Race Report: MO State Time Trial and Criterium

It had been a rough few days last week.  I was mentally and physically exhausted and wasn't in the frame of mind to race two courses that I really don't love.  Plus, I hadn't raced since early July in Indy.  I did not have high expectations for my performance.

Missouri State Time Trial

I wasn't focused on this race like I like to be focused on a race.  I haven't ridden a 40k on the time trial bike since August 2011.  That being said, I knew I would regret not doing it.  Plus, the ride to Jeff City was a hoot.  Kate was hyped on her Double Big Gulp and Phil's sense of humor always makes me laugh.  Add in that Adam was a little loopy from sleep deprivation and it made for great laughs.

I got on my bike and warmed up on the outer road near the start.  The weather was beautiful, sunny, light breeze and cooler than it's been in two months.  I took my Gu and headed to the line.  It was quickly my turn to go to the line.  Ron took hold of my seat post and I clicked in.  Mark gave me the countdown and I took off.  I felt like I didn't have a great powerful start.  I was in my 54/23 so it should have been fine.  I added a gear, settled in and kept telling myself to tap it out, tap it out, find a rhythm. I found a good cadence and started singing a montage of songs to myself.  I never did get the melody to Fighter right in my head.  I hit the 10K mark and had originally planned on adding a gear.  While I wasn't fatigued, I didn't think I could sustain anything further.  About 20 minutes in I was passed by the guy who started a minute back.  I had expected that to happen at some point.  I also had to tell myself to hold back and not to try to chase him down, knowing that would cause me to blow up later on.  At 30 minutes I knew I should be getting close to the turn.  I got passed again by the rider who had started further back.  I kept telling myself that was okay.

I got to the at 30:03:30ish.  I didn't handle it well.  I haven't done a tt this year with a cone turn, so I was skiddish on speed and ended up sliding my rear wheel a bit.  I took off a gear stood up and got back up to speed.  I added my gear back and put my head down to pedal.  I had hoped for a more significant tail wind on the way back, but that never happened.  At 40 minutes I got passed for a third time.  UGH!  I kept this one in sight a lot longer and was still feeling really strong.  It was about that time that I started getting more and more uncomfortable in my saddle.  I knew I needed a new one on my tt bike, but with only doing shorter races this year, it hasn't bothered me.  There were a few times I had to stand on the way back to ease the discomfort.  I got to the 30k mark and knew I just needed to keep my effort hard and consistent.  I worked to maintain a cadence around 100 and didn't focus on speed.  Overall I felt really good the entire race.  My legs worked, but never felt like I couldn't keep going.  My effort was consistent throughout.  My official time was 1:05:31.  That's two seconds off my best time on this course.  Perhaps a better turn or not standing on the way back could have given me those few seconds--wouldn't have made a difference in how I finished, just a PR for me.  My place was 2nd for Cat 3 Women.  1st for MO licensed racers.

Missouri State Criterium

In spite of the results on Saturday, I still wasn't anymore ready to race Sunday.  I got there and registered and there were three others on the roster.  I was surprised and hoped we'd get more ladies.  I watched part of the Cat 5 race and then got dressed.  I was able to ride a couple of laps on the course before the Master's race started.  Kelly (Momentum) and I rode around for a while after that to warm up.  I attacked a few hills to get my heart rate up and then found Amy.  She and I spun for the last 10 minutes talking about who to watch in the race.  We ended up with 14 girls on the line at the start.  It was a good field, with some strong ladies in it.

The clouds had cleared and it was sunny, warm and humid for us.  The race started pretty quickly.  The first lap was hot.  The second lap eased and we rode about 20 minutes before the first prime.  Several small attacks were attempted, but nothing stuck.  The prime bell sounded and the positioning began.  I felt good and decided to give it a go.  We hit the back side of the course and the hill and Britta took off on us.  She got a great jump on the field.  I wasn't ready to let her have it though.  I went after her hard.  I rounded the last turn on the course and was out of my saddle sprinting as hard.  I think she assumed it was a given and sat up.  We went to the line and it was so close I didn't know what had gotten it until the next lap when I looked at Mark and he shook his head No to me.  I was disappointed, but was happy with my efforts.

