MOUNT HAMILTON ROAD RACE - PODIUM!

Ahhh Mt. Hamilton.... My only previous experience with this race was
quite possibly 8 or 9 years ago. I ended up leading out a group of 4? and got 4th? only to be disqualified for crossing the center line. I was quite upset and inwardly vowed never to race the race again. Well with time, all things are forgotten. I had only a feeling within myself that this was a very hard race and I was not planning on racing it. I had in fact told Nicky that I would race the Memorial Day crit. Well on the Wednesday ride with the Lombardi boys I ended up hangin' strong with Darin and Tyler. With Darin pulling like two horses around the lagoon and down the coast and finally up from the Pelican Inn, I had the glimpse of feeling like a climber. So I then decided to race the Ham. Barb kept telling me that the climb wasn't so bad because it was not so steep and that ended up being true! I got a ride down with Barb and her friend Ray, chugged my secret sauce (home made Kombucha) and lined up with a small field. We headed up the first of the foothills at a very gentle pace and then I can't remember a thing! No! I am just kidding. Turns out the first climb is just over a smaller hill, then you see across a valley to the observatory at the top of Mt. Hamilton. Well I love going downhill and so on this first (and delightfully unexpected) descent I just decided to let it roll and push it through the turns. I immediately dropped the field and rode out of sight. Some girl in a yellow jersey got across to me at the bottom and we crossed the valley to start climbing up the real climb to Hamilton.
I figured the field would let us go for a while until closer to the KOM, so I let the yellow jersey gal set the tempo. We got maybe a minute on the field before they started to chase and when they got back in view Shelley bridged across and then attacked. Yellow jersey started to chase and I suggested to her to "let her go" and go she did! Shelley put I think 3 minutes on us and won the Queen of the Mountain. I felt surprisingly good on the climb and noticed that I wasn't breathing nearly as hard as some of the other girls. (That didn't mean that I wasn't feeling it in the legs!) So once again when the road pointed downhill I attacked. I naively thought that I could catch Shelley and then we could work together, hold off the field and finish 1,2. I got within 1:30 of her with the field :30 behind me, i realized they weren't about to let me get any further away and i certainly didn't want to drag them any closer to Shelley. With the headwinds and my screaming legs I decided to let myself get caught and hope Shelley could hang strong and finish solo. I have no idea what mile it was when we caught Shelley but to my dismay we rode past her and she didn't get on. Oh shit I thought to myself. Now I have to race for myself and my legs are pretty toasty. I scavenged for the last bits of glop in my pockets and drank what I could to try to recover. Now here is where it is a smart thing to know where you are on a race course. The field (if you could call it that, there were only 8 of us left) had slowed to tea party pace with everyone trying to recover and no one wanting to work. The road started to tip ever so slightly downhill, then a little more so, and the turns got a bit tighter. So I attacked into a turn thinking we must have only 5 or so miles to go. Brook was the only one who went with me and she seemed willing to work. We got 50 seconds on the field but had no idea how much farther. Finally the moto told us we had 12miles and we lost some drive. She wouldn't work any more and we soon got caught. All I could remember from racing the race before was that at the end of the race/bottom of the descent it was 2k to the finish. Finally we saw a 5k to go sign and then the road got steeper (downhill) so AGAIN I attacked into a turn and pinned it. Again Brook was the only one able to respond. On the flats the moto came by saying 2k to go. Brook took one pull in the middle and then jumped around me with 200meters to go. I thought I had 2nd place in the bag and could hardly see straight with my legs pedaling herkey jerkey when Jane came by me at the finish line. Bummer, but still better than I would have forecast. My back was in spasms and my legs trashed for days, but it was cool! I hung on the climb! Shelley suffered out there solo for like 40 miles and proved that sprinters can climb! Proman got 2 podiums! - Thanks for reading -Rachel

KERN COUNTY STAGE RACE - Podiums and win!

