Superweek (International Cycling Classic) - Wisconsin

Well, there was a lull there in my racing. There wasn't a lot of local races and I was preparing to peak for a series of races in Wisconsin called Superweek. I went up for 5 days of racing and had a great time up there. I was living the good life of a full time bike racer. Wake up, eat, race, eat, watch racing, eat, sleep, repeat! For 5 days in a row! I was also sleeping on an air mattress and co-habitating w/ 7 other people in the basement of a host house! Here are some recaps of the races. All of the races were Cat 3/4, and there were some REALLY strong 3's racing, so it was challenging to say the least. I did learn a LOT and gained tons of fitness. Overall an awesome experience!



7/23/08
Whitnall Park Road Race:
Course was a 2.3 mile circuit – approx a 30 mile race. The back side had two false flats and a hill to the finish. Hill was 5-6% grade. The hill wasn’t too bad if you could get some momentum going into the corner before the hill. I had to work very hard to stay with some of the accelerations, particularly on the hill! And the 30 mile race was definitely longer than I was used to. The last few laps were rough. I stayed with it though and Siobhan helped me get in a good position on the last lap and actually tried to lead me out a little on the hill, but I couldn’t match her acceleration and my legs died. I didn’t even contest the sprint – my legs were spent and the main pack pulled away from me very quickly. I Finished 22nd out of 37.

7/24/08
Racine, WI
Course was a 0.78 mile loop with 4 corners – approx 30 miles. A very flat course and VERY bad pavement section on the back side. Our field was again very strong. Lots of attacks and counter attacks. I actually attacked once and got away from the field on my own for approx ¾ of a lap. I went hard, but Shioban said it was a good attack. I think I caught a lot of people off guard. I attacked going into the 2nd corner. Unfortunately once they caught me they sat on and wouldn’t go around me until I slowed WAY down. Then, someone counter attacked HARD. I fell to the back of the field as I was still recovering, but I managed to hang on. After that effort everyone chilled out a couple of laps and we all got some recovery time. It was a constant struggle for position. Just as I would get to the top 5 -10, it would slow and then everyone would go around the outside and box me in. It was a little frustrating. I need to work on staying up front and stay there. It is SO much easier in the front. Easier to go into the corners and less yo-yo action. Goal tomorrow is to stay closer to the front! Finished 21st out of approx 37.

7/25/08
Chase Food Folks & Spokes
Kenosha, WI
The course was a very flat and fast 0.6 mile loop w/ 4 corners and a headwind into the finish. We raced 50 laps – approx 30 miles. The race was again very aggressive. I tried to position myself closer to the front from the beginning of the race and be very aware of my position and be aggressive about holding it. I actually tried to use Rae’s wheel much of the race and that was helpful. After a couple of attacks I found myself towards the back of the pack and quickly realized that I did not want to be there. The whole race I continued to work on moving up. I got back up toward the front which was good b/c there was a girl off the front and a series of attacks and counter attacks started (probably 5 in a row!). I stayed with it. Then, I was approx 5th wheel at one point and someone attacked hard. I went after them and then ended up on the front. I thought that they were behind me and I was ok doing some work, but I looked back and realized they let me walk away. I found out that they let me go b/c Rae and Siobann told the lead girls that I wouldn’t be a threat – too bad someone couldn’t bridge to me or that there wasn’t 27 laps to go! I looked back and realized I was gapped from the field by 15+ sec. I decided to put my head down and just try to hold a steady pace and see how long I could stay out w/o blowing up completely. I ended up out there on my own for 5-6 laps! It was a crazy feeling w/ that giant field behind me. Eventually they swallowed me up and I tried to recover as I saw them coming b/c I knew the attack would come…and it did. I fell back towards the back of the pack for a couple of laps and recovered, but moved back up. Then, with 2 to go, there was a crash on the back side of the course. I narrowly avoided running over Rhionan and then had to chase hard to get back in the group. The pace picked up and the field strung out and I had a really hard time moving up for the final sprint. I just jumped on someone’s wheel and did my best to sprint around her in the final 100 meters. I had a lot more left in my legs than I expected. I wish I could have been in a better position, b/c I think I would have placed top 10 if it weren’t for that last lap. I should have just put myself out in the wind for a better position. Oh well. I ended up in 20th.


