In its thirteenth year, the Nature Valley Grand Prix is touted as the most exciting, fan-friendly stage race in North America. The tour includes six stages over five days, taking in six cities and two states. ABD headed into the tour five riders strong, Jessi, Stacy, Kristen, Sarah, and me, with our awesome Team Manager Mike Ebert, extra support from non-racing teammate Elena and the ABD “Van-aconda” to faithfully transport us to the start of each stage.
Stage 1
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| Stacy with a good pain face in Stage 1 |
The Tour started Wednesday morning with a 10 km time trial along the Saint Paul riverfront. The course hugged the banks and bluffs of the Mississippi River, heading out and back and then snaking up a 6% climb to finish with stunning views overlooking downtown Saint Paul.
The story for the day was Sarah, who continued a string of travel nightmares. Scheduled to fly from Michigan to Minnesota Tuesday evening, she waited in the airport terminal through multiple flight delays into the wee hours of the night. The flight was finally cancelled, so she went home for a few hours of sleep. Thankfully, she was able to get an early morning flight. She arrived in Minnesota at 6:30 AM and caught a taxi directly to the start of the first stage. The heavens decided to open and pour down so Sarah had a bit of a wet time waiting for us to arrive. Unfortunately she had an early start time so not much time to warm up.
The worst of the downpour lessened off as riders got underway, but we all got sufficiently soaked and covered in muck from the spray off the road. Former World and Olympic Time Trial Champion Kristen Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co.) took an unsurprising win in 14:30, a massive 23 s clear of the next rider, reigning US National Time Trial Champion Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Highroad). Stacy had the best ride for ABD at 1:44 back with Jessi not far adrift. Filthy and soaking wet, we headed back to our amazing host houses, half of us to the Dorr’s and half to the Stewart’s, got cleaned up, had a nap (especially Sarah) and refuelled for the evening’s stage.
Stage 2
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| Wet conditions made Stage 2 treacherous. |
Stage Two Wednesday evening was the St Paul Downtown Criterium, set in the heart of the city’s Entertainment District, featuring a five-corner 1.4 km technical course complete with twists, turns and brick sections. Despite a brief showing of sun midafternoon, dark clouds descended as we warmed up and the rain re-started about 30 min before the start, continuing just long enough to make the roads dangerously slick. A top-notch field of 98 riders, stacked with talent including World Champion Giorgia Bronzini, riding alongside New Zealanders Cath Cheatley and Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita), lined up at the start. The wet pavement made for a crash-filled stage, including one crash that took down 30 riders. Worse yet was the impact of the conditions on the tempo of the race. The bunch would scream into each corner, hard on the brakes, and then blast out full speed.
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| Massive pile up on Corner 1, Stage 2. |
Coming off a lung infection from the previous week, I wasn’t the best judge of effort. I’ve heard that antibiotics take away top end fitness (probably a bit less so then illness, but there you go). Anyway, I can first hand confirm this as truth. I had zero top end. Sprinting out of every corner was absolutely agonizing. One lap in, I was completely gassed. Each lap, I lost three or four spots as I worked my way backwards through the peloton, unable to garner sufficient energy to match the pace of passing riders. Finally, with 13 laps to go, I fell off the back and settled into a much happier pace with a small group, including Stacy who, despite an abundance of power, struggled with the slick, technical corners. Jessi kept good position, establishing herself as a contender for the amateur jersey by finishing with the front bunch. Kristen hung on long enough to make the time cut the start the next stage, but poor Sarah, with her travel dramas, was pulled early. Tour over. On the bright side, ABD came away injury free, avoiding the worst of the chaos that took out top NZ-rider Cath Cheatley with a double-pelvis fracture.
Kristin Armstrong put into words the intensity of the race. “Tonight was one of the hardest crits I’ve done in years,” Armstrong said. “People were on fire. I know that there’s been past years that have been tough, but I think the depth of this field is the best I’ve seen at Nature Valley.” The hour-long stage was won by World Champion Bronzini, followed by defending champion Shelley Olds (Diadora) and Australian sprinter Chloe Hoskings (HTC-Highroad) with Armstrong retaining yellow.
