Race Report: The Great Egyptian Omnium

It’s been since May that I had a full weekend of racing, and these events were looking to be tough ones.  I had no idea what our fields would be, just that pre-registration numbers were small.  Steph decided to road trip with me to Southern Illinois.  The road race and time trial would be in Creal Springs, and the criterium would be between Marion and Carbondale.  My plan for the event was to survive the road race, win the time trial, and hold my own in the crit.

We drove to the races on Saturday morning and made great time. It was 88 and humid at race time, and our field was small—only four women, Steph, Jamie, Trish, a cat 1 from CA and me. We had two 20 mile laps. The course was mostly rollers, chip & seal, with two bigger hills coming at mile 10.5 and 15 in the lap. We rolled out through the neutral zone and got to the "start" of the race. Jamie asked if we wanted to start a paceline. That went fine for a mile or so, but Trish started ramping up the pace. The pulls at the front were so short that there was really no recovery time. Several times she (Trish) just jumped in front of Steph to take her pull. About mile four Steph fell off our group. I held with Jamie and Trish until about 8.8 miles. My heart rate was in the low 180s and wasn't coming down. I hated making the decision, but I knew I couldn't stay at that pace for 40 miles and wanted to make sure I still had energy for the tt and crit. The rest of the race was uneventful for me. I enjoyed the ride, worked on form on the hills and make sure I finished in under 2.5 hours. It ended up that Jamie was able to drop Trish at mile 30 and take the win. I took 3rd.

Lap 1, Climb 1 Photo credit:  Matt Golson

Another shot of the climb.  You've got to carry your own hydration when you don't have support in the feed zone.  *Photo credit:  Matt Golson.

Steph & I got some lunch and showered and went back for the time trial. My start time was 5:22PM and it was about 95 degrees. I went immediately behind the cat 5 men. There were only three of us for the tt in our category, but payout was for the top three women overall regardless of category. The tt course was 7.5 miles, rolling terrain, with a bigger hill at mile 2.5. The start was a slight uphill. I started in my large chain ring and 23 in the back. I immediately adjusted my gearing into the small ring so I could climb the first small hill. I love my time trial bike, but she’s definitely a flat land set up.  I went back to my big ring for the screaming downhill. About four minutes in I passed my minute man.  I don’t think he was in “race mode” because he started cheering for me.  I dropped back into the small ring for the climb at mile 2.5. With the gearing on the tt bike, it was an out of the saddle climb. I settled back in and stayed in the small ring until I turned on the highway for the last three miles. (The tt finished on the same stretch as the road race). I could see two riders in front of me on that stretch and set out to catch them. I dropped back in my small ring for the climb at mile six and passed both boys on the way to the top. I finished in 21:40ish, first for the 1/2/3 women, second overall--Master's women finished in 20 something. I can honestly say I gave the time trial everything I had left.

On Sunday, the weather really took its toll on me. I don't know if it was the afternoon start time or higher humidity, but it was miserable. The course was beautiful--five sweeping corners, slight downhills, with one small uphill to the finish, smooth concrete. The four of from the road race were the four in the crit. We got lined up and took off. The first two laps were calm and uneventful with Jamie, Trish and I taking pulls at the front. As we started the third lap we got the prime bell. It was for a Specialized saddle, what I ride, and I wanted it. I positioned myself well through the last corner, moving past Jamie and kept pace as Trish ramped up the pace. She got up to sprint and so did I. We were going up the small hill and she started coming over on me squeezing me out. In the moment I decided it wasn't worth it and I hesitated. I lost momentum and she and Jamie got off. With turning into the wind on the backside of the course, I couldn't get back to them. I sat up and let Steph get on my wheel. We took turns pulling through the rest of the course. At two to go, Jamie and Trish lapped us. I jumped with them and let them pull me around the last two laps. I stayed with them until the closing sprint, and let them have at it since it wouldn't affect me. Trish pulled away from Jamie without a problem. I have to say I've been kicking myself for the decision to sit up in the prime sprint. I don't know if she would have kept coming over or not. I do know I was strong enough to have stayed with them had I not let up. I looked at my data post race and my numbers were not near my limits. I'm trying to chalk it up to a learning experience.

