Chilling out after RBC . . .

As Melanie said in an earlier post, we were invited to Redland’s Bicycle Classic, which is one of the most prestigious races in the U.S.! This was super-charged year with 21 teams entered into the race (equating to 150 women)! We were so excited andjust itching to get to Redlands and race! I haven’t felt this fired up in years and I attribute that to myinspirational teammates who motivate me all the time! They also keep me young and competitive in an ever increasingcompetitive women’s field. This yearwas trulythe “who’s who of U.S. racing”and it turned out to be quite a race! Down to the wire where every second counted!

Pre-Race jitters: Heather, Marilyn and Kathryn were racing in San Dimas and met Melanie and I in Redlands. I arrived Wednesday morning to get us checked in! Check-in was smooth and fast, so we went to check out the first road race course in Beaumont (or as it affectionately referred to as “Blowmont” – and I’ll tell you why in a minute or two). The course description was challenging and there were alot of obstacles to get around — closed gates, trucks, workers, and last but not least — fresh tar and asphalt! After going through that, I realized that I was coming up against the deadline for the manager’s meeting, so I TT’d it back to the car and got to the manager’s meeting with 2 minutes to spare.

The Prologue: Such an awesome course and very tricky. Just when you think you had a good time, somone like Amber Neben, Ina Tutenberg and Mara Abbottbeat you by 2 minutes (or like 3 minutes in my case)! WOW! These ladies are incredible andgiftedathletes, posting some super fast times. Our riders did great with Heather posting the best time out of the 5 of us. (I need redemption!)

Stage 1: Beaumont Circuit Race – The windy course of Beaumont — the understatement of the year! The winds were blowing 40-50 miles per hour. The start was absolutely crazy with 148 women going all out and trying to get positioned out of the wind. This race was going all out from the gun. Mel and I got guttered in the first 7 minutes (yes — I’m not kdding) of the race! Then there was a bad crash that I couldn’t get around and the pack was long up the road in a 40 mile per hour head wind! It’s been nice knowing ya! There was no way I was catching back on but was hoping Melanie could get back. She gave it her best shot, but didn’t make the time cut. I knew I couldn’t make the time cut based on my lap time (as I was very far behind), so I abandoned the race and turned my focus on to full-time director — which I like anyway!

Marilyn noticed that Heather got gapped at one point and went around pulling herback to the peleton. She was pretty well-cooked after that and stayed on as long as possible, but gave it everything she had. What a great teammate and great teamwork! That’s where it really counts and Marilyn’s instinct was spot-on. Kathryn was in another chase group just a few minutes behind. I watched each of them come in across the finish line and then walked to meet them at the car. I’ve never seen 4 women more tired! I can only imagine how they felt after 3 laps given how I felt after only 1 lap. They were spent!

Stage 3: The mother of all Crits! Love this crit – especially as a spectator! The women were going full out and hitting speeds of 30 mph! It was great! Heather, Kathryn and Marilyn did awesome. Heather and Marilyn got caught out by about 20 seconds, but everyone finished in good time and without a scratch! Heather lost a couple of spots in GC, but there is still another day to go!

Stage 4: The Sunset Loop – This is one of the hardest courses any rider will do (it was also the course for the 2004 Olympic Trial RR)! It’s a tough circuit and a race of attrition! (Melanie raced in the men’s Cat 3 crit before the women’s final stage started – just for a little workout!). When she was done – we jumped in the car and headed to the feedzone! We got set-up and waited for our girls to come up the hill! The race blew apart on the first time up the hill and in the first group was Heather! In the next group right behind was Marilyn and Kathryn — AWESOME! The race really took its toll on the riders and many didn’t finish or just took the easy out and prorated time. Not our girls — they raced the whole thing and finished great! Heather’s GC moved to 32nd, Marilyn to 52nd and Kathryn to 60th! They did awesome and we are all very proud of our teammates!

Now for some local races to prepare us for the Tour of the Gila! We have 6 women (the maximum number a team can have) scheduled for the race! Get your climbing legs ready as this is one of the most difficult stage races in the U.S. Lots of climbing and at altitude (9000 ft – the Continental Divide). Read about it at www.tourofthegila.com.

Next up: U of A Crit, Tumacacori (better known as “Tuma torture), Copper Valley RR, and the Arizona State Crit Championships!

Stay tuned . . . .