7/26/08
Downer’s Ave Crit
0.8 mile course * 20 laps = 16 miles
The course was very flat, triangle shaped with 4 corners and a long front and back stretch. It was again littered with bad spots in the road, so you had to watch you didn’t get your wheel caught in something bad. The worst part was turn 2 where there was some uneven pavement going right into one of the sharpest turns on the course. Our race was supposed to be 25 laps, but was shortened to 20. I knew it would be aggressive w/ such a short race. I again was trying to stay closer to the front, and I did for a few laps until someone attacked and I ended up too far back. As the counter attacks started, and I was with the sketchy cornering in the back of the pack, I found my self in a very bad position. There were 7 off the front, a chase group up the road of about 4-6, and my group which was basically the rest of the field. The chase group was probably 15 seconds in front of our group and I quickly realized that our group was not going to organize well enough to catch them. I was going to be sprinting for 14th place if I didn’t do something about it. So, on the back stretch I attacked out of the pack for a bridge to the chase group. I pulled WAY out of the pack b/c I didn’t want to pull the whole group w/ me. Only one other girl jumped and followed, we left the rest behind. It was HARD. I sprinted about 200 meters and then sat down and hammered until I caught them – right after turn 4. It took a while to recover from that, but Im SO glad I did it. Our group was able to stay out from the main pack, and ended up lapping the field toward the end of the race, but we never did catch the break away. They were probably 35+ seconds off the front by the end of the race. There were a few accelerations in our group, but nothing too bad. When we lapped the field, Rae jumped back in and offered to help me position myself toward the front. It was a big help. I ended up about 5th or 6th wheel going into the final turn to the finish. I really should have jumped when the DePaw girl did right before turn 3 and stayed on her wheel. She stayed out front and took the pack sprint. I was 7th in the pack sprint and ended up in 14th! I was excited about that. Learning lots and getting more in the Cat 3 mind set!


7/27/08
Whitefish Bay Classic
Whitefish Bay, WI
0.8 mile course * 20 laps = 16 miles (shortened race)
The course was 4 corners and the 3rd corner had a median right in the turn, so you could not swing to the outside too much and then it jogged to the right before the 4th corner. There was a very strong headwind into the start/finish (worse than yesterday). The pavement was ok, not horrible, but not super smooth. The field was much smaller, only 21 riders. Overall the pace was slower than the other races. The strong Cat3's had all gone to Chicago to race for the big money! When attacks came, I chassed or followed the surge, but my legs were not happy about it. They seemed a bit fatigued today. Overall I did not feel fatigued, but my legs just weren’t opening up. A couple of times a single rider got off the front, but I did not feel I had the legs to bridge and work w/ them. They both eventually wore out in the wind and came back to the group. I did not attack the whole race until the final lap. I jumped WAY too early (right before corner 2), but I wanted to go into corner 3 in front. I didn’t jump hard enough, b/c, though strung out, the field was behind me going into corner 3 and I knew my sprint was not going to be what I wanted. I think I kind of slowed up at that point and I should have just kept my head down and pushed as hard as I could. As a few girls went around me after corner 4 for the sprint, I tried to catch a couple different wheels. However, my legs were still dead and I think my gearing was off (too big a gear). Anyway, I should have let someone else do the work that last lap, but its always good to test your body!

Thats about it. After that I drove the 6+ hrs home and was SO glad to finally sleep in my own bed! Next race is the Jeff City State Championship crit!

It's been a while!

Ok, Im a blogging slacker. Oh well. This entry will have to summarize what Ive been up to the last month or so! Wow, it HAS been a while!