Results overall put me 2nd in the Omnium. The high note of the weekend for me was I found out my tt time was 15th overall for all racers

Race Report: Wheels Over Wildwood Omnium

Wildwood Centaur Time Trial
We had a great morning for the race. It was in the high 70s with some humidity and no wind. I was a little late getting to the venue so I didn't warm up as long as I would have liked, but I made sure to agitate my heart rate and legs. I went off 16th. Kate was two minutes in front of me and I had a guy who I knew was right before me. With the two of them in that position, it was doubtful I would be passing anyone.

My start went well and I got up to a great cadence. I added a gear but my legs immediately started screaming at me. It took me about a mile and a half until I felt like I got into a decent, sustainable rhythm. I was still working on settling in when I crossed the tracks--but I lined them up perfectly and took a great line around the corner. As the lactic kept building, I kept reminding myself that the course was essentially a false flat the whole way out. I turned the second corner getting ready to head into the straight, open section of the course and there stood a deer in my lane. I yelled “move!” and he ran. I kept going and was elated when I finally saw the 500m to turn sign. I had a clean turn, a little slower than optimal but okay and took off again. I had few friends at the turn and their cheering was definitely a morale booster. I was able to put gears on right away on the way back. I was about halfway through the open section when a truck with a horse trailer pulled out in front of me. He started to pull away but slowed down, then a truck passed me and pulled right up on him. I was worried for a bit that they would slow down and I wouldn't be able to pass them both. They finally were able to pull out of sight. I have to say the thought of motor pacing did cross my mind. I was much smoother through the turns on the way back in, not even needing to get up from my bars. I had looked up my 2009 and 2010 results and had set a goal of 31:00 for the day. As I crossed the tracks and hit the one mile to go sign I knew that goal was attainable. I put myself harder at the 1000 and 500m signs and kept the pace until I crossed the line at 29:44. I ended up in third for the day. I always want the win, but I'm happy with exceeding my goal. Maureen Conley took 1st place setting a new women’s course record with 28:40 and Liz Heller was 2nd with 29:03.

Babler Extreme Circuit Race

I made sure I wasn't running late for this one. I got to the venue almost two hours before our start time. It was already starting to get miserably hot, about 88 and humid at 11AM. I had brought my trainer, but then decided to warm up on the road with Gina. We climbed Babler Beast and spun around through several other roads in the park. We headed back down the race area with about 30 minutes left to start time. We met up with Amy and talked strategy. That basically amounted to not blowing up in the first couple laps on the climb. I took my wheels to the truck and spun around in the parking lot to keep my legs warm until race time.

The course at Babler is a four mile loop. It starts at the bottom of the park. There is a small little bump and brief down before you really start to climb. The toughest part of the climb starts right after, it's about .6mi climb that pitches up short (100 feet) flat and pitches up again. After that you continue climbing rollers for a little less than a mile. You turn a corner to a screaming downhill that gently sweeps right. There are a few small rollers on the descent section, but the momentum from the downhill carries you through till you hit bottom and start all over again.

There were six of us in the race; five of us for Omnium places. I was sitting in first at the beginning with Shari and Jamie right behind me. I had done some quick math and knew I had to stay in front of Shari to place in the Omnium and not let Jaime finish more than one ahead of me. I wasn't sure where Gina and Ashley were in the standings.  

