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
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
1 comment:
Yeah Virginia!! way to go. Great job pro(wo)man ladies.
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