Amy doing the work! *photo credit: Don McKinney

I found my smile! *Photo credit: Don McKinney

It was a close finish.  *Photo credit: Don McKinney

We came through with one to go and Britta took off.  She surprised everyone and got a sizable gap.  Emilie, Jamie, Ashley, Renee and I were all up front working to close the gap.  On the back hill Emilie drilled it and Ashley was on her wheel. I followed along.  As we hit the second hill Ashley faded and I tried to jump up on Emilie.  I couldn't grab her wheel and she was off.  I put my head down and knew I needed maintain my gap.  I turned onto the finishing straight and tried to stand on the little rise and my legs yelled at me to sit down.  I did and put my head down.  I could feel someone alongside of me and looked over to see Renee pull even. Shut up legs, we're goin' now.  I got up again and added gear and pushed.  I could see my tire move past hers and looked down to see the line on the road.  I snatched third!  It was a good hard fought race.  Amy worked very hard launching a some attacks and covering others to help me stay near the front and ready.  I was really happy that I was able to focus my mind and shut down the outside noise and get in a race frame of mind and stay there when it mattered.  And lots of friends cheering along the race course was an added bonus.  My surprise came when I went to check results.  Mark said he felt so bad that I didn't win the prime, but I was the Cat 3 state champ so that really mattered more.  It didn't hit me what he meant until Sara said something about getting my medal and jersey when results were final.  I think I squealed.

Race Report: O'Fallon Grand Prix

I raced the O'Fallon Grand Prix Road Race back in 2009, my first year of racing.  That race stands out in my mind for two reasons -- 1) It cemented that I was not a road racer.  I didn't enjoy that race one single bit. 2) It was the first time I saw a crash in a race.  Several girls rubbed wheels and one went kerploosh! in a ditch full of stale water.  My initial instinct was to stop and help, but then I realized I was racing and just kept going.

That year was only the second time that race had happened.  Since then the organizers have done a fantastic job of growing the event and turning it into a full weekend of racing with a time trial, road race, and criterium.  I'm hoping next year they'll institute omnium points for it.

Prelude Time Trial

This was the first year for this event and the promoter did a great job with it.  The weather was warm, mid 80s and a strong breeze, but not unbearable.  The course was a 13 mile lollipop on Illinois country roads.  I talked with a few guys from the team who had pre-ridden it and they said there was rolling hills on the way out and a short, steep climb followed by a quarter mile or so at 8% that was a killer on the way back.  There would be a tailwind on the way out and a head on the trip home.  I got a good warm up in on the roads around town and went to the line.  I put an ice pack in the radio pocket of my skinsuit to help keep my core cool while I rode.  I went to the line and got clicked in.  My holder told me to take it easy on my start because my chain looked a little funny.  I got the start and took off.  It was my best start I've had yet this season.  My chain did skip a bit, but I was prepared.

I took the first turn at the end of the block and put my head down and rode.  I added gear until I felt a degree of difficult that was hard but manageable.  None of the rollers were unbearable.  I was able to stay in my big ring and drops the entire way.  I'm betting that the wind had died down a significant amount for me because I never really felt its effect one way or another.  I made the corner to begin my trip home and hit the short steep hill.  I got passed by a guy about that time.  I powered up the hill and began what was supposed to be the long grinder.  My perception of difficulty in a tt and what the boys told me pre-race have to be very different because I kept wondering when the hard hill would hit.  I didn't let the guy in front of me out of my sight and I began to feel like I was gaining on him.  As we got closer to town I was able to close the gap and pass him.    We started weaving through town towards the finish and he came around me again and said something.  I'm not sure what it was, but in my head I told myself it wasn't nice so I pedaled harder.  With the finish in sight I was able to move past him the final time.  23:13 was my official time.  Top woman overall.

Illinois State Road Race Championship

Saturday's temps were predicted to be HOT and the forecast was right on.  It was sunny, 94 and humid at race time.  I kept my warm up short, enough that my legs felt loose.  I took my cooler to the feed zone, iced down my sports bra and went to the line.  We had 11 women who started.  I knew about four of them, but the rest were from out of town. We rolled out neutral and chatted easily until the race started.  The first attack went there, up the hill.  We came back together and it calmed.  The first lap was fairly mundane.  An attack every few miles but it was easily answered.  The course was interesting in that it was filled with rollers and lots of turns.  It actually felt more like a long crit.  We had one girl who couldn't hold one during lap one so we were down to ten.  We neared the end of the first lap (20 miles) and I asked the group if we could agree to roll through the feed zone neutrally.  We did and everyone got fresh bottles.

