NATURE VALLEY GP - STAGE 1 & 2 - PODIUM!

Nature Valley Grand Prix Stage Race, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota

6 Stages, 5 Days

Teammates: Abby, Kate, Virginia, Holly, and Trish

What an amazing week of racing! In my NRC Stage Race Debut, I was accompanied by 5 incredible teammates, unbelievable mechanical and technical support, gracious and enthusiastic hosts, and by far the coolest Team Manager out there. After everyone had arrived, we got the team together and went for a ride the morning before Stage 1, a 60-minute criterium in downtown St. Paul. When we showed up at the course, I was nervous at first, but after seeing that most of my competition was familiar NorCal women, I told myself that it was just another race and the only thing in my control was how I was going to prepare and race that night. Chris Black gave me some words of wisdom before the race, which turned out to be decisive and the reason I finished the day in 2nd place. He told me that the field would split and if a move went up the road and I missed it, that I would have to bridge the gap and join the break without bringing a single rider with me. That's exactly what happened. Immediately after an effort to win the QOH sprint halfway through the race, a group of 7 riders with all the strong teams represented and defending champion Kristen Armstrong, had split from the field. They were obviously moving fast and well organized and Chris knew it. He yelled immediately to me to bridge and bridge now. As if my life depended on it, I jumped out of the pack and made the move across the gap. It took 3/4 of a lap to latch on to the back of their group, but as soon as I got there, I was confident this was the move of the day. Armstrong was driving it with the help of a few others. A couple of riders were clearly just marking the move, but it wasn't enough to doom our effort, so we rolled on. The other girls were more concerned with getting time on the field so they let me scoop up the sprint points left in the race, which ultimately put me in the Wheaties Sprinter's Jersey at the end of the night. With one lap to go, a Cheerwine rider attacked up the right side before turn 1 and I attacked up the left. We were side by side and I let her take the corner first. Two more riders jumped up and tried to move ahead of me behind Cheerwine and ended up crashing right in front of me. I was able to avoid going down, but I had to brake hard and redirect myself. Meanwhile, Cheerwine was rolling away and two more girls from our break had moved ahead of me. In the last straightaway before the final turn, those two girls started playing cat and mouse and I seized the moment jumping ahead of them on the far left and sweeping the corner. I had a good gap on the girls behind me and too much of a gap to close ahead of me. It was amazing to roll in in 2nd place though. I was ecstatic and overwhelmed. I got my two minutes of fame by standing on the podium next to a World Champion as the first woman of the NVGP to wear the Sprinter's Jersey and 2nd place overall going into the next stage.

Stage 2: Cannon Falls Road Race This race was fairly uneventful. We rode for about 55 miles out on the open road with the occasional QOH or Sprint points to shake things up. I did not go for any of these points, nor did I eat hardly any food or drink while I was out there. I sure paid for it at the end of the race when things started to heat up. Just before the final 2 mile circuits, which we would do 5 times, the open road became a very narrow dirt road. Everyone, including myself, was sprinting to get to the turn off first and onto the dirt without too many riders in front of them. I made it there safely and came out on the other side with the lead group onto the circuit. It was all bad from here on out. The finish line was at the top of a 50-ft little kicker of a hill that hurt pretty bad every time. The course was really technical coming into the final straightaway, so positioning was really important and I was just totally out of position. There were sprints on two of those 5 laps, so the pace never really let up. I just did my best to stay with the group and finish as far up as I could. I ended up in 19th on the day. Virginia was perky-fresh the whole race, checking in with me every few minutes and offering her strength to move me up in the final circuits. I refused and told her to go for it herself. She finished 13th on the day. This was an incredible and well-deserved result that proved she was truly a contender on the NRC circuit. The rest of the team rolled in with the group except for Abby who suffered a mishap, getting stuck behind another rider whose fork broke. Abby's a stud though and picked herself up, rode it in, and immediately started preparing for her specialty of time trialing the next morning. - Shelley

BURLINGAME FIDELITY CRITERIUM - WIN!