Stage 1 - Individual Time Trial - Tracey's report

Kern is a great stage race -- all women and tough stages in the lovely dry, hot Bakersfield. It's one of my favorite races of the year. I'm not quite sure why because I'm not very good at TTs and we all know I'm not a climber. But it's a great time to bond with team-mates, work on team tactics and improve your fitness. I had lots of team-mate bonding last year w/Jamie as we navigated through disaster after disaster...bike falling off the roof of her car....repairing her broken fork....flatting on I5 while driving home in the pouring rain and being driven home by a crack-head flat bed tow truck driver. Yes....I digress. This year I was focused on helping out my team (Kristina, Shelley, Katy and Abby) as much as possible and trying to avoid the 2007Lantern Rouge (which I was the proud owner of in 2006). The flat TT was the first event. It's a 5 mile out and back, with a "Bob Liebold" half mile sweeping descent in the first mile and a climb coming back to the finish. I had my TT bike (which was still a little screwed up from flying off the back of the car at Madera) and some real TT equipment that I borrowed from Michael. I got to the start after a pretty good warmup and realized that I had a terrible position. Kelly McDonald was in front of me, which meant that I would lose my "rabbit" rather quickly, and Jane Despas behind me, which meant that I would be passed in a matter of minutes. Joy!! Off I went, and settled into a rhythm. I was feeling ok and kept Kelly within my sights, but then as expected ...swooosh ....Jane goes by me. I tried to pick up my pace a little and use her to gauge my speed. But my legs were not having any part of it. So I slowed down some and kept pushing myself along and focused on ...the dead snakes in the road, the ambulance stopped on the side of the road next to the conductor of the stopped train, the old dilapidated slaughter house, etc. It was even more exciitng on the way back. I was just about to the bottom of the climb and Shelley caught me...and passed me...and completely left me behind. My legs just didn't want to turn over and I was barely moving up the hill. Uggghhhh. I lost a lot of time at the end, but still managed to pull off a 10th place. Yay!! I didn't come in last and have to hear Michael console me with "Honey, someone has to come in last". - Tracey

Stage 2, Walker Basin Road Race - Kristina's report
8:30 AM
7.5 mile loop, 8 laps
Bonus time on each lap 10, 5, and 3 seconds for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively.
Kristina’s Report

Game plan was to set up Shelley for the sprints each lap, and take the win. Tracey would sweep and take away points from any other contender. Abby and I would lead out Shelley and chase down any breaks. Kate was instructed to sit in and rest her legs for the hill climb. The plan worked, we completely controlled the race and Shelley took the Stage Win and got to keep an incredible, hand-crafted, beautifully colored, Robert made, windmill like, wood plaque (in the end, worth the effort just for this trophy).

Each lap was quite slow. Everyone was saving their legs for the hill climb later in the afternoon, or the sprint points at the start/finish. We did the same. Into the start/finish there was a nasty head wind, a few sweeping turns and a long gradual hill. Also, the center line rule was strictly enforced and the finishing stretch was very narrow. (I even heard Mike was hiding in the bushes taking photos to make sure NO ONE crossed the line, one gal was DQ’ed last year.) So, positioning was key to this sprint. If you weren’t near the front at the bottom of the climb, there was no room to get up to the front. Our team quickly figured out where to be and when to jump and lined up for the points every lap. Each lap I worked on my lead out with Abby either just ahead of me or behind, and Tracey and Shelley were in the points every time! It was incredible. I ended up crawling back up to the field after my long lead out each lap; no one was attacking after the points and we all rested each lap. Tracey, our secret 29-year-old sprinting weapon racked up tons of points along the way and finished 2nd, right behind Shelley. I wonder if they were throwing elbows at the line? That would be a fun sprint to watch!

