I decided that I was going to NC to race the Wolfpack Classic to get some road mile in my legs, since the snow and the left over crap on the roads has made it nearly impossible to ride.
Well my race lasted all of 1 mile, before I hit a pot hole and flatted, my race was over before it really began.
SO fast forward to the last weekend in February and to the Richmond International Speedway Women's Open, 10:00 am start time.
I check the weather report the night before: 50 something and light winds pretty good for February and comfortable for a gal from the south to survive and not freeze her toes off.
Well sometime after I went to bed and when I got up, the wind never died down and I don't think we ever got to 50 anytime on Saturday
IT was COLD.... the wind was HOWLING... and I'm loading up the truck thinking man I'm going to freeze
I owe all the gals.. several glasses of wine... I begged them to do this race.. cause I race so much better with my teammates.. but they all looked at me like I was crazy.. cause it is February.. and did I mention still COLD...
The race started with 31 ladies.. largest field I've ever been in.. and I think for a lot of us... but it started just like I knew it would.. FAST.. then SLOW.. then FAST.. then SLOW...
and did I say it was COLD...
A couple of the VK gals kept trying to get away.. others would cover their move (me I'm sitting in the whole time trying to stay out of the wind....) sometimes someone would get a small gap.. but then the wind on the back side would act just like a stop sign.. and they'd get caught.... if you watched any of the races, you'd see the peloton come out of turn 2... it was just like there was a stop sign there... you could just see the field SLOW....
A couple of folks were spit off the back.. and they wouldn't move either up or down.. once the field split around them.. coming out of turn four.. the field moved around a rider.. some went high, other went low but we as came back together.. I think Phaedra and I saw the same empty spot.. we bumped ... I felt her on my hip.. I kept pedaling.. she bounced off me.. unfortunately she and Marine went down... heal quick ladies..
As the bell rung with one to go, the gals up front attacked, I got caught TOO far back so when the line strung out.. I was barely hanging on.. Jules hollered at me to get up there.. amazing what I do when Jules tells me what to do.. I did manage to latched back on .. just as the field hit the wind... I was spent.. it took everything I had to hang on... all I could do was think hang on... I still had one gear left.. forgot to shift down.. went to stand for a sprint, legs were jello by that point.. so no sprint in me... so Jules and I rolled in mid pack...
Honestly.. for February... and for as little road riding as we've been able to do.. all in all not a bad race... Kuto's for Amy and Erin for coming out.... and hanging tough... they prefer mountain biking to crit racing. I still think.. if the trails are too wet.. nothing like racing to get into shape..
