This is the second year that I've headed HOME.. to AL to visit family and to take advantage of some good local racing.
The Spring City Cycling Club host a two day omnium, a RR, a SHORT 1K TT and a CRIT. I mainly come down here to visit family, but what cyclist doesn't love having the chance to visit family and race their bikes.
The first year I did this race.. the weather was perfect, in fact AL had an Indian Summer sort of day... this year.. NOT so much.. HOT and HUMID was the call all weekend long... Since I had done the RR last year.. I knew the HILL would be my nemisis.. I am not a hill climber.. if it were the Tour.. I'd be on the "auto bus"... well I dorked up the first climb up the hill.... too far back... gap opened up.... was NOT on a wheel as we crested the top... OTB.. and race over... The 1 K TT was later than afternoon, so I gave myself and the officials a break and pulled myself after 30 miles..
The 1K TT was really interesting.. guys coming up with full TT rigs... and others.. just zipping up jersey's and rolling like a RR race... I finished 3rd in the women's 3/4 field.. so not to ashamed of my finish...
Sunday's crit was right after the men's master's thank goodness it was an early race... before the heat and humidity really started cranking... I did just what my coaches have been telling me all year.. when I don't have a teammate in the race.. sit in... and get in position with 3 to go...
I made one attack.. just to see how the legs felt... everything was firing... YEAH... I was sitting about 6th wheel with 2 to go, knowing I could move up on the backside... the pace had slowed just a little as we entered the only Left turn.. and wouldn't you know it... gal in front of my touches the rear wheel of the gal in front of her... she goes down taking me with her.. I tried to swing wide.. but that wasn't happening.. it was slow motion.. and I have a metal picture of my crash.... sore elbow, knee and back.. but bike is ok...so I lived to race another day
TT BIKES
HOW WE ROLL
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
ID3 Weekend of Racing
IF you've never raced in Roanoke... You absolutely have to put this race on your calendar. It is always on the 4th July weekend and the venue's are awesome.
I went into this weekend's race with some simple goals.. PR Mill Mountain and then race the race I need to race in the two crits.
I managed to PR Mill Mountain by about 30 seconds from last year; but I still feel like I have an alien about to burst out of my chest when I get to the top. I started coughing almost immediately, the sort of cough you get during a cold winter ride.. I coughed ALL night and even woke up the Sunday with a very sore raw throat.
Sunday the women's combined race started at 1:00 and the temps had started climbing and though there was a slight breeze, the number 90 was soon seen on the old temperature gage. It has been said in many other forums, but a women's combined field that includes CAT 1's through CAT 4's are in my opinion the toughest races to races. IF you're not careful you can blow yourself up real quick trying to hang on to a CAT 1's wheel and then you're race is done. My goal for both crits was to finish in the field and make sure I at least beat the other women competing in VCA 40+ category. To shed some perspective on how fast this race was, we were strung out in single file for the first few laps and according to my good friend who officiated the race; the women started faster than the Men's Master's race and those are usually the fastest races in VCA...
I hung on.. tail gunned and marked the ladies I wanted to beat. I ended up doing more work through the corners from the rear of the field but I didn't want to blow up hanging out in the front either... The final lap saw a little cat and mouse antics by the leaders on the back side of the course but then it really opened up the through the last corner... grabbing a wheel I wanted and waiting until the last 100 meters to go around the gal I marked.. It worked.. I was 12th overall and first 40+
Monday's course was a little different than last year's.. by about one block... but that one block was uphill.. Starting fast again from the whistle, I hung on for a good number of laps.. seeing ladies dropping left and right. It was definitely hotter than yesterday and the pace and heat was eating up the field. A massive attack from the eventual race winner broke the last of the field up, leaving small little groups of two and three spread around the course. The two other gals I was with agreed to work together until one to go.. hoping not to get lapped and pulled. Well we got lapped with about 5 to go and pulled shortly there after. I hate getting pulled in a race, but also understand for safety we probably would have been lapped by the main chase group too close to the finish. The good news is.. I hung on long enough for another 12th place finish and finished ahead of the other 40+ gals...
SO I managed to accomplish what I set out to do.. Now to set more goals....and race more races
I went into this weekend's race with some simple goals.. PR Mill Mountain and then race the race I need to race in the two crits.
I managed to PR Mill Mountain by about 30 seconds from last year; but I still feel like I have an alien about to burst out of my chest when I get to the top. I started coughing almost immediately, the sort of cough you get during a cold winter ride.. I coughed ALL night and even woke up the Sunday with a very sore raw throat.
Sunday the women's combined race started at 1:00 and the temps had started climbing and though there was a slight breeze, the number 90 was soon seen on the old temperature gage. It has been said in many other forums, but a women's combined field that includes CAT 1's through CAT 4's are in my opinion the toughest races to races. IF you're not careful you can blow yourself up real quick trying to hang on to a CAT 1's wheel and then you're race is done. My goal for both crits was to finish in the field and make sure I at least beat the other women competing in VCA 40+ category. To shed some perspective on how fast this race was, we were strung out in single file for the first few laps and according to my good friend who officiated the race; the women started faster than the Men's Master's race and those are usually the fastest races in VCA...
I hung on.. tail gunned and marked the ladies I wanted to beat. I ended up doing more work through the corners from the rear of the field but I didn't want to blow up hanging out in the front either... The final lap saw a little cat and mouse antics by the leaders on the back side of the course but then it really opened up the through the last corner... grabbing a wheel I wanted and waiting until the last 100 meters to go around the gal I marked.. It worked.. I was 12th overall and first 40+
Monday's course was a little different than last year's.. by about one block... but that one block was uphill.. Starting fast again from the whistle, I hung on for a good number of laps.. seeing ladies dropping left and right. It was definitely hotter than yesterday and the pace and heat was eating up the field. A massive attack from the eventual race winner broke the last of the field up, leaving small little groups of two and three spread around the course. The two other gals I was with agreed to work together until one to go.. hoping not to get lapped and pulled. Well we got lapped with about 5 to go and pulled shortly there after. I hate getting pulled in a race, but also understand for safety we probably would have been lapped by the main chase group too close to the finish. The good news is.. I hung on long enough for another 12th place finish and finished ahead of the other 40+ gals...
SO I managed to accomplish what I set out to do.. Now to set more goals....and race more races
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