I remember going to watch the Burlingame Crit when I was a newly upgraded Cat 3. I was petrified of the race –technical with uneven pavement, a competitive field, all which tend to lead to a handful of crashes. I vowed never to do the race. Fast forward three years … I conquered my fears (some of them at least) and I decided to make it my focus race for the year.
Most of the PROMAN team was off racing Nature Valley, but Nicola and Kristin decided to join me for some Burlingame fun. We had ~45 girls which is a great turnout for a local crit. Metromint, Velo Bella, Tibco, Los Gatos, Dolce Vita, Morgan Stanley all had strong teams with great sprinters. Nicola spent the week DS’ing for the team in Minnesota and flew back late Sat night. Knowing from experience what a heavy workload and travel does to your body, I didn’t expect her to physically be able to race to her ability. My plan was to race smart, not waste energy chasing things down that wouldn’t stick and position myself well for the sprint. The mini cannon went off. I was lucky to get a good position on the first lap and lead through the first few corners until I hit the nasty headwind on the backside and had to let up a little. I knew the wind would keep things together. Plus, there were a few strong teams that were deep enough to work and bring back anything threatening. The race was a little slower than I would have liked. I was having a tough time staying at the front, as the group mushroomed in the windy section and hit the brakes in the corners. I kept losing my position and was working to move forward. A few breaks got away, but nothing was long lived. The race went by quickly and the next thing I knew we only had 5 laps to go and I started to move up through the pack. With 3 laps left, there was a group of 4 with a few seconds on the field. Kristin was in front of me and I asked her to bring me up. We joined the lead group with the pack in tow. Kristin was working hard to stay near the front, with me holding her wheel. She managed to make it to the front and was pulling hard. We had the group strung out, but I knew she wasn’t going to be able to hold the pace. With a lap and half left someone came up hard on the left and I yelled to Kristin. I was soooo happy when it ended up being Nicola. I don’t know how she did it, but she drilled it from the back of the pack to the front and took off. She pulled the pack for three quarters of a lap...the perfect leadout situation. The pace was so fast that no one was able to come around us. Kristin jumped on the backside hoping to get a headstart on the sprinters to the line. As I let up a little in the wind, Alexis (Tibco) came around me and led me to the last corner. She jumped hard, I used her draft and managed to come around her for the win.
It’s a great feeling to set goals for yourself and accomplish those goals through teamwork. This win is important to me because of the sacrifices that made it happen. I’m proud to be part of the PROMAN team…. – Tracey

NEVADA CITY CLASSIC - WIN & PODIUM!

Beautiful Day, 50 minute Race,

Course: Straight up and Straight Down

Teammates: Helene, Tracey, Rachel

With the defending champ standing next to me on the line, my intentions were to ride as hard as I could to help Helene repeat her victory from last year. I would also be using this race as a warm-up and test of fitness for the upcoming NRC Stage Race, the Nature Valley Grand Prix, beginning 3 days later in Minnesota. There was a $100 prime 3 laps into the race, which would become $400 if the winner of the prime went on to win the race. The first lap was neutral, but it was clear that the field of 35 women were just itching to race. Cheerwine, Touchstone, Velo Bella, Jazz Apple, and Metromint were all present with strong riders, but PROMAN set the pace from the start leading through the technical decent and up the climb. I was feeling out the field, following Helene and Rachel's wheels for the first couple of laps, letting them get a gap through the decent and making the other teams jump around me to bridge at the bottom of the climb. On the 3rd lap, Jazz Apple started setting up for the $100 prime and Rachel and I marked the move, but neither one of us had heard the bell and figured it wasn't this particular lap. Rachel lead the field up to the start finish and just before the line Jazz Apple jumped and took the prime. Nearing the top of the climb on the backside of the course, PROMAN was still on the front driving the pace. Michael Hutchinson, a legendary bike rider and close friend to the team, yelled from the sideline, "Don't pull the field around, attack! Light it up PROMAN!" That's all I needed to hear. I attacked hard from the left side about 6 riders back. With two teammates on the front and two small climbs to get over before the top, it was the perfect moment to get the gap I needed. I immediately put my head down and switched into time trial mode. With 10 laps to go, I really didn't expect to stay away, but everything fell into place and I was able to hold onto a 15-20 second gap for the rest of the race. Every time up the climb, the local crowds and hometown friends would cheer and motivate me to keep going. Hutchinson and Hernandez were instrumental in keeping me focused. I remember Hernandez telling me to breath deep and settle in to the pain. He was telling me to shift into a harder gear on the climb, which I thought was crazy at first, but when I did it the pedals turned over nice and smooth. With about 4 laps to go, I passed a teammate of mine who had dropped off the main group. Apparently, the field confused that teammate with me and thought they had brought me back. I had snuck away and it was now clear that I would hold off the field. The last two laps were amazing. I knew I was riding to the win in one of the most prestigious races in the district and I felt great. My teammates and friends on the sidelines were unbelievable today and I couldn't have done it without them. Rachel flexed her power on the rest of the field taking second place convincingly and Helene rolled in for 5th. It was an amazing day for PROMAN, leaving their stamp of authority on this legendary race for the second year in a row. Thanks for reading. -Shelley