The next attack happen just past the feed zone and I knew this lap would be a lot more energetic.  The attacks were much more frequent and difficult to answer.  We hit one of the short, steep hills on mile 27 and the California girl attacked.  I was slow to respond and was off the back.  I caught and passed Amy but a main group of five got away.  There was a chase group of three (Tara, Stephanie, and Joan).  I put my head down and went after the chase group.  I saw Stephanie fall off so I went after her.  It took me about six minutes to catch her.  I got on her wheel and told her I would pull after I recovered.  She told me she was done and was going to DNF when we got back.  Once my heart rate got under control, I pulled around her and set off.  I had lost sight of Tara and Joan by then.  I toyed with the idea of abandoning the race through the rest of that lap.  Around mile 32 I got passed by the MensDNF.  I grabbed my bottle from my awesome feeder and kept pedaling.

Beginning of Lap 2.  *Photo Credit: Elizabeth Rangel

I was about four miles into the second lap and a volunteer told me there was a girl in front of me close enough to catch.  That definitely gave me a push.  I started pushing harder and pretty soon I could see two riders in the distance on some of the straights.  I was still far enough back that I couldn't tell if they were girls or guys.  I kept closing in on them.  Around mile 51 I thought I could tell one of them was in a Big Shark kit.  Was it Tara?  I asked a corner marshall if they were girls or guys...girls was the answer.  Time to go, head down, time trial mode, look for a wheel.  By mile 53 I had them.  I jumped on Tara's wheel and began to rotate through with them.  As we got closer to the neutral water table, I told them I was going to grab a bottle.  I moved in front so I knew I'd be safe through there.  Somehow I managed to get a little gap on them with that mode.  I thought about trying to increase it but decided it would be better to have someone else helping me out the last six miles.  We continued to work together and take turns pulling.  I definitely was curious about how much they both had left in their legs.  We began to see the KM to go signs.  At 3KM, I heard the distinct sound of air leaking.  Tara had a flat.  It was down to Joan and me.  She was quite happy to let me sit out front in the head wind.  I kept moving so she would have to take her turn pulling.  We made the last turn and headed to the finish.  I quietly jumped back into my big ring.  I
was debating where to start my sprint.  500m came and went.  Right before the 200m mark she told me it was nice to race with me.  I took that as a sign and jumped.  I had worked hard to catch those girls and I was going to beat them, no question.  I easily gapped her and finished.  By my count, I was 6th.  I later found out that the lead group had splintered more and one of those girls DNF'd so I took 5th, last money spot.

Illinois Cup Criterium

FAST group of ladies leading it out. *Photo Credit: Brian Keller

I was feeling the results of the two prior two days of racing.  It was going to be another hot one.  I got a great warm up in, on the course.  It was eight corner figure eight course.  The pavement was awful!  We had 12 girls in our race, seven of them coming with fresh legs.  The attacks started after turn two.  Nothing was ever able to stick, but they were frequent.  The pulse of the race was that an attack would go and we'd be flying.  It would be brought back and we'd slow way down -- over and over and over.  My struggle with the race came on the primes.  I tried to stay with the lead ladies, but my legs didn't have it to sprint against them.  After each of the three I was gapped and had to push to get back in the group.  At some point we had two ladies drop out and had lapped someone.  At the end, it came down to the sprint.  I tried to position myself well as we turned the final corner, but was near the back.  The sprint went and I tried to respond, but my response was limited.  I ended up in 7th for the day.  No fat cash for the day, but a fun race regardless.

Race Report: Big Bottom Time Trial

My first bike race ever was a time trial.  It's still my second favorite discipline in the sport.  And I love the Columbia Bottom tt course.  That all being said, I just wasn't that excited to race this one.  It was an okay race for me, but not the race I was wanting.

It was warm and breezy, but not terribly windy.  We got there and I did my warm up.  I rode on the roads outside the park because I didn't want to interfere with anyone's race.  I went to the start about five minutes before my time and they were no where near on time.  I turned around and kept spinning for another 15 minutes or so.  I went back to the start area and there were still about 12-15 people who needed to start.  I should have turned and ridden some more, but I was also nervous about missing my start.  I had talked to Eddie and he gave me the insight on the wind (and let me borrow a tt helmet since I forgot mine) since I didn't preview the course.