Stage 3
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| Peloton passing through scenic Cannnon Falls |
Stage Three on Thursday brought the Cannon Falls Road Race, 107 km of rolling hills through one of Minnesota’s favorite tourist destinations. The course wound along country roads known for their short, quick climbs and unpredictable winds, finishing with a challenging six-lap 3-km circuit through the neighborhoods of Cannon Falls. Warming up on the circuit, Kristen decided that Ebert was getting off way too easy. She came up with some last minute challenges, including a broken rear derailleur, minutes before the start. Ever composed, Ebert handled the damage without a flinch and had her on the line with seconds to spare. But the damage was done. With all the drama, Kristen’s head was no longer in race mode and she drifted off the back of the bunch within the first 20 km. Now we were down to three.
The stage was filled with was nearly continuous attacks, but in contrast to the constant stop and go of the night before, I felt so much better. The pace was fast, with always something going on. The kind of racing I like. A small break got a minute up the road for the first QOH. Once that was caught, nothing else was allowed more than 20 s freedom. The beautiful scenery rushed by in a blur. A short section of unsealed road in the last 10 km of the race proved the crux of the course. Peanut Butter & Co put on a blazing pace going into the dirt, stringing out the bunch. Multiple crashes and out-of-control riders split the peloton to a front group of 35 riders.
I made it through the chaos with good position at the front, shutting out screams of terror emerging from riders behind me. Fortunately, Jessi and Stacy also made it through unscathed, unfortunately though, on the wrong side of the split. I dropped back off the bunch through a string of riders spread out on the finishing circuit. Reaching Jessi and Stacy, the three of us dug deep in an effort to limit the damage to Jessi’s GC position. At the finish, the loss was 1:58 with Jessi maintaining sixth in the amateur jersey competition. At the front of the race, Bronzini powered to her second stage win with Hoskings second and 25-time World Inline Speed Skating and Former US Crit National Champion Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Colavita) third.
Stage 4
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| The peloton speeds by in Uptown Minneapolis |
Stage Four on Friday night was the Uptown Minneapolis criterium. Twenty-eight laps of a pancake-flat course with six tight corners squeezed into 0.88 km. The peloton was down to 81 riders and, with Kristen’s bad luck in Stage Three, the team was down to three. Stacy and I lined up with terrible position, smack dab at the back of the bunch. Jessi had slightly better positioning, about mid-pack, but she got off to a bad start of lost most of that in the first lap. With the big field and tight course, we spent the whole race (somewhat unsuccessfully) trying to move up to better position. The yo-yo effect at the back of the peloton was brutal.
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| Horrible crash on Satge 4 with one lap to go |
Mid-race, a small break got a good gap off the front and started to threaten the yellow jersey. With about 10 laps to go, Peanut Butter & Co chasing hard, the pace went on and the field started to splinter. Four laps left and the break was caught. The fight for the front was on. With the pace blazing hot, heading into the finishing straight, one lap to go, a massive crash at the front of the bunch caused a huge pile up as riders further back came around the corner to hit a wall of bodies and bicycles on the ground. The crash spread completely across the road. So many riders went down with multiple serious injuries, it was impossible to clear the road for the final lap. Race officials were forced to call the race and nullify the results. Most riders came away with minor bumps, bruises and skin off. Unfortunately, four riders, including defending champion Olds, were taken to hospital, out of the tour. Stacy, Jessi and I were fortunate to avoid the crash. For me, the real adventure of the evening was yet to come.
I had woken up that morning with a case of very itchy, ugly hives, origin unknown. With Jessi sitting in sixth in the amateur rider competition, only 25 s out of third, the priority was to keep her in contention. Other than being inconveniently itchy, I felt good and decided to go ahead and ride. During the race, my body was clearly a bit out of whack. Despite the pleasant temperatures, I felt chilled in the later laps of the race. Afterwards, probably spurred by the increased body temperature from the exertion of the race, my upper lip began to swell. Through dinner, the swelling continued. My fortune cookie that evening read “You will be the center of attention”. Little did I know…
By the time we got home, my lip was quite a concern—to everyone except me (the benefits of not being able to see one’s own face). My incredible host mom Laurie Stewart and her mother, Marge, who was visiting for the week, whisked me off to the emergency room. We arrived at triage and I was immediately admitted to the priority waiting area. I didn’t even have a chance to sit down before I was assigned to a room. As I waited for a doctor, my lip continued to increase in size, now joined by my feet.
Worried about the swelling spreading to my airway, the ER doctor got things under control quickly. Then it was just monitoring my progress to ensure I didn’t worsen. Although uncertain, the most probable reason for the swelling and hives was an allergic reaction to the antibiotic I was taking for my lung infection, exacerbated by the added stress on my immune system from the exertion of racing.
