ICCC DASH FOR $$$$

The ICCC put on this weekends Wheels of Thunder (Dash for Cash) race. In a moment of clarity I realized that this was a christian cycling club. I really didn't put 2 and 2 together until I noticed that all of the songs they were playing over the PA system while I was warming up kept referencing Jesus this and Jesus that. I hoped I didn't offend anyone above when I stubbed my toe on the trainer and cussed!Lori and I represented while the other gals were kicking up a storm in Tulsa. My strategy was to go for as many primes and see if I had any gas leftover for the finish, but with $10 available each lap to the first person across the line my primary objective was to win as many laps = $ as my slow twitch legs could withstand. With many ladies racing Mt. Hood, SoCal, and back East, the 1/2 field had about 10 riders, and the remainder ~25-ish were Cat 3's, and we were all racing together. I'm not the best sprinter so I was a little nervous about how I would stack up against some of these girls, but I easily took the first lap prime and felt more confident thereafter. I have to say I like the "dash for cash" concept because it keeps the race animated lap after lap, and girls who sit in don't get rewarded. This race provided a good measuring stick and lesson on how well one can recover from hard efforts. There were a few times that I took a sprint, recovered, and then took the next one. But most of the time I had to sit in for a few laps and recover. A couple of times Jill McLaughlin (Morgan Stanley) or Mary Maroon would attack after I had sprinted, and I could not chase. Between myself, Jill and Mary, we ended up taking all of the primes with the exception of one or two. I ended up winning some good cash, plus I got 3rd in the final field sprint (although I thought I had 2nd) and got some cool goodies to boot. This race gives me an incentive to work on my sprint intervals, plus it was a fun workout and I recommend it to all of you. Jill ended up winning with Mary in 2nd, and Lori finished in the field. - Kristin