My start was a little slower than I like.  I've felt that way on every tt this year, so it's something I need to focus on more.  I got my cadence up and was able to add two gears pretty quickly.  I was feeling good through the first three miles until the bend where the wind hit.  (Eddie was right on with what he told me).  I took a gear off until I got back into the cove where I was able to add it again.  I could see back there that the woman who started in front of me had added time between us.  I made the turn and saw the girl behind me had made about 10 seconds on me as well.  I put my head down and pushed.  Once I got past the bend, the wind was almost a direct tail.  I was able to add two gears and speed.  The toughest part of the course was last mile.  There it was a direct headwind.  I took off gear to maintain a decent cadence.  I finished in about 21:06 for 8.4 miles.  Slower than I would have liked.  I finished first in Cat 3, but fifth overall.  Not a stellar result for me. In hindsight I would say I could have suffered more, especially on the way out.  I didn't push as hard as I should have.  I also felt like I lost some benefit of my warm up by sitting for as long as I did.

Race Report: State Time Trial

No jersey, not even a podium for me today.  I'm still trying to figure out what's going on with me.  I don't feel like I've been racing well for the last month or so. 

The weather was sunny, humid and windy.  The temp was in the high 70s/low 80s.  I got about a 35 minute warm up in, raised my heart rate in the 160s twice.  I pulled to the line and felt great.  I was good off the start and settled into my rhythm quickly.  I was passed 7:23 in, but was expecting because Chris Harre was starting behind me.  I had a slight cross tail during the first 10K.  I did that section in 14:54.  

Moving into the 2^nd quarter, I could see a rider in front of me, so I set out to catch her.  The wind direction became more a true cross or a diagonal head wind in some spots.  I went 16:08 to the turn around.  Eduardo started four minutes back of me, he passed right after the turn passed me.  I had expected that as well.  I began having trouble holding the gear I was in.  My cadence would drop sub-100 and I would take gear off, then I would be able to get it back to 107/108 so I would add gear.  It would drop to 104, I would hold it for 30 seconds to a minute and not sustain it.  I did the 3^rd quarter of the course 16:49.  I kept getting slower.  

It was at the 30K mark when the wind became awful.  My cadence dropped to the low 90s at one point and I was working hard to keep it there.  My heart rate also popped to 191.  I really struggled and pushed to finish the last 10K.  My last quarter was 18:13.  My overall time was 1:06:04 which put me in 4^th and slower than last year. Maureen, the winning women, came in at 1:02 and some change.  My heart rate average was pretty high for the race 181, and I maintained a 104 cadence, which is normal for me in a tt.  

I'll work tonight to get my head in the game for tomorrow.  We'll have a tough field, a lot of the same ladies that raced last Sunday.  Good news is the high temp for tomorrow is supposed to be 83.

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: MO State TT

The ride out to Jefferson City was great. We got there, picked up numbers and headed to the start finish. It was humid and a bit windy ~10-12mph, probably around 85 degrees with sunshine. Sam got the bikes ready while I pinned on my number and I headed out for a warm up. I came back to pull to the line and found out the start was delayed about 20 minutes. I grabbed an ice pack and stuck it in my skinsuit and headed out to continue spinning. Another 12 minutes on the warm up and I headed to the line.

As I moved up, I chatted with Larry. I pulled to the line and got my countdown--no holder. I got the whistle and took off. I clipped in and did a few more out of the saddle pedal strokes before settling in the bars. I concentrated on breathing and cadence. I was a few minutes in when I looked down to see where I was with those numbers and realized I hadn't started my computer. I hit my button and kept going.

The course was right at 40K. It was very flat with only a few small rises, probably not even at 1%. It was out and back in what I would consider a boomerang shape. The line of the road made the wind difficult. I would have a true head or tail wind only for a few minutes before it would change direction. I hit the 10K mark and felt good, but it seemed like a long 10K to me. About 16 minutes in, I was passed by the guy who started two minutes back. I kept my focus on my cadence and pedal stroke. I felt some lactic burn in my legs, but they felt good. Right before the turn around, my minute woman and teammate Amy passed me. I don't know if she was trying to let me draft or not, but she didn't speed by me. I sat in behind her for a few minutes and felt good enough to go around her again. Right before the turn, I began feeling my ribs and my elbow. The pain wasn't unbearable, but a dull ache. I hit the turn and heard Amy tell me to take it first. She was right behind me. She immediately passed me afterwards. I couldn't hold onto her this time. I saw Vince, who started three minutes behind me, was closing in on us. Within a mile, Vince passed me and was gaining on Amy as well. I kept them close until we got to the 30K mark. Also, sometime in there, the guy who started 10 minutes behind me passed me like I was sitting still.