We started the race and quickly hit the climb. It was tough, but we all stayed together. I moved to the front about halfway through because they were simply climbing too slow for me to be comfortable. We got the rollers the group reformed around me. We turned the corner for the downhill and I had to fight to stay on. While my compact was a benefit for the climb, it combined with my weight made descending difficult. We were together as a group at the start/finish. We began climbing again. I saw Jaime getting ready and she took off halfway through the climb. Ashley went after her. I was blocked by Shari and Gina and don't know if I could have really given decent chase. Shari and Gina both got a gap on me at that point. I focused myself on my climbing and breathing and soon caught Shari. We moved up and got on with Gina. Amy was still off the back. We crested and began to descend. This time I decided to take a jump on the sweeping section because I had heard Shari breaking the previous lap. I was able to gain a lead on them which helped me stay up with them later. Ashley and Jaime were out of sight at this point. Amy rejoined our group on the downhill.  

As we passed the start/finish they announced they had cut a lap from our race, we were getting three to go on the cards. I knew I need to get rid of Shari at this point. We hit the difficult section of the climb and I grabbed my top bar and concentrated on cadence. I moved out of the line of the rest of the group and put some distance between us. I could briefly see Jaime and Ashley but wasn't able to jump across that gap. I again jumped back in my big ring for the rollers, and worked on finishing up the climb. Gina caught me in the rollers, bringing Shari with her. I jumped on the descent again working to get as far ahead as possible. Gina right with me through the start/finish and we had a small gap on Shari on the beginning of lap four. I focused on my cadence, positioning and breathing again. I also decided that I would stay in the small ring for this whole side of the course. I do better with spinning and gearing that way. I easily pulled away from the group. I could hear someone behind me on the rollers and saw that Gina was making ground, Amy was behind her and Shari was no where in sight. Amy yelled for us to wait. She came up and said Shari was way off the back and offered to pull us the rest of the way up the hill. I sat on her wheel. We finished the climb and went through the descent together. Mathematically the way it looked, if I finished third, I had a chance of winning the Omnium. I would need Ashley to beat Jaime though. The only variable I didn't know was how many points Ashley had from Saturday. I shared my tactics with Amy and Gina and we agreed to finish together as a team, with me taking them place and paying them out for working for me. That being said, to climb in the rhythm I needed to, I put a large gap on the two of them and really had to sit up and wait for them. We came together at the top and began our descent. We hit the 1000M sign and Amy moved to the front. I took her wheel to the 250M mark and then jumped for the sprint.

They announced results as I was circling back to the start/finish. Ashley had won. That should mean I won the omnium. Results were posted immediately and that was what was listed. And somehow, Gina had taken 3rd in the Omnium . . . seemed odd. Protest period ended. We did awards and all was great, so I thought. I was standing talking to Ashley and Amy and asked Ashley how she had done in the tt on Saturday. She had placed immediately behind Jamie. I opened my big mouth and said, wow and you didn't place in the Omnium. Well, they had her listed as a Cat 4 for the tt so they hadn't figured her results in. The promoter and the officials accepted her protest and redid the overall standings. Ashley and I tied for points. She had the higher finish for Sunday's race, so they awarded first place to her. The Omnium standings ended up with Ashley winning, me, then Jaime.

I have to say I felt better than I expected through the race. When I rode the course on Wednesday, my legs were definitely fatigued by lap 4. I felt like I got stronger as the race went on and that my climbing got better and better. That being said, tactically I should have chased harder to get up with Jaime and Ashley. I think I sometimes underestimate myself and don't push hard enough to catch those moves when I see them going.

Race Report: Tour of St. Louis

I had two goals for the weekend.  First was to stay with the pack for both the crits.  Second was to win the tt.

