9-17 Jul Super Week

At 43 years and counting, the Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic, also known as Super Week, is the oldest and longest-running multi-category cycling race in the world. Super Week is an omnium series, where placings in each race in the series earn riders points. The rider with the highest cumulative points total at the end of the series is the winner.

In addition to the overall win, the series offers a second hotly contested honor, the Sprint Points Competition. Riders can earn sprint points on designated sprint laps – three per race in the women’s series. Riders accumulate sprint points throughout the series in pursuit of the Sprint Points Jersey.

Me on the front

Finally, the stage win is the third honor up for grabs. Because racers in a road omnium may elect to participate in as many or as few races in the overall series as desired, riders with fresh legs, who haven’t raced the entire series, add extra challenge and variety to the battle for the stage win.

The 2011 Super Week series offered nine consecutive days of elite women’s racing, beginning with four races south of Chicago before moving north to Milwaukee for another four days, and then finishing off on the Chicago North Shore with Race 9 in Evanston. Due to various schedule conflicts and time commitments, the ABD women’s team had sporadic representation, with me and Kristen racing the entire series; Stacy for Races 1, 2, 3 and 8; Sarah for Races 4 – 9; Jessi for Races 8 and 9; and Elena for Race 9.

Race 1 Break

We got off to an awesome start, setting off fireworks at an exciting Race 1 in Geneva Illinois. Kristen and I attacked hard from the gun, instigating a five-rider break containing defending champion Nicky Wangsgard (Primal/Map My Ride), her teammate Tiffany Pezzulo, and Team Hong Kong rider Wan Yiu Jamie Wong. Stacy bided her time in the pack until, midrace, she blew the field apart with a successful attack.

Race 1 Podium: Jeannie (2nd), Nicky (1st),
Tiffany (Sprints Leader), Stacy (3rd)

As Kristen, Nicky, Tiffany, Jamie and I lapped the remnants of the field scattered around the course, Stacy bridged up to us in an impressive show of strength, all while race announcer Eddy Van Guyse repeated exclaimed, ‘ABD must stand for A very Big Deal!’ In the last several laps of the race, Stacy and I took turns attacking, forcing Primal on the defensive. In an exciting finale, Nicky took the win with me second, Stacy third, and Kristen sixth.

We put on with an equally exciting showing in front of a huge crowd the following Saturday at the famous Downer Ave in Milwaukee. This time, midrace, I heard Eddy announce, ‘ABD is dominating this race!’ With Kristen, Sarah, Stacy, Jessi and I putting in successive attacks, we grabbed multiple primes and launched Stacy for a classy solo win – on Downer Ave no less! ABD stands for A very Big Deal indeed!

Stacy on the podium at Downer Ave

Our worst race was Friday, Race 6 at Brookfield. Sarah was forced to abandon the race early due to heat exhaustion and Kristen punctured while she and I were chasing down a dangerous two rider break containing US Masters National Crit Champion Debbie Milne and Team Hong Kong rider Wan Yiu Jamie Wong (a World Cup Points Race Champion). Debbie had fresh legs and Jamie was a threat to my second place overall position. With Kristen in the pit getting a wheel change, I was left to chase the break solo. I ended up sacrificing points in the remaining sprint laps, where I was also sitting second overall, in an effort to chase down the break (or get away from the field). My attempts were futile and, as a result, I slipped down to third in both the sprint competition and the overall.  



Super Week Sprint Points Podium



By the end of nine races, Nicky earned a history-making third consecutive Super Week Title, ABD earned a stage win on Downer Ave and four podium placings: second and third in Race 1, first in Race 8, and third in the Sprint Competition; and 13 top-10 finishes. Tiffany Pezzulo dominated the sprint points competition and Team Hong Kong and Team Taiwan, being world class track riders, showed themselves to be talented, wicked fast finishers, pushing me back to fifth overall as they moved up the points board with consistent finishes.  

Super Week complete, I’m happy to report that although I entered the series with questionable health, still struggling with a lingering sore throat and the remnants of weeks of health challenges, I have emerged on the other side feeling fit and healthy and, I think, finally free of illness. After two months of writing about ill health, I look forward to concentrating on writing about racing!

Mackers Gary, John and Brian on the podium

As for Brian, he and his Team Mack teammates had an excellent Super Week, with John Fleckenstein winning the Masters Series Overall, and finishing second to fellow Macker Gary Doering in the 50+ Series subcategory. Brian finished fifth in the 40+ subcategory (even though he only raced 9 of the 16 races!). Brian’s series was highlighted by a 4^th place finish at Brookfield, where he earned a stage win as the first placed 40+ rider in the Masters field.