O'Fallon Grand Prix:
Ok, so first was the O'Fallon, IL road race on May 31st. I was feeling good that day and so, on first hill of the race I was on the front of the pack and really pushed the pace up the hill to break up the group. All of the Team Rev Dev racers stuck with me and we organized and got an pace line going to share the work and stay away. Good work as a team. Then, when Teresa went for the sprint line, she broke up the pack some more. There were about 7 of us after that in the lead pack. Then at about 5 miles to go, Natalie (Dogfish) attacked and I went w/ her. Me, Teresa, and Allison stuck on her wheel. Then, one unattached girl bridged and joined us. The last hill was tough. Allison stuck to Natale's wheel and me on hers. Allison kind of died after the hill and so I grabbed Natale's wheel and stuck until the 200 meter sign and then sprinted around her. She had lead me out without even knowing it. Great sprint finish! Got 1st! Allsion 2nd, Natale 3rd, Teresa 5th. We had raced all but about the last 5 miles as a team, it was a great race. All Team Rev women did an awesome job!


Winghaven circuit race:
The womens 4's did 4 laps on 2.65mi circuit course. Very moderate pace most of the race. No attacks at all. Very windy day, so attacks could be risky. On the last lap I attacked right before the start/finish and made a nice gap on the field (with Teresa's help by getting on front and slowing down the field). Worked very hard for 1/2 a lap on my own and a group of 4 caught me on the back side of the course on the service road. Sat in until the final round about and then attacked the corner and hill with all I had. Very close sprint with 2nd place, but I got it! CBC got 2nd, and Teresa got 3rd. I was glad I pushed myself and tested my limits. I was surprised at how much I had left after such a hard effort and a short recovery before the sprint! Getting stronger every race!

Side note: I also did the Womens Open, but only completed 5 of the 9 laps. MUCH harder pace. Lots of attacks and counter attacks. Stayed w/ pack for 2.5 laps before getting dropped. Worked with another woman for 1.5-2 laps and then she dropped me. I DNF'ed as I was out of water and smoked from racing before that. Good learning experience though. The pack dynamics in the open field is MUCH different!


Webster Groves Crit:
We found out at the start line that there was not going to be a staggered start for the Women's 4's from the Womens Open field - suddenly we were all racing an Open race. So, my strategy had to change in a matter of 10 seconds. My goal was going to be to stay w/ the attacks and surges and be in a good position for the final sprint. I was hoping that not many 4's would be left by the end, but since very few W 1/2/3 racers were willing to work on the front, the pace slowed dramatically between surges and some Cat 4 kept jumping back into the mix. I was happy that I was able to stay w/ the open group through all of the surges, I was feeling strong and could have won the race, but went into the final corner in a bad position and on the wrong wheel and ended up in 2nd, and 5th overall. There was only about 100 meters after the final corner to the start/finish, so you HAVE to be in a good position in this race. I learned a valuable positioning lesson, should have been where I wanted to be at the start of the last lap, or even with 2 to go...

Overall its been a great month of racing and Im excited to have done so well. Everyone keeps asking me when I want to Cat up, but that is a BIG jump and Im not sure Im really ready yet. It is not something I want to rush. Im sure I will at the start of next season, but Im not sure it is a good idea before then.

Joe Martin Stage Race 2008 - 3/4 Crit

Sunday Morning - 8am 3/4 Crit

I have never done a Cat 3/4 crit before, and I knew this would be challenging. Racing with them on an easy course would have been hard enough, but we were racing them on a course that was rated one of the top 5 most challenging crit courses in the nation (by Velo news). In less than a mile, the course has 8 corners, a fast downhill with those new brick cross walks all the way down and a brick corner at the bottom to a short flat section, false flat, and then a 90 degree turn to an ~8% grade hill (3/4 of a block in length) to the finish!

Its in the 40's and very windy that morning and we all stand shivering at the line for about 10-15 mins as we wait for cars to be moved from the course. The race was only 25 mins, so I knew it would be fast, but wow! The cold muscles didnt stop some of the stronger riders from sprinting out of the start. The pace was super fast from the gun. The leader was probably on the 3rd corner when I hit the 2nd corner. The field strung out immediately and Im off the pace of the front pack before turn 3.