It was great lead-out practice for the team and just overall a great day for teamwork. We all did our jobs well and, in the end, it was a perfect end to a perfect race. Then we packed up as quick as we could, shoveled down some food, and prepared for the hill climb we were to start in just two short hours… - Kristina

Kern County Stage Race: Stage 3, Mt. Breckenridge Hillclimb. Shelley's Report: There were no real tactics to speak of in this race. Our plan was to launch Kate and her superior climbing legs off the front and straight up the mountain to put her back on top of the GC. Kristina was instructed to sit in and save her legs for the next day's VERY hilly road race. This was probably the most challenging part of the entire stage race for Kristina, as she is a true climber and for some strange reason really enjoys hill climb racing. I was sitting in 1st on GC after the team's successes earlier that morning, about 45 seconds ahead of Jane Despas. I knew very well that the two climbers Kelly McDonald of Touchstone and Molly Van Howling of Metromint would use this race to gain an edge on the field and myself. The race started on an open road, gradually climbing about 3 miles up to the base of the climb where the real pain would begin. I kept myself well protected and the pace was mellow. At 3 miles in, we turned right over a cow grate and onto a very narrow single lane road that would wind and wind up to the top. Kelly McDonald of Touchstone attacked immediately. I watched as she rode away, but tried to maintain a close distance behind her. Molly, Jane, and I tried to keep the pace high and go with the move, but each of us realized very quickly that we would need to pace ourselves if we didn't want to blow up. I never saw anyone again after Kelly's attack, besides Molly who I kept within sight for the rest of the race. For a few minutes, I could hear the heavy breathing of Jane Despas close behind me, but that sound quickly faded and I found myself alone with only one rider in view. I used Molly as a target for the rest of the climb. It took me about 2 miles to settle my breathing and convince myself that quitting wasn't an option. Mike Hernandez had positioned himself in a most critical spot of the climb for me and thankfully inspired me to keep going with a nice splash of water, a feed, and these words, "Just Ride." It was that moment that I found a rhythm in my peddle stroke, relaxed my shoulders, and finally gained control of my breath. I also caught back on to Molly's wheel soon after and allowed her to pace me for the rest of the climb. It was windy in the open switchbacks and having a wheel to follow was certainly advantageous. We rode the rest of the race together at a nice smooth pace and crossed the finish line together. I thanked Molly after the race for pacing me and congratulated her for her impressive performance as a climber. My teammates all finished shortly behind me, ecstatic that the race was over as I was. All of the riders in all the categories joined together at the top of the mountain with a shared sense of accomplishment and waited for the officials to give us the o.k. to descend. We were all shivering by the time the last rider crossed the line. The descent was painful and cold, with the occasional huge snake and lots of gravel and rocks to avoid riding over. I lost about 2 minutes to Kelly McDonald on the climb, which put her ahead of me on GC by only 15 seconds. This would make the next day's road race much more interesting. Shelley

BERKELEY HILLS ROAD RACE

Berkeley Hill RR
Teammate: Shelley
Weather: sunny and warm, chilly at the start
Course: 20 mile circuit; 3.7 laps
Riders: Tibco and Touchstone with a strong showing, one ValueAct rider: Ms. Courtney Brown, G.I Jane, Mints, Sarah Bamberger, etc.


Nothing to report on the first lap. Everyone seemed to be testing their legs up the three bears. Shelley and I had planned to do the same. Lap two was a little more exciting. We took a stroll into anaerobic land up the three bears. I sucked down chocolate flavored caffeine packets and fruit juicy Clif sugar syrup goodness and held on. We watched one girl roll off the front and the Mints chased her down in no time. Not sure why, as they didn’t have a plan about what to do once they got her. Anyhow, that brute-strength Tibco rider, who we planned to stay with, got off the front in the sneakiest place. Stacey Marple went hard up the little, painful, steep kicker on the backside of the course. I couldn’t find my legs to chase her down, and hesitated as the group was going into the nasty, long, head-wind section. So Shelley and I assumed Touchstone, with 4 strong riders, would help bring it back. Nothing… The mints did some respectable work, but she got away. Shelley made a great effort to get her, but no one would let Ms. Shelley go. I thought really hard about going, but decided it would be best to work with the field, it was quite windy and a hard course. Finally, on the third lap, Jill of Touchstone put in an impressive pull for about a quarter of the course. We yo-yoed pass the men’s Pro1/2 race a few times. I am sure they enjoyed watching us girls suffer, but they finally got their ‘stuff’ together and rode away from us.