FIDELITY BURLINGAME CRITERIUM - WIN!

PHOTOS: Tim Brennan

NATURE VALLEY GP - STAGE 1 - PODIUM!

So - this is how it went down... The race was set to start at 5:30, and I rolled past the start line at about 5:00 on my way to the bathroom. Looked like about 100 ladies already waiting at the line. i quickly went for the final pee and got in the back. Despite trying to move a bit up the side during call ups, i started pretty much at the back. luckily i got clipped in quick, got around a couple of girls and was not last when the race started. Shelley olds (the leader of the team i'm riding for) and about 20 others were called up and had great positioning from the gun. the course was only 1 kilometer and they were pulling lapped riders. Anyone who didn't finish 50% of the race would not be allowed to go on to the next stage - brutal!!!

The pace was wicked fast from the gun. the entire field was strung out and turning one corner i could see the train all the way through the next corner. All i thought the whole race was "move up. move up. move up." The course had a long straight away with a slight uphill, to a right hand finish into a bigger hill and the finish line. the hardest part of the race was the straight away and the long hill. there was a headwind, and as people braked and accellerated it was easy to get gapped and you had to really work to get back on. ladies were getting popped here left and right and i had to keep chasing and scooting around them to stay on the main pack. As i got closer and closer to the front the race got easier, the women took the turns smoother, with less braking. But, the position was hard to hold. everyone wanted to be in the front. After a short lived stint near the front where i found shelley sitting pretty about 10th wheel, along with brooke miller and all the other scary strong ladies, i slid back again. I think it was at that point that a crash occurred - about 2 ladies in front of me, going into the fast corner and the straight away. we swerved and about 3 or 4 of us dug deep to catch back on. I think at that point, another split in the field occurred. All the ladies behind me ended up in a back group and ended up getting pulled. Luckily, they had finished 50% of the race so could go on to the next stage.

Every 10 minutes of the race there was a sprint or a queen of the hill - and the pace would get crazy. after the queen of the hill (at 30 minutes in), a small break went off the front - with Cheerwine, Lipton, Tibco, aarons and a few others in it. Shelley saw the opportunity and immediately bridged. No one else went with her. Cheerwine and aarons quickly shut the field down. The pace was still fast and hard, but i felt like we'd slowed down a touch. after a few laps went by webcor got amber rais and a couple others on the front and they put down a blistering pace to try to catch the break. ladies were getting shelled from the chase group like crazy. I was hanging on, but my guts were crying for me to stop. At that point i think the chase group was down to about 30 women. Webcor got the gap down from 20+ seconds to 7 seconds, but then the lost steam and no one else would help and the gap opened again.