I find a group of 3 women and we all try to work together. The problem with this course is that it really displays your strengths and weaknesses and makes it very difficult to work with a small group. They dont want to wait for you after the corners if you take it too wide and fall behind and you dont want to wait for them if they cant stay on your wheel on the false flat.... etc. It was hard to keep the group together. Then, you had the hill every lap and it wears on you very quickly. Most laps I stood on the hill since I had to to keep the wheel in front of me. I could hear Bri yelling for me every time I went up the hill - she totally motivated me to keep pushing up that thing! Thanks Bri!

In the end, I was glad I avoided being lapped and managed to get a good group sprint and placed 21st (and had only 3 other 4's in front of me). Again, this showed me how much work I need to do and will keep me motived to train hard! Need more speed work! :)

Joe Martin Stage Race 2008 - Time Trail

Saturday evening - 5pm

Warming up for the 2.5 mile uphill (6-8% grade) time trial. Im not sure Ive ever climbed a 2.5 mile hill and Ive only done 2 other TT's and they were flat!! The pro women are giving us advice as us 3/4's warm up. Dont go too hard out of the gate, dont even look at your heart rate monitor, push as hard as you can - its only 2.5 miles, push even harder at the 1K sign, the finish isn't where you think it is....

They have a seat holder and that was kind of cool. Carrie and Bri see us off and hold our water bottles for when we return. I keep it in my small ring and add all my gears in back to avoid pushing too hard too fast since I was warned not to! I start the climb and start taking all of those gears off one at a time.

My heart rate spikes as I try to find my rhythm and my breathing - and the right gear. I climb and climb. As people who have finished turn around, they coast back down the hill on the other side of the road. Many of them yelling - "push", "you've got this", "good job", "keep it up". It was pretty cool. Maybe it was because of the horrible look of pain on my face (as seen on the pics) - don't even think you will ever get a cool TT pic, they dont look good - you will always look your worst in a TT! But, I enjoyed the encouragement just the same. They started us 30 seconds apart and Chris, just 30 sec behind me, quickly passed. I could see the woman in front of me for a while and could tell I was slowly gaining on her. I kept my rhythm and she started to slow when the hill kicked up again towards the end. I pass her!

I see the 1K sign. Ok, Im supposed to push harder now. Uh, ok, well, never mind, my legs say no, Ill just keep this pace b/c Im doing all I can at this point. At about 100 meters from the line I stand to push harder and Im able to muster a short sprint. Ouch! Glad that is over.

On the way back down, I realize how long that thing really was! I cheer on my teammates and other competitors as others did for me. Im happy with my performance, but end up in 21st place, this time, with a few more 4's ahead of me. Oh well. My time trial (flat and uphill) needs some work, but now I have a good baseline for next year! :)

Joe Martin Stage Race 2008 - Road Race

Where do I even start? What a cool and exhausting weekend we had...

Sat morning Road Race
Got into Springdale, Arkansas around 9pm on Friday night, unpacked and made plans for meeting up in the morning. Left the hotel around 7am, got there and got equipment staged.

There were 35 women in our field for the 34 mile Cat 3/4 RR. At the start, all I could think about was trying to stay towards the front on the first big hill which was only approx 5 miles into the race...and actually ended up being around mile 3. Ouch. There were bigger teams and more experienced riders in the field and everyone was more aggressive than in my previous road races - trying to jockey for position towards the front of the pack for the hill. I managed to work my way up to the top 15 or so.

The hill appeared quickly and the group quickly splintered up, which made it easier to get around people. I knew that Chris was going to try to go hard on the hill. I tried to go as hard as I could and stay as close as I could to the front of the group. I kept hearing Carrie tell me to stay on, or blow up trying, so thats what I did - push, push, push - round a corner and then push some more. I found myself with Jess and another girl and we started working together to start the chase.

It was windy, so we would need to work together. However, not too long into our chase and a large group of 12 (including Allison) caught us and so we joined them. The group was pretty well organized and there were some really strong riders who were pushing the pace fast! Most everyone was taking turns and many times on the flats I looked down to see us going 25 - 30 mph. The rollers would slow us down a bit, but then we were off again. We could see Chris' group ahead and finally caught them with only 9 miles or so to go.

