SAN ARDO ROAD RACE

San Ardo Road Race: Field size: 30, Teammates: Shelley and Kristina

64 mile road race, 3 laps, flat with a couple of rollers.

MANHATTAN BEACH GP NRC - PODIUM & Collectors Barbie

Field size: 60 Teammates: Emily, Kristina. Niki, Shelley

This was a cool race. Lots of spectators and right on the beach. It was a beautiful day, not too hot. We arrived early and I set up my trainer on the inside of the oval shaped course right on the finishing stretch. They were running behind schedule so I was able to see the finish of 4 different races before our race began. This was critical. In every race, the top three finishers were the first three riders around the final hairpin corner going into the finishing straight. I knew that this would be the case in our race too, so my focus then was positioning. I was hoping the race would stay together and end in a field sprint because I wasn't aware of any bigname sprinters in the field. The 60 minute race started and the prime bell rang after the second lap. I wanted to go for a couple primes to get a feel for the sprint and crack the legs open a bit. Most of them were 2 place primes, but not money. I got the first prime by just leading the pack through the corner and starting my sprint really early. The second prime I went for I was 3rd wheel and was only able to come around the second girl just before the line. That attempt separated me from the pack with 3 other girls and we were off the front for about a lap. I wasn't doing any work because I really just wanted to be chillin in the group, so we got caught pretty quick. In perfect team tactic fashion, Emily jumped and followed the counter attack immediately. She was now in a break away with two teammates and one other girl from a strong team. Kristina immediately moved to the front along with the other girls' teammates to block and the break away was quickly gaining ground on the field. They had 10 seconds, then 15, then out of nowhere comes a ridiculous surge from Sarah Hammer, (world pursuit champion) and 2 of her teammates. I was out of the saddle and sprinting as fast as I could to follow their train. That's all it took to reunite with the group. I'm not sure if Sara was trying to bridge up or just pick up the pace of the field, but whatever her intentions, it worked. I thought about countering off Emily's break, but opted to just sit on and take my chances in the field sprint. Five laps to go, Kristina gets to the front and starts drilling it to make sure no more attacks try to sneak away. She kept that up for 3 more laps and forced everyone else to just sit on. So now it's bell lap and all together. I am at the front behind Taitt, Emily and Kristina are somewhere in the middle of the pack. Up the climb there's a nasty crash and race over for Emily and Kristina, who got stuck behind it, but fortunately managed to stay upright. I had been boxed in so many times earlier in the race, that I was content with just riding on the front for the whole last lap. Into the headwind I drilled ! it, making sure no one would come around me, and just before the final corner a single rider jumped and gapped my going into the turn. I jumped too just to make sure no one else was able to squeeze in there and was second going through the corner. I hesitated to get out of the saddle and looked behind me before really starting my sprint. That's where I lost the race. I have never had some many people call me out for that, but it's great criticism that I need to hear in order to learn. I was never able to close the gap between me and the winner and I was still more worried about the race behind me. This was a big mistake that I will not make again. Luckily, I was able to hold off Taitt who came in just behind me in third. Oh well, you live and learn... It was a great team effort and incredilbly fun. - Shelley

This will be my shortest race report ever:

1. I love this race
2. I love spending the weekend in LA – even if it is a 48 hour whirlwind
3. I felt great in the first ½ of race
4. I got in a break with a Bicycle John’s and a Helen’s
5. Bicycle John’s and Helen’s have a seriously annoying rivalry
6. Our break got 15 seconds and I was trying to drive it!
7. B.J.’s and Helen’s started bickering nonstop and enabled our break to get caught
8. I should have just attacked the two of them
9. Great to have Rob, Pat, and Niki cheering me on
10. Geoff is an awesome soigneur!
11. On the last lap, heading up the hill, I got caught behind a huge crash
12. Did a track stand to avoid running over Martina’s cheek
13. Had to start again, from a stop, in the big ring, up a hill
14. Needless to say, placed 33rd
15. I still love this race. - Emily

SISQUOC ROAD RACE - PODIUM

Sisquoc Road Race
Field: 25 Cat 1-4
Course: 45 mile hilly road race
Proman Ladies: Just me

Sisquoc is a fun, little road race. The course is an 11-mile loop with one power climb at mile 2 and a longer half-mile climb at mile 9. I warmed up a lot worried because I had been off the bike a few days for a near-death bee sting the Wednesday prior (excuse #1). As I cruised to the start, I got a flat, this time stung by a piece of glass (excuse #2).
As we rolled out I sized up the competition and narrowed it down to two so cal girls, one on Bicycle John's and one on Helen's Trek. The race started slow and I just stayed near the front leary about the Cat 4 gals bouncing off one another. At one point, I asked one to be careful after watching her rub the rear wheel of the girl infront of her.
As the race went on, the course dwindled down the Peleton. I got ganged up on (excuse #3). The two riders I was watching were watching me, and now trying to attack and tire me out. I was able to stay with them for the entire race; it wasn't easy. The gal who was half-wheeling her teammate took herself out. With one lap to go, the two gals I was watching took off on the smaller climb and I chased with one other girl and caught back on. We worked together until the finish to stay away from a small group of five or so. The race came down to a sprint with the four of us. The fourth unknown gal jumped early and we followed her, caught her, went around, and sprinted to the finish for so long, maybe a minute. It feels like a life time, forever, when you aren't really gaining on anyone, but not really loosing either. So, I ended up third, again. Seems to be the lucky number these days. I had excuses, so next time no excuses and first place. - KRISTINA

