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