However, not long after, Chris let me know she was going to go, and attacked on a small hill. I let her go knowing that my legs were not there. She quickly pulled away from the group and 4 riders bridged her gap to finish with her. Our group surged, as others like me wanted to go with them, but couldn't quite find the legs to make it happen. I stayed with the surge and our group of 15 split in two. Jess stayed with us for a little bit, but got tired of people not wanting to work the last few miles of the race and broke away on her own and stayed. (Great job!)

Me and Allison hung with the group and did't chase Jess. We did not want to bridge the group to her, so we stayed in for a group sprint. Allison got up front and sacrificed for the group and pulled the last mile or so. I could see the finish now and the group picked up the pace...someone drops a chain... Allison tried to lead me out and I had to push really hard to stay on her wheel and then the next wheel. I try to stand for the sprint, but my legs give out quickly and it sit back down, tuck, and draft a wheel in front of me. OUCH! I end up with 18th place.

After the race I say its the hardest race Ive ever done. I guess that depends on how you define hard. It was definitely the fastest hilly road race Ive done so far. We averaged 21 mph over 34 miles. I descended a hill with a group of 15 at over 49 mph. And after all of that we had a hard group sprint at the finish. During the race I couldn't help but wonder how many of the women that were in our group were Cat 3's or 4's, and I was super happy to find out that only two 4's finished ahead of me and besides me and Allison, there was only one other 4 in our group! The race made me realize how much work I still need to do and every race is definitely a new learning experience. I really enjoyed racing w/ my teammates - Jess and Allison - the whole race. Everyone did an awesome job!

Tour of STL - what a ride

Well, its all over now. Three races in two days...a first for me. It was interesting to see how the legs and body respond to multiple days in a row of hard efforts. I definitely felt the fatigue set in.


Saturday Morning Crit:
Bright and early was the first crit in Carondelet Park. Nice course, wide open turns, but pretty windy on the back of the course with a couple small hills/inclines - including a pretty nice grade to the finish. It was a 7:30am race and I think we were all still sleepy eyed as we rolled up to the line. I was feeling fresh and ready for this. This was my first 'A' race of the season and I had peaked for this weekend. I was anxious to see what that felt like.
We had a pack of about 11 or 12, mostly Team Rev women. I feel bad for the other women out there on their own w/o a team, Im already seeing the advantages of that. They did incredible out there on their own (and we were nice :) Anyway, I got out front right away for a lap or two and then tucked in from the wind for a couple. I was in a good position when they called the prime and went for it by attacking on the hill to the start/finish. I think I had one other person on my wheel (maybe two) and was able to win it! I had made a small gap on the field, but there was no way I would be able to stay off the rest of the race, we were only 10 mins in at this point. So, I basically sat up and jumped back in. Kate mixed it up a bit by trying to go off the front a couple of times, but the pack wouldn't let her go. Everyone just hung on. Though I did bump wheels trying to get out of the inside and catch her wheel once. Good thing Allison was holding on! :) The pack stayed together the rest of the race with a couple of people trying to make some moves, but nothing really sticking. It would take a big move to get out and away. With one to go I decided to jump early (around turn 3) and go for it. I didnt know for sure how my legs would react, I was hoping I could stay out front of the pack for the finish. Teresa followed and soon we were elbow to elbow hammering up the hill to the finish. We were both sprinting out hearts out, digging as hard as we could. I wanted 1st BAD! I got her by milliseconds, what a rush! An awesome sprint for sure! Ill post the video. Jason was sweet enough to record that! What a great boyfriend! The rest of the Team Rev women kicked some butt too. I was impressed at how well everyone seemed to move around the field and work together. Some good attempts at breaking up the field and making us all work. Thats what it all about, helping each other improve. Great race and exciting to get my 1st, 1st place in bike racing! Im still smiling! :)


