Race Report: The Great Forest Park Bike Race 2012

This is the least technical course we see all year. It's almost completely flat and only has two real turns in it.  The weather wasn't nearly as pretty today, the sun was hidden and there was a nice little wind.  Amy and I did some efforts in the park and I spun around a bit more until race time. Today our field was 16 deep, a few different faces from yesterday.  I felt really, really good when we went to the line.  When the whistle blew I merged to about third wheel in the pack.  We formed up quickly and had a moderate pace on the back side.  Towards the end of that stretch, I took a little jump to see what would happen.  Caught immediately.  We went around two more times with some small attacks coming.  

In the mix.  Photo credit: Tony Lowther

Lap three right after the start finish I decided to really try.  I was sitting third wheel and had a clear line so I jumped...into the wind. I'm guessing I wasn't geared heavy enough because within a few pedal strokes I lifted my rear wheel off the ground. I sat down and kept pushing.  Chris, Pam and Ashely were with me.  Pam tried to organize us to get the break to stick, but no such luck. We were reeled in by the time we got back to the start/finish. About 18 minutes in we got the first prime.  We slowed way down and I positioned myself near the front again.  I had no real interest in it, but knew Carrie was entirely capable of taking it and staying away.  We turned the last corner and the pace ramped up but no one jumped until about 100 meters out.  Carrie and Ashley took off. I stayed with them but didn't even attempt to match their sprint.  We came back together on the back side and went around again.  Teresa pulled up alongside of me and I asked her how she was feeling.  She said she felt good and I told her I did too.  I nodded at her and jumped.  This time I had the right gear and got off and away.  No one was with me, which was good and bad.  I was adding ground until I hit the wind. It was there I needed someone to trade pulls with.  I got pulled back in at about the spot where I originally jumped.  Within two laps we had another prime bell.  It set up much the same as the first until the very end.  There were about four girls sprinting it out.  For a quick minute I thought they were going to get away, so I pushed and worked to bridge up to them.  By the time we were crossing the bridge they had let up though.  

Team work! Photo credit: Tony Lowther

From there until one to go we would have a couple of attacks attempted every lap, each eventually pulled back.  On the bell lap I was sitting in a poor position, I was about third wheel, but in the center of the pack.  I knew it would be impossible to get a good sprint from there.  I waited for any opportunity to move and got it on the backside.  I eased up and slid behind Heather and around to the outside.  The pace picked up as we moved through the false flat and into the final turn. The pace slowed and then revved up, but again no one jumped.  Finally Carrie made her move.  Ashley and Britta and several others were right with her.  This time I didn't need incentive to sprint.  I jumped and spun and added gear.  I pulled alongside Britta and got her by inches on the line for third.  

All-in-all I feel really good about the weekend's races.  I was very happy with my ability to recover today.  I need to still work on my sprint and on timing...endurance too if I ever think I'll make a solo break stick ;-)

Race Report: The 2001 Great Forest Park Bike Race

I had a little help corner marshalling.

Today was warm (55), sunny and windy.  I got to the park with good time for warm up, but I let myself get caught up in watching the finish of the Women's 4 race so I didn't get as long as warm up as I would have liked.  That being said, I did get to warm up with my teammates (Yeah!  I finally have teammates) and talk about what to expect from the race. 

There were eleven women in the race--all local so I knew what to expect from them.  We got the whistle and were off.  Forest Park is a pretty simple four corner course with only one "real" corner.  The rest are more sweeping turns.  Between turns three and four there is a false flat that starts to wear on you later in the race, and the sprint always starts early for the race, right out of turn four (about 330 meters). 

The attacks started early, within the first two laps.  The theme of the race was attack, reel it in, then knit.  The attacks primarily came from Chris, Carrie, and Emily, although Teresa and Cindi.  I also launched one about 12 minutes into the race.  I wasn't planning on it sticking, but I felt good and wanted to see if I could shake anyone off of our field.  I stayed away about 3/4 of a lap, Carrie and Emily chased me down.  I sat on with them until the rest of the field caught on.  The first prime came a couple of laps later.  I decided to go for it when we hit turn four.  Carrie passed me at the line to take it.  When I saw her wheel to wheel with me, I sat up.  That's a bad habit I don't need to have.  The second prime came late in the race and I got pinched in the corner and was not in good position.

With two laps to go, the pace picked up quite a bit.  Cindi was on the front with one lap to go, and I was sitting second wheel.  She kept amping up the pace.  We turned the corner, the field fanned out, and the sprint was on.  I did what I could, but simply could not go that hard that long.  Carrie won the race.  Teresa took fourth, I was sixth. 