I struggled with focus during the last quarter of the race. I couldn't get comfortable on my bike. I would move my arm to lessen the ache and would feel off. About two miles from the finish, I hit a wall of wind. It was pure headwind and I struggled to hold 20 mph. I talked myself through, repeating spin, not fight, spin, not fight. About 1000 meters out I could see the line and added gear. I kept spinning myself up and adding gear, when I knew I could hold it, I added more.

I can tell by soreness in my glutes that my form/pedal stroke was off. I assume that's a result of my injury. That being said, the woman who finished first was at 1:04--a tri on a one-day. This was the first Cat 4 TT this season I didn't win. I'm ok with how I did...always would like the win, but I gave it all I had today.

Race Report: Living the High Life on the Highroad

I usually do a lot of research for races when I'm not familiar with the course. I typically plot them on mapmyride.com and make myself post-it notes of what to expect and study it for a week prior to the race. I'm pretty happy I didn't on this one. Because, if I had, I probably wouldn't have raced today. Now, I knew I was getting into a hilly time trial. I knew this was the course the pros had used twice in the Tour of Missouri. And I knew there was at least one climb where I would probably need to come out of my aerobars. I had no idea how long and big thes climbs would be though.

It was a long drive down to the course and that gave me plenty of time to hydrate. I have to disclose that I did have a slight detour on one of my nature breaks. I thought I was turning on the road that led to the gas station, instead I was turning onto 44, heading back to StL. Oops! Other than that, my trip was calm.

I turned off of 65 and realized that I was actually driving in on the second half of the course. I was immediately intimidated. The hills were incredibly long. I got down to the end of the highway and parked. I was still trying to decide which bike I would ride. I was worried about riding the 11/23 on the TT bike and I had my road bike with the 12/27 on it. I decided to warm up on the course on my TT bike and see if I could handle the hills on it. On my way back from registration, I met the promoter and he advised the TT bike. He also told me to ride about the first four miles of the course and then come back. He said I would hit the biggest hill that way. He neglected to say the one immediate prior to that was only a slight bit shorter. Again, in this case ignorance was better.

The warm up went well, but I realized the second half was going to hurt. There was a diagnol wind, that coupled with the hills, had me crawling in some places and feeling unstable in my aeros on some of the downhills. I got back and continued to spin around to keep my legs warm. I put ice in my bra and and ice pack at my lower back and headed up to the start/finish. Larry called me up (I was the first on the course) and gave me a countdown. Just as I was taking off, the starting tent started to collapse! I ducked and pedalled and took off. The first down hill was less than a hundred yards. This is the first time I ever have been able to get this bike into the 54/12 and maintain a +90 cadence. I think I hit 44-46 on that first descent. The first climb was small. I was on the second longer climb when I was passed for the first time. It wasn't long after that I got passed again. This climb went on forever. It never got really steep, maybe 4-7% at the most, but it was long. There was a steep long descent and then another long climb to the turn around.

I made the turn and had a great descent. I was passed the third time there. The climbs on the way back were much harder. I found myself struggling to maintain a 50 cadence. I was able to stay in the aerobars on the descents, but had to sit up for the climbs. The last two climbs I had to alternate sitting and standing to climb to keep forward momentum. The final climb was about a mile long. I was glad I had pre-ridden it because it gave me a great psychological advantage when I was tired. I knew how much longer I had to go and could gauge how much I had left to give.

I did some light spinning for a little bit after the race and continued to hydrate. There were only three women racing today; no one in the Open race (yes, I tried to race it but they told me only 1/2/3). I finished about 4-5 minutes ahead of the woman in second and about 22 minutes in front of third place. It was a physically hard win, but a race I really enjoyed in spite of it. I'm glad I made the trip and hope tomorrow's crit goes as well.