Saturday Time Trial:
Well, after some food and a nap, it was time to race again. I purchased some aero bars for my road bike and decided to try them out for the first time on the race. It was actually pretty easy to adjust to, they need some adjustment, but they were much more comfortable than the drops! This was only my 2nd TT. My first was just last weekend in Herman and I had definitely found my threshold and wanted to focus this time on not going over my threshold so I didn't burn my legs out so much. However, I guess from the hard effort earlier, I wasn't able to hit my threshold. Instead I was about 6-8 bpm less than what I had hoped to level off at. My legs just didnt have the strength to get my HR up there. My legs felt dead and I felt like I was going in slow motion. Probably because I must have bumped my computer signal and it wasn't reading my speed. Ugh. Then, a guy with a flag in a turn around confused me and I turned around at the wrong spot. If I had know what my mileage was, I probably wouldn't have confused it. Oh well. I am bummed that I made such a stupid mistake since it cost me 1 place, maybe 2! The strongest head wind was on the way back. I was miserable and just wanted it to be over. I passed many Team Rev women going out and they all yelled encouraging words, but most of the time all I could do was nod my head and try to keep focusing on my form. Once I could see the finish I added a gear and pushed harder. My legs screamed NO, but I knew it would be over soon! Thank God! I finished 6th. Just 3 seconds behind 5th and approx 13 sec behind 4th. Damn turn around!

Sunday Morning Crit:
Up early again. No one looked very awake this morning! It was cruel. But, the nice thing was that the weather was supposed to be rainy and cold and miserable, but the sun came out and it was near 50 degrees! Very awesome. I was a little anxious about racing in the rain. Though, I need to do it sometime... Anyway, we had 2 new women this time. Not sure if they did the TT, but they had not raced in the crit yesterday. I wasn't sure how I would fare against fresh legs. I went up to pull the first couple of laps and had a hard time tucking back in. No one wanted to pull. Ruth got up there and helped me out and other Team Rev women took some time on the front, but I ended up spending a lot of time up there. At one point I pulled way to the left and slowed down to about 16 mph and the whole field was still behind me. I couldn't believe it. I know that everyone was fatigued today, that was obvious, but so was I! They called the prime and I was 2nd wheel. Steph was up front and I offered to help set her up for the prime and jumped in front of her. However, right before turn 4, Ruth jumped and went for it. I stayed with her. She gapped the field very quickly. Jackelyn Denny (a very strong 14 yr old Jr) was on my wheel the whole race and stayed for the push to the prime. I urged Ruth to take it easy until she got closer, she had a lot of room. Then when Jackelyn jumped, I yelled for Ruth to go for it. She sprinted and grabbed the prime! I was hoping the 3 of us could stay off the front longer, but by the 2nd corner, the field had caught us. Like the last crit, a couple of people tried to make a move, but the field stayed together. I kept trying to get tucked in, but it didnt happen for long. At one point I was on the back and with only 5 to go, I did not like my position. I was afraid someone was going to attack and I wasn't going to be in a very good place to bridge. I moved up some and then at 3 to go Karen put the hammer down. She definitely mixed it up and picked up the pace. Again, I was worried I was going to be too far back, but I squeezed into 2nd or 3 wheel and thought Id be good for another lap. However, at 2 to go I somehow ended up back on the front and at this point NO ONE was going to pull. I slowed down the field a bit, but everyone was enjoying the draft. This is exactly where I didnt want to be for the final 2 laps. Ugh! I knew it was going to come down to a field sprint and I wondered how I would ever sprint well enough to place after pulling so much. on turn 4 I could hear everyone adding gears and I did the same and picked up the pace hoping no one would go around me and I could sit until 200 meters. Then Ruth yells, "Jamie, watch out, on your left" a girl had jumped and was sprinting past the pack. I stood up and added gears and tried to stay on her. She was one of the fresh legs and had not pulled once during the race. I knew this wasn't going to go well for me. I pushed and my legs and lungs screamed at me. I could tell that Teresa was going to get the 2nd place and me and Allison were now just millimeters for each other. I pushed as hard as I could over the line and beat her by a hair for 3rd! Another great sprint, I just wish I had been able to recover more before it all went down!

Great weekend of racing. My goal this weekend was to finish top 3 in both crits this weekend and it feels SO GOOD to have accomplished that! We have such a strong team and I couldn't have done it with out everyone working together at various points in the race. It was also awesome to watch the Women's Open races and hear them talk after the race about how things went and what they wish they could have done differently. Its a great way to learn! We have an awesome group of women, and Im SO proud of all of us!
Rev on!