In the end, a break of 8 stayed away - Kristin Armstrong was drilling it in the break, and only the 2 cheerwine, shelley and one other were working - Stacey marple and Felicia gomez were apparently sitting on - possibly trying to tire kristen out or maybe just content to let their sprinters in the field take over if the break was caught. apparently, going into the last lap one of the ladies attacked and jumped away (this was the lady who won the race). Only shelley got on her wheel. then, 2 of the other ladies in the break jumped and they crashed right in front of shelley - forcing her to brake and letting Catherine Cheatley get away. Shelley chased and found Stacey marple from tibco and Teresa Moriarty playing cat and mouse on the final stretch before the turn into the finish. Shelley sprinted around them into the final turn and took second, and the sprinters jersey. Back in the pack, i didn't realize the benefit of trying to sprint - and just rolled across the line in the end - still got 28th - though wished i'd tried to sprint in the end just to bring that number down a couple. All in all - SOOOOOOO happy i managed to hang with the chase group. So impressed/awed/intimidated by how strong these women are - I can't believe how fast the women on the front were going that they were able to drop so many folks.

Today's stage is a road race and starts at 5:30. We'll head over pretty soon to warm up and get situated. We still have 5 in the race - unfortunately one other guest rider felt like crap yesterday and didn't make the time cut. but, she's going to hang out and help out which is great. Tomorrow is two stages - a TT starting at 9 am and a crit starting at 6:45 pm. Luckily the TT is short - after getting a TT bike and all the fixins, i wasn't able to bring any of it with me on the plane - box was too dang small!!! bummer. So, i'll be riding the cervelo with some clip ons and the super sexy aero helmet.

Excited for todays race - hoping to be able to help shelley out and stay in the game. I'll keep you posted :)

Virginia

NEVADA CITY CLASSIC

PESCADERO ROAD RACE - PODIUM!

Pescadero RR
Field Size: 15
Teammates: Shelley
Weather: cool, sunny (NO FOG!)
Course: 2.7 laps; 25-mile hilly loop

I was very disappointed to find out, upon registering, that there were a mere 15 of us. Even Mike was disappointed, and never led us around on the moto. The race started slow, with just 15 girls. It seemed we were all recovering from Mt. Hood or other races and very few of us had the energy to put in an attack. Plus, this course is brutal ending on a 3K climb, and no one was silly enough to put in an attack so early in the race.

And on with the race: Velo Bella’s Barbara put in a huge effort to take the first prime in downtown Pescadero! We all cheered for her after her incredible, elbow-throwing effort. After the big town sprint, we chatted until we got to the main climb and got down to business. A few girls got dropped, chased on, and through the next downtown sprint we were back together. This sprint Bri (Tibco) dug deep to take away the “minimal” (as the announcer at the start described it) cash prime prize from Barbara. Shelley and I sat in to save our legs for the final climb. ;) Again, we cruised around the course until the climbs. I whispered to Shelley, I legs feel horrible, don’t wait for me if something happens.

On the second lap, Sarah Bamberger (Cheerwine), Bri, and Maria Monica (Touchstone) all put in a huge effort up the main climb. Shelley and I quickly organized together and I chased Shelley down the hill (I just wasn’t ON today, braking too much down the hill), and we rotated for about a mile at the base of the decent until we caught back on the three who were off the front. The five of us rotated a few miles, just to keep the pace up to make the straglers work a bit more, and to keep the race moving. Slowly, a few other riders caught on and we were about eight. This time I whispered to Shelley, I feel horrible, except when I am going uphill. Along the backstretch, Sarah taught Shelley and I the ‘booty clap’. I am sure the follow car enjoyed this lesson. (On a side note, I have been practicing, but still can’t wiggle like Sarah. Shelley, you got it yet?)
Maria kept the pace high into the final climb and it finally felt like we were racing again. Sarah asked if Shelley or I were going to launch an attack, as we were the only team left with numbers (Flavia, Bri’s teammate flatted along the way and seemed too tired to get back in?). Shelley and I kinda laughed as neither one of us felt the energy to go for it. We came into the feed zone at the base of the climb and I felt the tension. I was sitting about 3rd wheel watching Maria and Sarah, as I thought they would be the ones to stay with. I was looking around and heard and saw Sarah make her move, attacking at the base of the climb. Here we go! I thought, and sprinted after her. I took about 15 seconds before I turned around to see the damage. We were off the front, with a gap on Maria and Bri, and there was Shelley sitting on! I couldn’t believe it. I watched my heart rate up the hill, knowing what I could sustain--after the hundreds of miles climbing at Mt. Hood I freakin’ better be able to hold this for 3K. The suffering seemed short, and I paced Sarah up the hill, checking to make sure Maria or Bri didn’t catch us. Shelley informed me they were both rotating attacks, but just could not get us. I signaled to Sarah to pull around. Again…right elbow…left elbow…nothing….Dang it, I thought. She is going to work me. Come on, I said/pleaded, help. She then jumped me with about 300m to go. I tried hard to catch her, but couldn’t. She got too good of a jump on me. I suffered in for second, Shelley for fifth. Thanks Shelley for being such a supportive teammate! - Kristina