There we were, fourth and final lap with no sign of Stacey. We heard she had minutes on us: it was a race for second place. Touchstone, with three riders left, put in some impressive attacks, but Shelley and I were right there. Rolling up the three bears for the last time and pace was high and more attacks came. I was an idiot and got myself in bad position during an attack, and couldn’t go forward as fast as everyone else. I ended up getting gapped on the second to last bear (was it mama or baby, I am not really sure; none of them seemed just right to me) and chased the group of 10 riders ahead of me (including Courtney of Value Act, who was riding strong) I passed a poor Cheerwine rider, Sarah B, with her left crank arm dragging on the ground still clipped to her shoe. I hope she got back ok. Shelley stayed with the group and drag raced to the finish ending up fourth overall just behind Jill. I got caught by a few of some strong mints at the base of the last climb, rode with them up the hill, and sprinted around them for tenth place.

This could surpass Wente as my favorite Nor Cal Road race. Windy roads through beautiful trees; long, not-to-steep accents overlooking the reservoir; temperate weather with no fog. I’ve already forgot how much I suffered and can’t wait to do it again. Very impressive win for Stacey - congratulations!

Thanks to Jana for coming out and cheering! It was great to catch up and see you and Phil again. Come and ride with us again soon.
Kristina

STEINBECK CRITERIUM - WIN!

Teamates: Kristina and Tracey
Other teams, TIBCO, Morgan Stanley, Webcor Alto Velo, Velo Bella, Metromint and others.
weather: foggy to clear, headwind on back stretch, tail wind sprint.

What to do, Golden state or Steinbeck crit. I decided to go where the money was! longer drive but i had to support a race with equal prize money for the chicks! i do love the Golden state course and it is a well supported race. so early rise for a 9:45 start. A seemingly boring 4 cornered course turned out to be very enjoyable. The race was very animated from the start, some of the days notables were stella, Amanda Eaken, Trish bell and Ryan H, it was fun to see these ladies attacking hard, maybe not always at a good time but never the less good to see ladies mixing it up. My plan today was to win or give a super strong leadout. I manage the team and it really does take a toll on your racing, i am already securing sponsorship for 2007 cross season and 2008 road, nevermind focusing on a race a few days from now. i decided halfway through last week to loose the manager's hat, at least for the rest of the week, and forget about divorce too. I love racing but i have to be honest i don't love my mediocre results, i do enjoy supporting my team mates in helping them reach their goals, that washes down the personal mediocre pill and makes me feel really good. I also had been suffering from 'did i forget how to win syndrome'. (thats probably way too much information) My poor team mates had to be subjected to my vocalized frustrations at myself with my top 6 finishes, now doesn't that sound awful, i know some would be happy with top 6 but it had been so long since a win, i knew this old dog still had a trick or two in her and i just felt good. I had decided to get back in to the gym this week in preparation for upcoming track races. i love working out with free weights, it brings snap back to my legs.......oops report to be finished later, going for a quick spin with rachel...........I'm back.

oh yes, the gym, some believe its not necessary to lift weights during race season but for track racing that seems to be the norm, whatever it is i like it and i crave it and my body really does respond. i did weights over the winter and it helped speed up my metabolism, i lost weight and also increased power. i stopped doing weights as soon as i started racing and slowly the weight crept back on. so last week was my first week back and i already feel better.