Herman RR Report - Cat 4 race

We lined up and listened to the rules, and to our (Cat 4) joy, found out that we would not have to go up “the hill” since we were only doing one 20mile lap! Woohoo!

There was a neutral start through the town, nice rolling roads, and I was trying to figure out where the race would start. The only thing I knew was that the pace truck would start going faster. Winding through the outskirts of the town, we found ourselves at the start – the bottom of a pretty big 6-10% grade climb! Great place to start! (moan) The Cat 1/2/3 group quickly pull away from the Cat 4s and then about ½ way up, there is a lot of heavy breathing and suffering going on, and two Cat 4 women (Rebecca Baker and Cheryl Rathert) attack on the hill. I couldn’t catch their wheel, but I tried to stay as close as possible and really push it up the hill. I get to the top and look back and find myself torn between chasing the Cheryl ahead of me on my own, or waiting for Teresa and Allison who were not too far behind me so that I could work w/ them to chase. I tried to chase for a while, but the hill had obviously not fazed the 2 women ahead. It looked like Rebecca was still with the 1/2/3 group and Cheryl was out there on her own. Teresa and Allison caught me, and I enjoyed a bit of a break on the back of the line. Then on the first KOM hill I knew there were points for top 3, so I pushed – hard. I had hoped to catch Cheryl on the hill, but she was a really strong climber. I managed 3rd place though! Then at the top, I was in the same situation again. My legs were pretty smoked, so I recovered and waited for Teresa and Allison. To my surprise, Gina Richard (Big Shark) had caught them as well. Cool, more people to work with! Gina was great, she pulled a great pace and then pushed me to pull fast and keep ahead of the women behind us. I told her I REALLY wanted to catch Cheryl and so we made it our mission to catch her. Cheryl was my carrot the entire 1^st half of the race! Thanks to her for keep me pushing so hard!

We finally caught Cheryl about 3-4 miles from the 2^nd KOM and it was all I could do to stay on her wheel. I zoned in on her rear break for some reason and just tried to ‘embrace the burn’ and find a rhythm in my breathing. Ouch! She stood up right before the KOM line and I did too, but couldn’t get around her. Oh well, 3^rd again. She was an animal. She tried to let me pull, but I wasn’t pulling hard enough for her, she rode next to me for a while, and then jumped back up front before she even caught a draft. I figured fine, she is stronger, so she will have to pull. We hit the flats and the last 3 miles were fast. I just wanted to hold my 2^nd place in line with the hopes of sprinting around her at the finish. However, as we came upon the final left turn in town it was at a busy 4-way intersection. There was a flag guy, but cars were confused as were we. I thought I might get hit my an oncoming car as I couldn’t see around the 2 cars in front of us, but the other women cut the corner and around me. I was suddenly 20 ft off the back and worked hard, but could not make up the loss for the sprint. Oh well, better 5^th place than dead or injured, but I do feel a little cheated out of my sprint. Such is life.

There were some beautiful roads and perfect weather! There were some screaming down hills (got up to 40 mph), and plenty of climbs, but some nice rolling roads as well.

I felt good about the race and my climbing performance. It was a tough race! Hats off to the women who did 3 laps of that! No way could I have done that 3 times! It was awesome to watch them finish and to be there as a group! All the Team Rev women really represented at Hermann!

Am I really a blogger?!

Ok, I guess I am. When people first started blogging I thought it was silly. Why would I want to read peoples rants about random crap? Boo hoo. But, then I got into cycling and found that I really enjoyed reading others blogs about cycling, their training info, race reports, and developments on the sport. It was a great way to get and share info w/ others with particular interests. I see the 'why' of blogging now. I started racing as a Cat 4 (woman) last year and have dedicated myself to racing all season this year. I am part of an awesome women's cycling group, Team Revolution, and I thought this might be a good way to share and document my development as a racer, person, and team member. So...here I go..time to blog! :)