MOUNT HOOD STAGE RACE

Stage 5
87 miles. 9200 feet of climbing. Sunny and warm, again.

To truly appreciate this stage, you have to view the profile. http://www.mthoodcyclingclassic.com/stagemap5.htm

The bible describes the stage as epic, brutal, stunning. Stunned, I was, when I saw we were climbing for the last 35 miles of the race. That beautiful peak we were gazing at all week as a backdrop to paradise viewed from our Bed and Breakfast was suddenly tormenting us. This race started fast out of Cooper Spur resort downhill and kept tempo up the first climb. A mad sprint for the first QOM, and PROMAN was all together with the group. We descended for 15 miles; this is so boring, but better than climbing, I thought. We had a pee break, and it seemed everyone was back together. We got to the second QOM and the field shattered again. I was in a large chase group with my teammates and many other girls and we drilled it down a steep, straight, four-lane road and easily caught back on the group. Then, things got dirty. Aaron’s was attacking on all the little climbs leading up to the start of the 35-mile climb. The field again went to pieces and I saw Felicia get away with Leah and maybe Flavia. It was hard to tell in the wreckage. I was slightly off the main group, got my game face on (you know, the ugly one where I grit my teeth and my cheeks wrinkle and I start to snot but I don’t care) and went to chase. Abby came up next to me and passed me, she was riding so strong! She paced me a bit up the climb, but Kate was just a little behind us, so Abby eased up to wait. I looked around and we were also with Jill (Touchstone), a Washington Wines girl (who was one place ahead of me on GC) and another local girl (who was just behind me in GC). I knew Jill was going to give it her all to get on, and I didn’t want to loose my GC standing so I sat in with these three girls up the long climb. It didn’t work and waited for Abby and Kate who got back on with us. Then, I went to the front in desperation and panic mode and drilled it with Jill to get us all back on. If felt like miles went by as we all chased. We could see the caravan just ahead and I knew we could make it. But, I was worried because the break had formed and I didn’t know if the peleton would keep driving it to bring it back. Luckily, no one did until we caught back on. Jill went straight to the front to bring it back. I never looked back at this point, I just held onto the group as long as I could. About 10 miles later, those silly master’s men caught us and the field was caotic. Girls were getting shelled and it was my time. After getting gapped, I chased as hard as I could and caught three riders, minty Jenn Joynt, the Washington Wines girl, and another young Cat 3 rider who could climb like a pro. So we rotated the rest of the way to the finish, encouraging each other along the way and thanking all the wonderful volunteers handing us water!

And on a personal note, I was pretty much in tears crossing the finish line. I got the chills (and not because we ended in the snow). Here I was finishing an epic day in the mountains with a respectable result. Just six months ago, I couldn’t sit on my bike, sit at work, or even sit in a car without back pain from a slipped disc. I was so proud of how far I have come, and so thankful to have so much support along the way! Thanks PROMAN ladies, thanks Dotsie, thanks to my incredible chiropractor and thank you Geoff. I am so happy to be racing again with this incredible team!