I felt great during the race, Kristina and i covered many short lived attacks, it was not a case of pick your battles as i just felt really good and was having fun accelerating as i was recovering quickly so i patrolled the front and felt i could cover anything, love days like that. I pretty much stayed top 5 the entire race, i even pulled for several laps, i got to set tempo and comfortably string out the field getting a great workout in. Kristina would come up and relieve me, probably concerned that i may use up too much, what she didn't know was that my caffeine Clif shots had kicked in and i felt great. I was happy to see tracey stay calm for the first part of the race, because what if i did burn all my caffeinated matches, we still had a loaded super sprinter in the arsenal. Tracey, then began covering attacks and was in a short lived break, after about 45 minutes of racing i asked Tracey how she felt, she said not great. i told her to find my wheel with a few laps to go as I knew Kristina would be there to lead me out. there were many primes to be had, i think the last prime was called and Queen bella sabine launched a tremendous effort into the head wind, she got a large gap and i was hoping she would get the prime but oh no a minty fresh was right on her wheel, sabine missed out, i wanted her to get it so badly for the superstar effort she had made. stella was riding really well, once she really figures out when and when not to use her strength she will be a force, same goes for Ryan and Amanda who also are very strong gals who launched a few too many random attacks, not to say sit in but be more mindful about their moves. TIBCO's Yuki and liza were also very active, covering moves.

Tracey moved forward to cover more attacks, One of the morgan stanley gals attacked with about 4 to go, this was great as the pursuit ensued with PROMAN sitting comfortably top 5 and the field was strung out. the bell lap rang and i was glued to Kristina's wheel, i told her i was there and she calmly accelerated, no flapping, just smooth calm barely noticeable acceleration. she slowly raised the pace right into the headwind, i was sitting pretty in 2nd, i was not sure where tracey was at that point, i told her to find my wheel i did not want to worry about where she was and loose focus on the finish. I was hoping Kristina would make it to turn 3 as i knew i could jump from the turn, get through turn 4 and have a tail wind for the sprint. We rounded turn 3 and i jumped hard, i felt great and just kept working my gears to the line, i guess i had quite a good gap, you can't tell from the head on shots. Tracey got pinched in the turn but accelerated past a few gals to get 4th and Kristina knew there was money on the line to 10th place so even after her major 1K effort she fought for 9th place! Illena Garcia-Parker came in 2nd, she is a tough lady who rides a smart race. Today was a great team effort, good communication through the race and generally good racing by all. i don't think anyone just sat in. I hope this race will be back next year, very well organized, great brewery, coffee shop and very happy friendly volunteers! thanks! We will be back ~ Nicola.

thanks to my teammates

P.S - I love winning!

Shelleys mens PRO 1/2 race report:

I decided to race with the men today to start preparing for some of the big races coming up. There were over 60 men in the field, including several Cal Giant riders, Wohlberg, Jamiel Danesh, Daniel Holloway, Dave McCook, and my man Rob. I was a little nervous lining up with them, but I saw a lot of familiar faces out there and just told myself to try and hang as long as I could. By the end of the day it was pretty windy on the course and my size in comparison to all the other riders was a big advantage. There was a pretty nasty cross wind on the back stretch that made things much harder than they already were. The race was 60 minutes long and the first 20 minutes was extremely fast. After 20 minutes, I didn't know if I could keep up. The field was splitting every other lap into groups of 30. I had missed the move on one occasion and thankfully was brought back to the leaders by a friendly rider who took me across the gap alone. 45 minutes into the race, I thought about dropping out again, but I figured that I had made it this far, I better finish the race. According to Rob, the race was really fast and never let up the entire time. I could see that it was strung out single-file up ahead, but my only concern was staying tucked in behind the wheel directly in front of me. This was definitely the fastest crit I've done, but there were times when it let up and I was able to recover. The field would slow and I would move up as far as I could until the next attack came. One thing I learned from racing with the men, was that I didn't have to cover any moves. Inevitably, if a move went up the road, someone would come from behind me and bridge the gap. All I had to do was wait for the right moment and slide in behind the riders as they passed. It was a constant battle of staying on a wheel and closing gaps. The final 5 laps were actually the slowest because there was a break up the road of 6 guys. It wasn't until the final 2 corners that it got really fast in the field. I received a lot of support from the spectators and race volunteers all along the course. The men in the field with me warned me about the final lap and told me to steer clear of the sprint, which I was happy to do. However, the next time I race with the men, I would like to try and ride closer to the front to get a feel for the sprint. It would depend on how the race had played out though, as I would definitely stay away from the front if it was ending with a field sprint. This was a great experience for me. The training was great and I learned a great deal about racing. Until the break is established, it is just one attack after the other on top of a very high paced race. The speed of the race actually made it easier for me and I felt safer. The constant high-intensity kept me focused and ready. It reminded me of every race I've ever done on the track. I'd do it again for sure. Shelley

CATS HILL CLASSIC - PODIUM!