Race Report: Centaur TT

I got out to the Chesterifeld bottoms and got my number and chip. I went back to the car to pin on and get the bike ready and guess I spent a little too much time kitbitzing because all of a sudden it was 25 minutes to my race time. I headed out for a warm up and made sure I got my heart rate a bit agitated before heading to the line. There was a ghost rider in front of me, so I chatted with Aero. I really think he would have talked me up past my start time if I hadn't asked about a holder. It was like a light came on and he realized I had to race. I rolled up to the actual line and the holder grabbed me with 30 seconds to go. I clipped in and back pedaled to get a good start position and my chain dropped. I stayed calm, hopped off and got it back on. 10 seconds to go. I couldn't get my left foot back in my pedal. Come on, come on, come on. Buddy started counting me down from 10. I got the go sign and took off. I fumbled, fumbled, fumbled to get in my pedal. I rolled off the start mat and tried to take off without being clicked in. Finally I felt it lock. I imagine my mistake cost me about 8-10 seconds, though it felt so much longer. I stood up and gave it all I could. I got my speed up and dropped in to my bars. My heart rate was over 170 at that point. With some self-talk and controlled breathing, I got it down to about 168. I felt comfortable in my gear and got settled in on the bike.

I rolled down the straight away and into the trees. The railroad tracks would be coming up soon. I knew from last year that the railroad tracks should be covered. I hit them doing about 22mph and heard a clunk and hit something. There went my water bottle. The mat wasn't as plush as last year. I kept going, debating if I should tell a volunteer, but didn't know how to yell it out for them to understand me in such a quick pass. I made the short turn/jog in the road and prepared for the small risers. The course appears to be flat, but in actuality, it climbs oh-so-gradually. I concentrated on my cadence and focused on breathing through the lactic build up. When I started seeing the racers who started in front of me coming back, it gave me a mental boost.

I got passed about 14 minutes into the race, just before the 500 meters to turn sign. I made the turn easily, stood up, added gear and took off. It was nice to have the gradual downhill and tailwind. At some point I was rolling between 27 and 28 mph. I was about 8 miles in when a dump truck turned in front of me. There was a recreational rider in front of him and I assume the narrow roads made him too skiddish to pass her. I knew I was closing in on him and would have to cross the yellow line to pass. As I got up on him, I made sure it was clear and turned it on as fast as I could to get by. I used that momentum to keep myself going. I went around the jog in the road and headed to the tracks. Yep, my bottle was still there in the middle of the road. (This is the 4th race this year where I've dropped a bottle out of the cage...first time on the tt bike). After the tracks, I added gear. I felt good and wanted to finish strong. At the 1000, 500, and 250 meter mark, I added gear. My finish was strong, although I'm not quite sure which line was the finish.

I had hoped to break 30 minutes on this race, but realized after seeing everyone else's time that may have been an unrealistic goal. Overall, I'm pleased with the results, the improvement and the recovery from the fumbled start. I was over two minutes quicker than last year and six places higher.

Photos are at: http://www.timlaytonphotography.com/wwcentaurtt #5, #23, #29, #41, #116(the ones with my skinsuit unzipped are when I was retrieving the wayward bottle!)

Super Soggy Tour of St. Louis

Saturday was damp and windy, definitely not the pick day for a bike race. I got a good warm up in on the course and felt pretty good. The course combined the Tuesday night crit course with the warm up loop we use, so I was very familiar with it. We had a nice field of women at the line, about 12. The whistle blew and we were off, or rather they were off because I slid right over the top of my pedal and my woman biz got intimate with the top bar. Ouch! I looked down and lined it up and finally got in. Time to make up some ground.

In the few seconds that took, the field was off. Tara was already off the front and there was no pack. I passed three of the MICDS girls, Nicole, and then the other MICDS girl. I saw Kate and Cat up ahead and bombed down the back hill to make up ground. I went after them on the next two hills and caught them on the hill towards the start line. I told Kate I was on and that we should go after the two other women that were in front of us. After a bit of a rest, I jumped in front and pulled. By the time we the first climb, I was on their wheel. I heard a sigh of relief from the Swedish girl. I told the group that if we worked together, we could nab Tara, the girl on the break. The Swedish girl was tired and looked to me to pull; I told her to give me 30 seconds and I’d take my turn. Bethany jumped up and took a rotation and I jumped in front. Most of our group tried to work together to go after Tara. There was no reason a good effort from five of us couldn’t chase her down. Ah, but sometimes you ride in a group with lazy racers. Now I really don’t get that…why race if you’re lazy? But here’s how it worked, we would take turns pulling the group and it would come to a particular rider’s turn. She would actually sit up. I would tell her to pull through and she would slow down until someone decided to go around her. She managed to hang third or fourth wheel the entire race, never a pull. I got frustrated with the group at one point and sat up and told them if they wouldn’t work, neither would I. I knew I with the wind, I couldn’t go after Tara on my own. We got down to two laps to go and the Swedish girl pulled the lap. Back around and the bell, one to go. I knew Kate had rested for a while and would be ready. She pulled off to the left on the straightaway and I was ready to go with her. I held onto her wheel through the entire lap. We came up on the last hill and I saw Cat in my periphery. I was up and out of the saddle and adding gear. Bethany pulled around on my left and the sprint was on. Cat had gotten the jump on me, but I wasn’t going to give this race to her because she hadn’t worked for it. The Women’s Open field had watched the race and taken notice of her lack of effort so I had a cheering section. Bethany took second and I pulled third out at the line.