Saturday's weather was awful.  It was mid 40's, windy and drizzled off and on throughout our race.  There were 14 women (i think) in our race.  The course is a combination of the Tuesday night crit course and warm up loop.  It's just short of three miles.  There are three small hills, two small downhills, and we finished up hill.  Our time was shortened to 40 + 3.  The first two laps were calm.  We had a decent pace, but no one was pushing it.  The random attacks started around lap three.  None of the girls got very far before we brought them back.  Somewhere around 17 minutes an attack went and I went with it.  Three of us got off.  Emily bridged up, yelling "we got a gap, come on" and kept going.  Jamie went with her.  I didn't have it to go.  Within the next lap, the pack caught Cindy R and me.  Emily and Jamie stayed off for another five laps or so before we brought them back.  The random attacks continued.  Somewhere in there we lapped three different girls who couldn't stay on.  I made sure to stay on a wheel of whomever was going after them.  With two to go, I told Vanessa that I was going to try to go at the bottom of the hill to the finish.  She launched a few attacks on that lap, but nothing stuck.  We got to the last lap and Vanessa gave me a great leadout.  I went and got caught and passed, ending up 7th. 

The TT was later yesterday afternoon.  The rain had stopped, but the wind picked up.  It was blowing around 23mph, with 40+gusts.  There would be a great tail wind on the way out and pain, pain, pain on the way home.  The sweet spots on the course were still the same though.  I knew where I could make up time by adding gears.  I went off 7th.  It was my best tt start yet; I was geared correctly and comfortable with my holder.  I felt great and added gears until I maxed it out.  I passed my two minute man about three miles in.  (My minute man didn't show).  I was about 3/4 mile from the turn when the wind caught me and I had to grab my horns to keep from going over.  I probably lost a few seconds on the turn around.  I thought it was coming up and took off two gears before realizing I had a little more to go.  The turn itself went smoothly and I got a great start for the way back.  Then the headwind reared its ugly head.  I passed the three minute girl within a mile of the turn.  I started to try to fight the wind and then decided I would do better to spin through it.  I added three gears in the back and dropped to my small ring.  Somewhere around mile six I got my four minute girl.  I hit the sweet spot for the return trip and began adding gears.  I was able to get my speed back up to the mid-20s as I crossed the line.  Official time was 22:59, 2nd place.  Cindy Reese (cat 2, Bicycles of Tulsa) got me by about 30 seconds for first.  

Sunday's race was a four corner crit, one block on each end, four or so blocks on the sides.  The weather was much better, low 50s, sunny and breezy.  Teresa, Vanessa and I warmed up together.  We talked about the ominium and that I was sitting in 4th, one point behind Jamie.  Teresa and Vanessa agreed to work for me to cover anytime Jamie was attacking.  My goal was to sit on her wheel and not let her shake me.  We took 15 women to the line.  The attacks started early.  No one was letting anything go though.  We all took turns bringing back anyone who tried to go.  I led the chases when Jamie was in the mix and Vanessa and Teresa weren't in position.  We got a prime bell and I just made sure to be in the front of the group.  Somewhere around 30 minutes, Chris went on a solo break.  No one really tried to go after her.  With two laps to go, Vanessa took control of the group.  She tried to get me off on a break twice, but we couldn't get away.  We got the bell and I concentrated on staying near Jamie.  We turned the final corner and I heard Jamie yell, "oh, shit".  She was about a bike length in front of me.  I took that as a good sign and was up sprinting.  Carrie and Emily were already in front of me.  I went added gears until I ran out and stayed out of my seat even though my legs were screaming.  I passed her and held her off by about 1/4 of a wheel, giving me fourth place.  I thought that would give us a tie for the overall ominium.  Not quite though . . . Chris ended up taking it.  The three of us tied for points, but it was awarded to Chris because she had the highest finish out of the three of us for the weekend. 

I felt great in all three races.  I was able to see moves unfolding and react well.  It really helped me to have a clearly defined role and goal.  The teamwork in Sunday's race was great as well.  Vanessa had the legs to help me out and Teresa would come up alongside of me and encourage me while we were racing. 

Race Report: Hermann

This year's Tour of Hermann was much difference for me than last year.  Last year I knew I was well trained, but had zero expectations because I had never done anything like it.  This year, I knew I was well-trained, but had definite expectations.  I wanted to win the tt and hold my own in the crit.  I didn't know if I would do the road race or not.  I did not have it on my schedule because of my job situation, but since that had changed, it was a possibility.