After about four hours of monitoring, the swelling had stabilized and I was able to convince to doctor to send me home. Laurie and Marge kept an eye on me the whole time and made the hours fly by so fast with their wonderful conversation. At 3 AM I was released from the ER and, with a whole bagful of lovely medications to take, we headed home to bed. Fortunately by morning most of the swelling had subsided and, still three strong, ABD would fight another stage.
Stage 5
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| Finishing in downtown Menomonie |
Saturday afternoon, the tour headed east to Wisconsin for the 130-km Menomonie Road Race, a course punctuated by short, incessant rollers and climbs of up to two miles reminiscent of some of the European spring classic road races. Containing the biggest hills of the tour and finishing with four laps of a tough 3-mile circuit in the historic downtown district of Menomonie, the stage would prove to be the most decisive of the tour. The pivotal break got away on the first QOH about 20 km into the race. With race leader Armstrong missing from the front group, Peanut Butter & Co blew their team apart chasing but were unable to shut it down. The seven-rider strong break finished with a 1:13 gap, enough to give a new race leader. Finishing second in the stage, former World Time Trial Champion Amber Neben (HTC-Columbia) pulled on the yellow jersey while Leah Kirchmann (Colavita) took the stage honors with Erinne Willock (TIBCO) taking third.
Jessi rode a great race, finishing in the main bunch (only 27 riders) 1:13 back and moving into fourth spot in the amateur competition, only 3 sec out of third. Having learned a hard lesson in Stage Three, Jessi kept excellent position throughout the stage. Stacy, being fairly new to stage racing, was beginning to feel the accumulation of fatigue that builds up over several successive days of hard riding. Combined with the added energy drain of the unfamiliarity of large bunches, the hills took their toll. For me, the impact of my emergency room excursion and the subsequent fluid lingering in my lungs turned out to be a bit much in the company of world-class riders. I found myself unable to climb and dropped like a rock through the peloton whenever the road headed skyward. Reaching the bigger climbs mid-stage Stacy and I finally drifted off the back of the peloton to settle into a small group of eight and rode a more pleasant pace together to the finishing circuit where we arrived in time to see Jessi whizzing around in the final lurch to the line
Stage 6
The best for last. Nature Valley’s final stage, the Stillwater Crierium, has an international reputation as the toughest criterium in North America. The Stillwater course is 13 laps of a 2-km loop, featuring a trek up the epic Chilkoot Hill every lap. This lung-busting 24 % climb is followed by a short false flat and then a four-corner, white-knuckled descent bringing riders back to the foot of Chilkoot for the next lap. And while the start is at the bottom of the hill, the finish is at the top. With only 66 starters, the field was dwindling. Health not on my side, I opted to sit this one out. ABD was down to two.
A special jersey presentation ceremony to honor rider Carla Swart, who died in a training accident earlier this year, brought an emotional note to the start of the race. The jersey, given to the rider who sacrificed the most for her team leader as voted by the other riders, was awarded HTC-Highroad rider Ally Stacher. If Ally didn’t disserve the jersey after the first five stages of the tour, she definitely earned it in Stage Six with an impressive effort from the whole HTC-Highroad team.
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| Restarting up the hill after the crash at the start |
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| Bronzini winning on Chilkoot Hill |
The race started with disaster for much of the field. A crash in the first several hundred meters brought the back of the peloton to a standstill. Because of the steep grade, several riders, including Stacy, needed a push to get going up the hill. Ebert was there in seconds, but the chaos shattered the bunch. Within five laps, a decisive break of 11 riders formed. The rest of the field splintered. Riders dotted the course. Most, I’m certain, just waiting to be pulled. Stacy battled on for about 10 tormenting laps before the officials decided to end her agony. Jessi, in an unfortunate moment of confusion, thought she was pulled from the race, but went riders behind continued past she realised she wasn’t and had to head backward on the course to get enough momentum to continue up the hill. Having moved into virtual third spot in the amateur GC standings on the road, the mix up cost her the placing and by the time she was pulled for real a few laps later she was back in fourth. While fourth was disappointing because she actually finished third, her performance was admirable, and merely a whisper of bigger things yet to come. In World-Champion fashion, Bronzini took her third win of the tour in an electrifying finish with Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Highroad) second and Armstrong third. With strong support from her team, Amber Neben held on the yellow jersey to win the tour, Willock second and Armstrong third.
We may not have won the tour, but hands down we won the award for the best manager, best van, best host families, and best dramas.
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