DISTRICT ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Field size: 30 Teams with numbers: Webcor, Palo Alto, Touchstone. Course: 10.5 mile out and back (turn around at a cone), rolling hills, finish on a climb. The first lap was really mellow. Second lap attacks began, but nothing stuck. I was covering what I thought was dangerous as I was riding without teammates. Half way into the 3rd lap, Brooke Miller and Amber Rais attacked and I went with them. We tried to work together and got ourselves a bit of a gap, maybe 15 seconds. But, at the top of the climb we were caught and that's when the big guns fired. The counter came from Betina Hold (webcor), and she was joined by Jane Despas, Beverly Harper, and Maria Monica. If that's not the perfect road race break away, I don't know what is. So, left to chase was Palo Alto who had only Brooke and Brianne Burgess left, (two other teammates were dropped after the previous attacks), Los Gatos' Yuki, one lone Vela Bella girl, and myself. Karen Brems and Amber were doing a great job blocking and messing up the chase. Brooke was ! trying to convince everyone in the field to work to help chase. It wasn't working. There were only four of us out of about 12 girls now that were willing to work. Tagged onto the back were two Touchstone riders, India and Kelly. They too did a good job of not doing any work. After the 4th lap, it was a lost cause. the group had gained 2.5 minutes on us and it was increasing. We rode the rest of the race at a very mild pace. I realize now that I should have been more active at this point, but I was kind of cooked and I knew that I would just be marked by Webcor's Karen Brems and Amber Rais. We all waited for the sprint. The pace was so slow, that a group of 3 chasers were able to catch back on. One of which was a Metromint girl who raced right to the front of the group on the downhill and locked up her brakes in the gravel left hand corner going into the finishing climb. She caused a little havoc, which ! Karen took advantage of and attacked at the bottom of the hill. The only girls to follow were myself, India and Kelly, and Brooke. So, it was the 5 of us going into the final sprint. After the climb it leveled out at the top for about 1/4 mile up to the line. Karen attacked early, Brooke jumped on her wheel and I went with them, but they had opened up a tiny gap on me, which I was never able to close. I think Brooke got Karen on the line and I rolled in just behind them for 7th. I'm sorry I couldn't have done better for the team. I was hoping to get into the break, but it happened at the one time I couldn't cover it. I missed my teammates more than ever in this race. Had we had one more girl, we could have countered with the winning break. Oh well, next year.. Shelley

TIMPANI CRITERIUM - PODIUM

I honestly was not expecting much from the race, other than trying to enjoy it, stay safe, and place top 10 to help with the BAT points race. I am coming from 2 weeks of minimal riding, and a weekend wedding enjoyed perhaps a bit too much! ;) It was so great to see all the girls (our team and others) and I instantly remembered all the reasons I race as soon as I pulled up! I felt relaxed, social, and just happy to be there. It was a perfect temperature, although a bit windy. I rode around with Shelley and Rob for a warmup, and came to the line nice and loose…and full of rocket fuel! The biggest threats were Mcguire, with Martina, Taitt, Holly, and the redhead whose name I always forget! Also there were several Los Gatos, Tracy and Alexis of P.A.B.W., Mary Maroon, and the super sprinter from Velo Girls. I told Lori that the V.G. would win, so stick on that wheel. I wasn’t even factoring myself in for the final sprint!
Anyway, Mcguire led the first lap, and then I went slowly up to the front to try to burn off some of the sugar. I kept it easy on the two headwind sections, keeping an eye out for anyone wanting to pass me. When we hit turn 3 and entered into the tailwind stretch, I hit the gas a bit and pulled hard through the start/finish. After turn 1, Taitt countered, with Emily from Los Gatos on her wheel. I jumped with them and we were 1-2-3 through the second turn. I looked back, saw that we had a gap and yelled “go, go go!” and we went, went, went! I knew this break was perfect – we are three riders who love to work, and we all had the numbers back in the field. The one drawback was that I was with 2 sprinters, but oh, well, no time to think about that now! At any rate, we went hard for the rest of the race and it actually felt pretty good. We kept yelling for times, but it was so windy that we couldn’t hear! The one time we did hear, we were at 20 sec., which we weren’t quite comfortable with, so we drilled it and by the end it was 1:20. Pat Briggs and Jamiel both said after that they couldn’t believe the distance we had achieved!
Apparently, there was a lot of action back in the field, with a lot of riders trying to bridge up. Shelley, Lori and the Mcguire girls covered everything, blocked, and helped our break stay away to the end. I couldn’t have done it without them! Needless to say, I was outsprinted in the end. I should have attacked earlier, as I was guaranteed 3rd anyway, but oh, well…20/20 hindsight messes with the head everytime! All in all, staying away from lap 2 and a podium finish was a good way to re-enter the season. Huge thanks to Shelley (who won the field sprint for 4th!) and Lori (another awesome leadout!) - Emily