BARIANI ROAD RACE _ WIN!

Bariani is a flat 4x10 mile road race with a small climb. I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout given that a big money NRC race (Quad Knopf) was happening on the same day. We had a field of 54 racers which included Touchstone, TIBCO, Klein (Jane), Morgan Stanley, Velo Bella and Metromint. Since I didn't have any team-mates join me for the race, my strategy was to sit in as much as possible...let the other teams that had stronger numbers chase things down...and if it stayed together, make sure my positioning was good going into the final sprint. The race began and Touchstone took over at the front and kept the speed at a good race pace. It continued to be fairly mellow on the first lap until we hit the climb. There was a KOM prize, so Jane and a few others attacked at the bottom of the hill. The pack broke up slightly, but quickly regrouped. My legs weren't feeling great, and I had lost a lot of places on the hill -- not what I was hoping for. The finish was about 1k after the hill, so I knew that I needed to crest it near the front to have a good position going into the final sprint. The next few laps were similar to the first. There were a lot of attacks, especially going into the hill, but none were strong enough to get away for more than a minute or so. The pack would pick up the pace and swallow them back in. The fourth and final climb was faster than the earlier climbs. I just couldn't find my legs and even though I wanted to be near the front, I lost a lot of positions. Coming over the top I was near the back...ugghh. As we made the right turn at the bottom of the hill, I noticed a slight mushroom at the front of the pack and knew it had slowed down slightly. I weaved my way through the racers and followed the right line so I would be sheltered from the wind. I started picking off racers one at a time. I made the final turn about 7th wheel and continued passing other girls. I finally got to 2nd position behind Kelly McDonald (Touchstone) and didn't have anyone else to draft behind. I had about 400 yards before the finish and decided to go for it. All I could think of was..."I WENT TOO EARLY AND SOMEONE IS GOING TO DRAFT AND COME AROUND ME". But I made it over the first riser out front and looked back before I hit the second one. I had at least 5 bike lengths on the other girls -- yay! I sprinted over the second riser and took the win. Two words ... PROMAN redemption! :) - TRACEY