Cat's Hill: 60 minute race Teammates: Helene, Kristin, Rachel, Tracey, Niki Cat's Hill Classic is truly a classic race. It is great for spectators, very challenging, and my hometown race. One of my goals for this season was to win Cat's Hill, so I had asked for the support of my teammates to help achieve my goal. Thanks to everyone who showed up and suffered through this race with me. I had really good support, but unfortunately I still have a lot to learn about bike racing and in the end the race was won by the smarter rider. The race started at 2:00 p.m. and it was a beautiful day. The field was much smaller than previous years with many of the great local riders away at an NRC stage race for the weekend. We knew exactly who we needed to worry about throughout the race and we did our best to control the race. Helene went on the attack early as planned and tried to scoop up some queen of the mountain points. However, Taitt was determined to defend her title from last year and she attacked before the climb several times to eventually win the QOM competition once again. The ValueAct Team rode a great race keeping it active and interesting. My teammates worked hard to cover any dangerous attacks. About half way through the race, Rachel went with a move that ended up being just her and 2 ValueAct riders. They played the game with her, attacking one after the other and making her chase. But Rachel's just too strong to get rid of. Eventually, the move came back to us and it was all together for the final 5 laps. I kept position at the front of the race with Rachel, Helene and kristin protecting me and keeping me where I needed to be. With 2 laps to go, Rachel began her leadout and kept it strung out until the bottom of the climb on the final lap. I had my competition in front of me so I attacked into the climb and drilled it over the top. I knew I had a gap and looked back to see only Karen behind me. I just kept my head down and rode as hard as I could to the line, hoping Karen would not come around me. This was my biggest mistake. Well, she did. Just before the turn she took me on the inside and I knew that was the decisive moment. I tried to get on her wheel, but the sprint is just too short in that race and it is truly a race to the final turn. Every race I learn something new. Karen taught me many things about bike racing today. I will take what I have learned and use this experience to grow as a cyclist. I can't thank my teammates enough for their support in this race. A huge thanks to Giana as well for her support. This was a great race and I'm already looking forward to next year.-Shelley

CATS HILL CLASSIC PICS - PODIUM!

DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL ROAD RACE

Road Race: Devil’s Punchbowl; SoCal Cup; W Cat 1-3
Course: 50 miles, 3 loops on a hilly course, 7 miles up, 5 miles down, 2 miles rolling in a crosswind
Weather: HOT, 90-100 degrees, slightly windy
Field: 30
PROMAN/Paradigm gal: Kristina

After hearing many rumors about how brutal this race was, I thought: I had to try it. When I got there (there being somewhere outside of Pearblossom, near Edwards AFB, 50 miles east of Santa Clarita) I thought: why did I drive this far? It was hot; it was dry; it was lonely. Warming up my legs, as the course began on a climb, I heard from some girls say: “wow, PROMAN is here, those girls are so strong.” Kate and Abby must have left a great impression the week prior at Conquer the Canyons.

The start whistle blew at 10:30 and we began half-way up the 7 mile climb. I stayed near the front to get comfortable and keep my pace. We climbed through the feed zone and hit the steepest section of the climb (similar to the bottom of the Wente Road race climb, but slightly less steep). Southbay Wheelmen notched it, but we all stayed together and flew down the wide open decent. As we went through the rolling false-flats one non-climber attacked. We caught her on an uphill shortly thereafter.