The course for the TT was a new one this year--much more challenging than last year.  Most of the hills were rollers, with one 18% climb at mile 4/10.  The weather was humid, a bit windy, and low 60s at my start.  I was cautious getting out of the parking lot onto the road because it was still wet from the rain we had.  I was about three and a half minutes in when I got passed by my 30 sec follow.  I didn't worry about it and just concentrated on pedal stroke and breathing.  My legs and lungs both felt great.  I went into my small ring for the big climb and it still hurt.  I settled back in pretty quickly though.  I think I was out of my saddle about three times on the way out.  I passed one girl on the way as well.  I got to the turn and saw another rider close enough for me to catch.  I used him as a rabbit.  Around mile nine, there was a hill that I was expecting I had to small ring.  I knew the big one was close so I just added gear in the back.  The climb was longer, but not as steep for the big hill going back.  Once I was over that, I was back in my big ring and worked on giving more for the last bit.  I finished strong with a negative split.  Final time was 38:22--over a minute ahead of the 2nd place girl, 108 overall.

I had about three hours until the crit.  Jamie and I grabbed lunched at the Stone Hill restaurant and watched the races.  This crit course is the most challenging I'll see all year.  It's 1.2 miles, starts with a false flat for about a quarter mile.  Up next is a screaming downhill with awful pavement and a sharp right.  You then traverse some neighborhood streets before climbing an ugly .2 mile hill that just hurts.  At race time it was mid-80s and sunny with a 12mph wind; we were doing 10 laps.  I had one teammate, Vanessa, in the race and she had fresh legs.  She was urging me at the start to go out hard with her and splinter the field.  I told her I didn't think I'd have it in my legs.  We got the whistle and she drove the pace.  By the bottom of the descent, I was off the back.  I had two girls in my sight, so I just worked on gaining ground on them.  I caught the first girl on the third climb.  I didn't let up on her on got significant distance from her on the false flat.  I caught the next girl on lap five on the hill.  Again, I just concentrated on giving it the power to not let her stay with me.  On lap seven I caught a third girl.  I rode her wheel up the climb and then pushed past her at the start/finish, not giving her a chance to go with me.  At two to go, the announcer said the four lead girls had a minute on me, about a quarter of a lap.  I pushed my descents a little harder, and tried to climb faster, hoping to see them and get on, but all I did was lap the first two girls I passed.  I ended up 5th overall. 

I was really torn about whether or not to race Sunday.  It was going to be hot, hilly and windy.  But I wasn't paying for the race and I was in a great spot to be on the podium in the Omnium.  I emailed Chuck who gave me great advice--if I woke up and wanted to race, go for it.  If not, stay home and train.  I hit the hills in Wildwood with the girls!

Hermann Race Report

Can I start by just saying that I am cooked well-done this morning? I think muscle memory and accountability are the only things that got me through a run this morning.

I did not go into this weekend's races with the best attitude. I will openly admit that I was scared of the first hill of the road race. I set a goal for myself of a super strong TT, followed by holding my own in the crit, and simply holding on in the road race. I knew there would be nine women going for the Omnium, several of them Cat 3 racers, I wanted a podium spot there.