Final damage:
Kristina 17th
13 minutes back
Kate 25th
Abby 26th
25 minutes back

Overall GC after Stage 5:
15th Kristina Seley
24th Abby Cooper
26th Kate Ligler

Stage 6
Finally, the last day, only 50 minutes of suffering. My goal was to finish with the pack and keep my top 15 place. I haven’t been too successful at NRC crits, so a goal to finish with the pack is a little lofty for me. Luckily, I had impoved my crit skills so much this last year working with my incredible teammates. I had already read on Cyclingnews that Felicia and the Aaron’s gals weren’t going to let the race end easy. I knew that, but did they have to publish it on Cyclingnews? Some of us need to calm our nerves. Felicia was about one minute behind Leah Goldstein (Symetrics rider, three year winner, former Israeli army soldier, kickboxing champ, etc.) I also knew Value Act had their incredible guest rider Katie (Australian track champion) who was also itching for another Stage win. Plus I thought Value Act was racing strong and were going to prove themselves out here today. I told my teammates if they say a chance, go for an attack or get up the road, it couldn’t hurt. (This is supposed to be funny because it always hurts.)

The course, as you would guess, had a hill. Yes, every single darn stage of the six-day event had some sort of hill or mountain. The course was like the Santa Cruz criterium complete with a hill and U-turn, but stretched longer (i.e. the hill was longer, but less steep). The riders go around a downhill U-turn into a long tail wind gradual decent. The whistle didn’t yet ring, and we were off the line. I dug as hard as I could to get off the line and get up the first climb near the top. I made it to the u-turn tenth wheel and kept it there the rest of the race. Aaron’s did as all expected and beautifully rotated the attacks. Value Act was up there doing the same, and Leah was just watching Felicia. It was fast until Aaron’s Katharine Carroll got off the front with Katie, and the race was pretty much over. Jill (Touchstone) and Falvia (Tibco) tried to bridge, but sadly crashed off the front. They both got back in and finished well, speedy recovery wished to both. There was never good organization to bring it back, and we all seemed happy to sit in and let the race take it’s fate.

With seven laps to go, I heard a loud pop and saw the air shooting out of my rear tire. Ug, I thought, I have never flatted in a crit. This sucks. I dropped towards the back and yelled to my teammates I was flat. Quick wheel change (thanks Shimano) and I was off again, Kate and Abby were there to make sure I was ok and back on. I tried to get back to the top 10, but the chaos in the back was hard to get around. I assumed I wasn’t going to win the sprint, and a safe finish would be best at this point. So, I rode it in for a pack finish. - Kristina

Final GC:

Place; Name; Time back; Total Time;
15 Kristina Seley 0:19:01 14:27:03
24 Abby Cooper 0:40:03 14:48:05
26 Kate Ligler 0:43:09 14:51:11

DASH FOR CASH - PODIUM

While half the team was racing in Mt. Hood, Helene and I decided to promote local racing and reduce our carbon footprint by doing the Dash for Cash in Pleasanton put on by ICCC, a christian cycling team. The format of the race was changed this year to include 6 sprints for $40 primes starting after 5 laps into the race, rather than a sprint for $10 each lap like last year. With most people either racing Mt Hood or back east at the World Cup, the field was relatively small with about 17 1-2's and 15 3's. We used the first 5 laps to warm up and gauge the rest of the competition, which included several riders from Metromint, Stanford, Alto Velo, Velo Bella, and LGBRC. This was a first race back for both of us after some time off, and both of us felt like we lacked top end speed and endurance. Not one rider dominated the sprints, with both of us each taking a prime, while Mary Ellen Ash (LGBRC) got two, and Amanda Eaken (Metromint) got one. The peloton was content to just wait for the sprints each lap and nobody made any real attempts to get away. On the last lap Metromint was pretty vocal about setting up their leadout train, yelling at one another and making it pretty easy for us to ride in their slipstream and block the wind for us. With half a lap to go Helene jumped to the front and pulled alongside Metromint to the last corner and made a jump to the line. As she started to fade I jumped off her wheel and almost had a clear shot to the line, but Mary Ellen came passed me like a flash and easily beat me to the line, with Helene ending up 3rd. Kudos to the organizers for putting on a great race that was well run, although I prefer having hot sprints each lap, which seems to make the race more aggressive and tactical. - Kristin