The second lap was much faster. Again, Southbay Wheelman (with an impressive turnout of five riders) notched it again. I stayed near the front through the feed, waiting for someone to attack. The pace was high near the top of the climb I looked back and we were only eight. The race was on.

We (Jennifer from Southbay Wheelmen, two Helen’s/Trek riders, a Simple Green rider, a few Bicycle John’s Riders, and me) all agreed to work together. We rotated down the big decent and into the rollers. A few of the girls were taking pulls too hard resulting in chaos for a bit. I was hurting on the rollers, and one of the girls drilled it and got a gap with four, leaving four of us behind. The lead four worked well together. I worked with one girl and looked back to see the two Helen’s/trek riders a few seconds behind. I suggested we wait for them and all work together. We rotated nicely, but on the climbs, the two Helen’s/Trek riders dropped off the pace leaving the two of us to chase on the final lap. I didn’t have much left at this point. I was chasing in 95 degree weather in a dry dessert and quickly losing motivation. My coach Dotsie, cooling down from her race with the boys, screamed words of encouragement. Well, I sucked wheel for most of the last lap and did all I could to hang with this gal. The four riders finished maybe two minutes ahead of us and I came in for sixth. - Kristina

MADERA STAGE RACE - PODIUM

Madera Stage Race -Stage 1, crit:Set in the heart of Madera (ie the furnace of California), the crit was a flat, four corner course lending to a field sprint in the final lap. No one got away on the course, but Tracey was able to put the hurt on in the final sprint.

Stage 2, TT:Oh man, this was a hot one - 10 mile TT in the 100 degree heat that was incredibly flat. Unfortunately, the GC was pretty determined after this TT, but was a good experience. My time trial put me in 4th place with Kate right behind me in 5th. Tracey had a rough day - her bike flew off of her car before the TT and during the TT her aero bar broke forcing her to hold onto it the whole time. But she was a good sport about it all and we could laugh about it in the end.

Stage 3, Road race:Another flat, hot course to contend with, but a good finish for Proman. Because I was only sitting 7 seconds behind 2nd place, Kate was incredibly great helping me in the road race. On the last lap Kate brought up the pace over the only rollers on the course which allowed me to make a great finish in 2nd right behind another GC contender. Thanks to Kate and Tracey, I was able to walk away in a close 3rd place and Kate came right behind me in 4th. - ABBY

CONQUER THE CANYONS STAGE RACE - PODIUM

Conquer the Canyons -Stage 1, 4m prologue:The prologue was a 4 mile, mostly uphill, road that was set in the Santa Monica Mountains. It was absolutely a gorgeous day, and everything was run very smoothly. As all TT efforts are, it was a tough 4 miles but Kate and I were able to manage 2nd and 3rd respectively. Stage 2, Circuit race:Once the results were posted for the TT, Kate and I were able to figure a decent strategy for the circuit/crit. It was a flat, fast loop which the kept the pace interesting, especially in competition with all of those southern california crit riders. There were two time bonus sprints available, and although we both tried for one neither Kate or I were able to get in the right position to take the points. However, on the final lap I was able to pick a good wheel that would put me in 3rd for the final sprint with Kate right behind me in 5th. Stage 3, Road race:There was only one part of the 7 mile loop that could divide the field - a 1 mile climb on the far side of the course. The first time around the loop both Kate and I sat in the group in an effort to get a feel. On the second time around we were neutralized because of an accident at the bottom of the descent, so Kate and I had to be patient. On the third time up the climb Kate made a strong attack which definitely shook some of those sprinters. However, it was not enough to break up the field and we were once again together as we rounded the course again. Unfortunately, the marshalls decided to cut the race short - at the base of the "final" climb! So Kate and I had only one more chance to get away from the field. Kate attacked again, two of the girls in contention went with her, I followed and got on the front of the field and tried to keep the pace high. It ended in a field sprint coming into the final turn and Kate made a great finish in 5th and me right behind her in 6th. Overall, we had a great time down south. Kate finished 4th while I finished 3rd. - ABBY