Of course, Saturday morning we were running late...that's usually what happens when I travel with Klucker. We got to Hermann and got our chips with only 20 minutes till our TT start times. I got on the bike and warmed up as much as I could. I made sure I did a hard effort to agitate my heart rate a bit. I rolled up to the start house and got in line. My time came up and I moved onto the ramp. For the first time since I began TTing I clicked into both pedals right away...I felt very comfortable being held. Buddy gave me my count down and I was off. In my head I was screaming up, up, up. I stayed up on the bars through the first two turns. After that second turn I went down into the aero bars and powered over the bridge. The wind was crazy strong. I crested the bridge and tried to get my breathing under control. I concentrated on my cadence and pedal stroke and talked myself through the race. I made the next turn onto the two lane country road and told myself it's only 5.5mi out in the wind. About seven minutes in the lactic acid build up began its burn and I got passed for the first time. Three minutes later another guy flew past me. I just kept pedaling and kept them in my site. I got to the turn and flipped around...I still need to work on that with this new bike. I got out of the saddle to get a little power and got back into position. I added a gear but was disappointed not to have the true tail wind I was wanting; still it was better than the way out. In my mind I was trying to calculate if I could finish the race in less than 30 minutes. I saw the turn back to the bridge...the ride back seemed much shorter. All of sudden I was passed twice like I was sitting still, first by a guy, then by a woman. Onto the road to the bridge and the finish. The diagonal cross wind felt like it had picked up. I was doing my mental math again as I approached the crest of the bridge and saw the finish. I could have given a little more and finished in under 30, but I was afraid I wouldn't have it left for the crit. About 100 feet before the finish, another guy blew past me but I was just happy to be done. I rolled back into town and spun for a couple of minutes before heading to the truck to head over to the crit.

We drove over near the crit course and got ready to go. I rode the course twice and knew that two hills would make the race. The uphill was nasty, about 16% grade (I'm glad I didn't know that at the time) and the downhill was just as steep with awful pavement. About 150 yards after the downhill was a sharp right turn that was torn up on the inside. I had Ashley and Kelly with me on the course and I tried to talk them through what to think about because they're both new racers. I think that was good for me as well. We got back to the start/finish at the top of the hill and the final TT results were posted. I won by one second! YEAH! As they were staging it, Aero announced our results. We were getting our pre-race instructions when Aero announced the TT results were wrong; some woman from IA had beaten me by 8 seconds. WTH????I told myself that it wasn't the time to worry about it; I had another race to do. The whistle went off and so did Woodard. She took a quick jump and all of a sudden I was sitting 8th.Cory was up there with them and I told myself to relax and outlast them. Buddy had changed our time to 15 +3 so I just needed to race strong and smart. As we went around, I made my moves. At the end of the first lap, I was sitting 6th.I crested the hill and Amy, my teammate, was yelling at me to get back in my big ring. I listened and concentrated on moving forward. Next lap I was 5th across the line. This time I had Lo telling me to remember to smile because the photos would be on Facebook. Back in my big ring and back around. Third time across I was in 4th and right up with Ashley. Fourth lap and the prime point bonus bell. I had moved into third and heard Amy tell me to keep my gap. Back down and around and up again. I couldn't catch Woodard or Allison for the point’s bonus. I saw 16 minutes on the lap cards and secretly hoped they would read two to go on the next time around. Back around to the hill, nope three laps to go but we got a bell for another prime. I would make ground on the two leaders on the climb, but they took it back on the downhill and corner. With two laps to go, Allison took the lead from Woodard for the first time. Had she cracked? I was tired by this point but as I climbed, Stephanie ran along side of me telling me to spin and turn them over. Leave it to my incredible friend to know exactly what I needed and when I needed it. This was it, if I was going to do something I needed to do it this lap. I went all out on the downhill and didn't let them get that ground back this time. We weaved through the turns at the bottom and back to the climb. I had done the previous climbs seated (and from the photos I need to work on posture) but this time I was up and out of the saddle. I didn't give Woodard a second look as I took second from her. I gave it everything and put a pretty good gap on her as I crossed the line behind Allison.

With two good finishes I was sitting in first for the Omnium, I tried not to think about how I "had to finish" to win it all. I wanted to go out Sunday and race hard and stay on as long as I could. I didn't want to get over confident.

