kept moving up.  Then we hit the 200m sign and the Terry girl off the front wasn't too far ahead of us.  I squeezed my way between some riders and went for it.  I was overgeared, but focused and in so much pain that I knew the faster I went, the sooner it'd be over.

I got the Terry girl at the line and won the field sprint somehow.  With Silke off of the front, I had gotten 2nd place!  Huh?  Not sure how I pulled this one off.  I think having Ashley and Erica screaming their heads off on the sidelines really helped me those final seconds of suffering.  Thanks ladies.  :)

Overall Elena and I raced well.  The two of us were outnumbered by other teams, but still had a great presence in the field.  Unfortunately Elena had some bad luck and got boxed out of the sprint, but she still managed to be in the top 15.

A challenging weekend of racing for Radical in MA.

Sturbridge Road Race, Mass. 4/26/08

This year it was a totally different course, a completely different race.  It was a more challenging course, but was safer overall.  No sharp turns, less traffic and no downhill sprint at the end.

Ashley, Erica, Elena and I represented the team in the P123 field.  45 miles, 3 laps.  The new course had plenty of climbing and the finish line was at the end of a 3-4 mile climb.

The field was together on the first lap but broke up on the climb.  At one point I found myself taking lots of wind up front and Erica jumped in to rescue me right when I needed saving.  What a teammate!  Our group was about 1/3 of the filed on the second lap and included Elena, Ashley and myself.  We organized and did a fast rotating paceline to assure that no stragglers joined us and we maintained our tight little group until the finish line.

The pace throughout the race was challenging.  I was happy that I left my HR monitor in the car.  I don't want to know what kind of numbers I had in this race.  When we hit the final climb I waited for Anna Milkowski or Beth Miller to attack.  I knew that they were both amazing climbers and that one of them would be the first to go.  I got on a Terry Bikes girl's wheel as we approached the summit.  I wanted to come around her so badly, but knew there was a head wind and that I should be patient.  Anna took off just past the 200m sign with a rider right behind her.  I jumped around Terry girl as quickly as I could, but couldn't get them.  I made some progress toward the line, but was happy with my 3rd place.

As a team we did awesome.  3 top ten finishes.  Me in 3rd, Elena in 6th and Ashley in 9th!

Tour of Battenkill 4/19/08

 I got to the start line early to make sure I was in the front row.  Elena and Erica soon joined me.  Erica was going to see how she felt after the first 7 miles since she was still not feeling great after her mishap in the park a few days before.  I whispered to Elena that I planned to attack on the first set of hills at mile 8 and that she should be up front and come with me so we could get away.

In order to make sure I had good positioning going into the climbs, I took lots of win up front setting the pace.  It was fine.  I felt good and wasn't going very fast.  We hit the first climb and Elena and I were right where we needed to be.  The dirt was quite dry and soft making it difficult to keep the bike steady, but I pushed the pace up the hill the best I could.  After the descent, I was surprised to find only one woman with me.  (Audrey F.S)  We rode for a minute or two before about 6 women joined us.  I organized everyone to take 30 sec pulls.  We worked together pretty well for the most part and soon there was no field or chase group in sight behind us.

At around mile 24 came the second set of significant climbs.  Again, there was quite a bit of sand and it didn't help that the pace car slowed down and was kicking it in our faces.  Audrey increased the pace and I went with her.  At the end of this set of climbs there were only 4 of us.  We quickly continued with our 30 second pulls as we picked up the pace once more.  

At about mile 40-45 the heat really started to get to me.  It was about 84 degrees out and sunny.  I had already drank 2 water bottles and had one left.  I had eaten some of my Clif bar and a whole flask of gel mixture.  My thighs were screaming in pain, my head was pounding and girly cramps on a day like today are no fun.  I knew I could find another 10 miles or racing in my legs, I just needed to focus and promise myself I would destroy myself for a chance at the top of the podium.

Mile 50 was the last set of climbs.  These were especially sandy and treacherous.  There were riders that had been dropped from other fields all over the place.  I studied who was sliding and who seemed solid on their bikes and chose my line very carefully.  When we finished the climb, there were just 3 of us!  Andrea, Amy and myself.  I didn't know if they could sprint, so I knew I had to conserve  the best I could and play it smart.  I knew that as long as I stayed upgright and didn't have any mechanicals, that I would podium, but somehow at this point that wasn't enough.  I looked for the 1K or 200M sign, but never saw either.  We then came to the railroad tracks that we had ridden over earlier at the start, so I just went for it and sprinted.  I wasn't sure if it was too early, but I didn't care.  I gave it everything I had left and was determined to continue sprinting like a mad woman until I crossed the line.

After I crossed the line, I spent the next few minutes trying to catch my breath while I rode to the car for painkillers, a recovery shake and a cold Coca Cola.  (Chris, great idea to get the cooler and the Cokes at Rite Aid :)  )  It wasn't until I was riding to confirm my placing that it really hit me.  I had just won.  

I received a lovely cowbell as a trophy and a stuffed cow that matched the Radical Media kit perfectly!  

It was just over 2 hours and 44 minutes of intense, painful racing.  I can honestly say that this was the hardest I have ever worked in a race.

Elena was awesome and despite her mishap in the sand, broke away from her group of riders and soloed the last couple miles for an impressive 5th place!

2 Raddies in the top 5!