I will have to say I sometimes need to keep my mouth shut. As we rode a cool down lap, our lazy racer made a comment about how strong Tara was. I agreed she was strong but that we should have caught her if the five of us had worked together. I followed that up by saying it would have been nice if she worked a little. Her response was that she did. I didn’t say a word to that and she realized my annoyance and said, “I worked as hard as I could.” Hmmmm, maybe some base building miles are in order for her.

After a few hours rest, the TT was up next. By this time, the weather had gotten a bit ominous. The head wind on the way out was going to be horrible, but that meant a great tailwind. I set the trainer under hatch of the truck and warmed up. At this point it was raining, varying between drizzle and downpour. I headed up to the line and got ready to head out. I rolled up, got my countdown and was off. The first three hundred yards had a nasty crosswind—so glad not to have a full disc wheel. After a slight bend in the course I was facing the headwind. I concentrated on cadence and form and rode as solid as race as I could. About seven minutes in I saw the girl who had started two minutes in front of me. She was a good goal for me, I passed her quickly and started to look for the turnaround. It was there in no time. I slowed down and came through it carefully and got back into the aerobars. My cadence was around 112 and I added a gear, another two minutes and I was up at 112 again—time for more gear. I ended up being able to add two more gears as I went. At 17 minutes, the guy behind me passed me. It wasn’t long and I made the bend back into the crosswind. I concentrated on keeping my speed up and staying upright. I zoomed across the mat and rode a couple of minutes to get my HR down. I finished and changed just in time. The tornado sirens sounded and you could see the wall of rain and hail move in. I helped the Big Shark guys pack up and we went out to get the riders left on the course. Everyone was accounted for—even the guy hiding in the concrete potty!

I got up this morning and saw that the TT results were posted. I took first! The best part of that is that I would have placed 4th in the open field, so I was happy with the results. That put me in a good mood for the miserable conditions for this morning’s race. Temps in the 50s, rain, 20mph winds with gusts in the upper 30s. What was I thinking????

Kate and I were chatting as we delayed our misery and Nicole rolled up. It looked like it would be just the three of us. Eventually we headed out to warm up. I will say that the $30 rain slicker I bought last month was well worth every penny. We did a couple of laps—it was a basic four corner, city crit with a long straight on the north and south side of the course and a block straight on the east and west ends. The southside would be nasty with a head wind and the north would be fabulous. Soli and Bethany showed up, so there would be five of us.

We rolled up to the line about 30 minutes late and got our pre race instructions and were off. I didn’t slip off the pedals today, but I did hesitate. I jumped in with the girls and around we went. This race was pretty straightforward. Kate, Bethany and I had an unspoken understanding that we would work together to survive the elements. One of us would pull the lap and on the west block, the next girl in line would say “pulling through.” Nicole dropped off our train pretty quickly, but Soli was able to stay with us until we had three to go. We lapped Nicole at that point and tried to get her to jump back in with us, but she couldn’t hold. Two laps to go and I took my pull. As we rounded the corner to the bell lap, Bethany moved up to take her turn. I moved onto her wheel and held on to her until turn three. We rounded that corner and I made a move. I pulled next to her as we rounded turn four. It was another all out sprint. I was up and out of the saddle and added gear as we went. She got me by a full wheel with Kate somewhere behind.

No omnium competition for women’s cat 4 this weekend, but I felt good with how I placed in each race.

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!