Sunday was a much quieter but start than Saturday. We got there in plenty of time. I went out for a warm up and wanted to pre-ride the first hill so I knew exactly what to expect. As I headed out of town, I asked a volunteer which way the race went and she pointed straight ahead. It was a big, long hill so I started climbing. I was about 3/4 of the way up when a pickup truck pulled alongside of me and told me I was going the right way. It was very nice of the guy, but he also kept edging me over until I was in the grass. Finally, I had to tell him thanks but go away. I turned around and found the right hill. The girls who told me it wasn't steep were lying--I'm thinking 20-21% at one point. It was steep, long and deceiving. I went about a third of the way up and knew that it would definitely crack the field apart. I headed back to town and towards the start line. I met up with Teresa and she told me to watch Woodard, she would be strong and that if I could make it through the first 12-15 miles, it would get easier. I also met another Big Shark woman who had finished 2nd in the TT the day before but hadn't raced the crit. Cheryl graciously told me she would do whatever I needed her to do to keep my place in the Ominium.

We rolled up to the line for prerace instructions and Aero called me out for leading the GC.I didn't want the attention because I just wanted to quietly race and maintain a good position. We got a whistle and rolled out. We had about a mile of neutral riding before we turned onto the hill and the official start. I did my best not to go out to aggressively but tried staying near the front. We had a moment where the hill flattened and it pitched up again. I stayed up with the leaders and got to the top. There were six of us at that point. I think we took a collective breath and organized for the descent. It was a quick down and back up. Five more riders got on with us at the bottom. I looked around and saw Ashley and Cheryl were there. We rotated through our line several times before the third climb. After the third descent, I was on the front and Ashley came up and said it's flat for a mile, let go. Our attack was off. It didn't last though. We were quickly caught and back in the group and head up the fifth climb. I fell to the back of the group during that climb. I knew I need to stay on and we'd have a respite at the top. We got up there and again regrouped. I took a GU and some Gatorade at that point. Our pace seemed to slow a bit as well. We had two women with us who were not strong in a pack. I did my best to stay clear of them.

From there, we had a progressive, gradual downhill to mile 20.Our next small climb came up and I saw Klucker up ahead. That meant he had fallen off of the men's group that started 10 minutes ahead of us. Cheryl came up and we talked about the end of the race. She offered to give me a lead out if we could get into position. We finished the climb and descent and headed to the QOM climb. Woodard and Allison attacked. I didn't have it left in me to stand and go after them for the points. Ashley and Cheryl went by me and I yelled to Ashley to go for the QOM. She didn't get them so that meant they would have extra Omnium points. I was off the back and tired. I crested and continued to pedal through the descent--no rest for me if I wanted to get back on. I heard Madeline come up alongside of me. I dropped back and took her wheel for about a minute to rest. We were heading into town and I was gaining ground. The pack slowed down a bit--I found out later that a truck got in front of them. Whatever it was, it was to my advantage. The group turned made the first turn towards the finish and I was about 5 bike lengths back, next turn I made up more ground. Two blocks to the final turn and I had Cheryl's wheel and told her to give me the lead out. She sling-shotted me around that corner and I was out of the saddle and going. I caught Allison's back wheel but couldn't pass her. I heard the Aero announce Cat took first with Ashley in second. I didn't know what Woodard had done.

I spun my legs out for a few minutes while I was waiting for the results. Woodard had taken fourth, but they also changed the TT results again--I had won. By my (and Stephanie via text msg) calculations that meant I maintained the Omnium lead, Woodard took second and Allison was third. YES!

Special note has to go out to a few ladies who raced 3/4s this weekend:
Two of our Racing 101 women did their first races this weekend: Kelly M. jumped in the hardest crit course I’ve seen and stayed strong. Madeline raced the road race and finished in the top half of her field!
Nicole L. raced the Omnium in fine fashion. She’s really doing a great job of jumping back into racing.
A big woo-hoo goes to Kate and her 3rd in the TT. Impressive!
And Ashley…4th in the crit, 2nd in the road race. Watch out when this girl gets some more experience under her belt. She’s incredible now and she’ll be unbeatable!






*Photo credits to Paul Pate. Thx, man!