Race Report: Tour de Ste Genevieve

I'm not a huge fan of our state road race.  I think because the first year I did it was such a bad experience nutrition wise so it has negatively colored me against the race.  That being said, I won't do a race without giving it my best effort.  We had seven ladies in the Master's field.  There were three that I knew were tough--Britta, Cat, and Lora.  We were starting with the women's 4 field so we actually had 17 ladies that should have been together.  


The weather was different than originally forecasted--it was cooler, mid-80s, but a significant wind.  I purposely lined up in the second row because we would be heading out in the wind and I didn't want to pull into it.  Our neutral roll out may not have had any attacks, but it was not a parade pace by any means.  We pulled out onto the highway and it sped up a bit more.  The group quickly moved to a single line and I was sitting about sixth.  I moved myself up a bit because the girls I was watching were sitting up front.  I didn't think they'd move early, but I didn't want to be caught back too far either.  The girls started rotating through and I was amused to see who took what length of pulls.  My greatest amusement through the race was one of the ladies who took the shortest pulls complained the most about other girls not working.  We got to the first climb at mile five and I think we shed a few girls there.  The next climb at mile nine had the same effect.  A few small attacks were attempt on the climbs and after, but everything was brought back.  It was somewhere in there where people stopped working and started complaining.  The lions' share of the work was done by about four or five ladies.  At one point, I was on front again and wanting off and no one would come around, they just sat on my wheel as I moved towards the center line.  I slowed us down to about 11mph before Molly finally came up.  The mile 17 climb is the first really challenging one of the race.  It really shred our group.  I think we were down to about seven by the end of it.  The group came together at the top and we kept rolling.  

Warming up with Kelly pre-race.  *Photo credit: Don McKinney

Just before the downhill where I got gapped.  *Photo credit: Don McKinney

*On the front . . .  *photo credit: Don McKinney

To me, the hardest climb comes at mile 24, it's a curving climb that feels like it goes forever.  Britta went hard on it and I worked to stay on her wheel.  This was the climb where I got dropped last year so I was happy to be with the leaders.  We made it through there and headed towards the QOM climb.  I have to say that I felt great through all of this.  My nutrition was doing what it was supposed to.  There is a long downhill right before the QOM climb at mile 28.  It was there that I started to struggle.  I was in my 50/12 and didn't feel like I could keep up with the two girls in front of me.  They gapped me.  Three other girls flew around me as well.  We started the climb and I focused on what I knew to do.  I sat back in my saddle, hands on top of the bars and tapped out a quick cadence.  I began to pull back ground from everyone.  Although Britta pulled away, I put myself back into second with a comfortable gap, so I thought.  I added gear when I got to the top and was moving along well.  I was about mile 29 when Cat caught and passed me.  I tried to go with her, but couldn't meet her speed.  I was making up ground until she met up with the Cat 4 leader and worked with her.  I was at mile 30 when Lora went around me.  I kept her in sight until we got into town, but could never catch her either.  I was pretty disappointed with my finish and inability to react to those girls.  That being said, my climbing was better this year than it ever has been before.