IL State TT--September 5...A real goat rodeo

Race day was a beautiful. Temperatures were cool and there was a slight breeze. We got to Harvard and went to check-in. I stood in line 20 minutes waiting to just pick up my number and I was fourth in line. I finally got my number and pinned it on. Sam had my bike ready and I headed out for a warm-up. I rode about the foirst five miles of the course. IT appreared to be flat, but there actually was a slight grade in place…of course uphill on the way back. I knew I would be hating that!
I got back to the start/finish and sucked down my GU and got in line. I was feeling good. My time at the start line came and off I went. I was in the right gear and felt like I was flying the first quarter of the course. My speed averaged about 22-23 mph and I was holding a cadence of 100+.
About seven minutes in, I added a gear and was able to still hold a mid 90s cadence. I got passed right after that like I was sitting still. The guy had actually started three behind me!
A little past the 10K mark, the course turns began. This was a looped course instead of a straight out and back. After the second turn, my fleetness disappeared. I had heard this course’s pavement was rough, but rough doesn’t do it justice. Over the next five miles, I checked at least four times to make sure I didn’t have a flat. My cadence was the same, but the perceived effort went up and my speed DROPPED. I kept myself going through lots of self-talk and small incremental goals. Finally, I saw the turn for the smoother pavement.
I saw the cones for the 10K turn-around (juniors and masters) and kicked up my efforts. I kept going and hit the nasty little uphill grade with about three miles to go…so I thought. My legs screamed at me, but I pushed through. I saw the 30K mark hit and pass on my computer and still didn’t see the finish line. ARRRGHHH! Just one more unorganized component of this goat rope of a race. I kept everything ramped up and kept going. Finally, after two more miles, the I crossed the line. I was estatic to be finished.
I placed 5th for Cat 4. I was happy with the effort I was able to give, but disappointed in my time and place. I hate that this was the last race of the season and didn’t end on a high note.

Druber's TT Challenge August 24

A little behind with posting reports:

Sunday started early for us—on the road by 5AM. It was an easy drive for me because I got to cat nap until the sun came up.
We got to Tolono a little before eight and picked up our race numbers. I was surprised at how few racers there were. Sam got the bikes ready and we headed out to preview the course. I was glad I had packed my arm warmers because it was chilly. The warm up was good, the course was mostly flat, but there were a lot of false flats along the way. I was disappointed that I still wasn’t getting a cadence reading on the bike but figured if I should know the feel of what I needed to do.
We rode out about 15 minutes. The roads were smooth and had little to no traffic. When we turned around to head back, it became very clear that the wind would play a role on the second half of the race.
We got back and were Gu-ing when Sam realized he had a flat. Of course he was too hard headed to just switch wheels, so I went to line up while he changed his tire.
Everyone in the starting order was friendly and chatty. Some guy swore we’d met because I rode for Veloforce and he went to Heather’s wedding. Whoever Heather is…
The race got started about 10 minutes late. I was 9th in the order. There was one guy between Sam and me and a girl behind Sam, so I was hoping I had a good chance of not being passed a lot. I rolled up to the line and happily accepted a holder. What a change eight months has made! The official blew the whistle and I was off. I was in the right gear and got rolling well. My heart rate skyrocketed off the start, so I spent the first two miles concentrating on my breathing and getting it into check. I felt great and was holding a 21+ speed with a nice effort. Around that time, out of nowhere it seemed, the guy behind me flew past. WTF!!! It usually takes seven minutes or so. I did a little self talk and kept pedaling. The organizer had a lot of volunteers stationed along the course so it periodically there were cheers from various folks. I finished the first quarter and felt good. I kept telling myself to keep my pace and effort steady.
Before long I started seeing the riders on the way back. I was close to the cone. I felt much steadier on the turn around this race—more comfort on the bike. There was some loose rock and my rear wheel skidded a bit, but I kept it up right and kept going. As predicted, the ride home was hard. The wind was a killer—either straight on head wind or a diagonal head wind. My speed dropped but I concentrated on keeping my cadence up. I ended up dropping into my small ring about 1.5 miles into the return. I maintained my speed when I did it, but it was much easier on me. 40-50 minutes in to the race were the most difficult, mentally more than anything. During that ten minute span, I was passed six times. I felt like I was sitting still. When I hit the three quarters mark, I popped back into the big ring and pushed as hard as I could to hold it. This was also the false flat uphill section of the course. I just kept my head down and kept going. The finish line finally came into view and I gave all I had. When I looked at the time, I really pushed to try to get in under 1:10:00. I didn’t quite make it, but I was happy with the improvement over Jeff City.