Physically I felt good throughout the race.  There was only one point that my legs were screaming at me.  Chris attacked, we caught her and Emily immediately countered.  I talked myself through it knowing that once we caught Emily it would slow down a bit and it did.

It was a "Great Forest Park Bike Race"

My mood for the first crit of the year was as foul as the weather. Last season I got myself into a rhythm and routine for race prep. I look at my start time, account for registration, warm up, and drive plus give myself an hour of wake up time and that’s my magic formula. With that in mind, the alarm was set for five and the coffee pot was set to grind. Klucker was good enough to pack the car the night before, but whenever I add him and the mini-Kluckers into the mix, I should know things won’t be executed as planned. We left the house ten minutes later than my schedule and trying to guide Klucker, Mr. “I know every road in St. Louis”, around Forest Park without injuring his male pride made us get to the event only thirty minutes prior to start. I headed to registration only to find out they weren’t ready. I took the chance for a quick potty break and grabbed my bike for some warm up. As I headed out, I saw reg was open so I made the stop. I completed my lap and took the checkbook back to the truck. Sam decided he needed to register at that exact moment. I pinned on my number and put on my jersey and rain jacket and waited. 7:54 he comes back to the truck—crabby because I was impatient.

I took two more laps on the course before stopping to talk to a teammate. She decided not to race today because of the weather and injury, and frankly I couldn’t blame her. 41 degrees, rain and wind were not my idea of a good time. I turned around and headed back to the line to wait for the start. They was going to be eight of us in the field this morning. I knew five of the other girls and had raced against them in some form or another. We got our pre-race instructions from Buddy and we were off.

The race was quick off the line and I pushed myself to make sure I was up close to the front. With the wind we were going to hit on the back side of the course, I didn’t want to lead, but I also knew if I got too close to the back I would chance falling off. Kate was leading our pack for the beginning of the race. She was setting a fast tempo. I could hear Steph yell at her when we went by to move back and let someone else work. For the first 15 minutes or so, the field was led by Kate, Trish (one of the girls I didn’t know), Cory, and me. Kate began her attacks around that point. Each time she went off, I made sure I had her wheel. No way I was getting left behind. Kate and I have trained enough together that I know how strong she is. I knew if she got away from me, I was a goner.

We were about 20 minutes in when the bell rang for the prime. I had made up my mind to stay up front, but not to blow myself up going for it. I did that in Soulard last year and wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. My plan was to hold close to the front and attack after the prime sprint. I watched my position and stayed second or third through the lap. As we turned the corner on the front straightaway, I pulled up next to Kate. I kept trying to watch for her to twitch and sprint for the prime, but she didn't go. About 50 meters from the line, I revved up my cadence and pulled ahead and took it. Kate stayed on my wheel, as did Trish. That move began to break the pack apart. From the pictures, I think our group was down to five at that point: Kate, Cory, Susan, Trish and me.

By the time we hit the back straight, we had a small gap. I let Kate take the lead as we moved to turn 4 and held on her to wheel. When we got the five laps to go, Kate turned it on and tried to attack off the front. Trish went with her and I was up and on Trish's wheel. That move took care of Cory. I don’t know when we lost Susan, but it was somewhere in there as well. We were back together in a small group by Turn 1 and I moved to the front to slow us down. I didn't really want to pull, but I knew I need some recovery time and wouldn’t get that with the pace Kate sets. When we got to Turn 4 I could hear Carrie and Teresa yelling at me to get off the front and let someone else work. I wasn't quite ready to let them ramp up the pace yet though. I pulled through the next lap. At three to go, I slowed way down. Trish pulled around me and I looked at Kate and winked. We let her pull us through. I stayed tight on her wheel no matter how much she tried to shake me. I know by the looks she gave me, she was annoyed that I wouldn’t come around. I got the "way to race smart" from the girls on those last few laps. We got to the bell lap and I was trying to decide when to make my move. When we hit turn 2 and moved the windy backside, I added some gear. About halfway through the back stretch, I ramped up the cadence and pulled off. I glanced back at turn 3 and saw Kate was with me. I knew she wouldn't give up without a fight, but Trish was off the back—mission accomplished! We rounded the last turn to the front straight and I heard Kate add gear. I tried to hold her off, but she took first by about a bike length. Her sprint once again took me! I would have loved the first to compliment the prime, but I love Kate did well. That girl has been training hard and smart!