3-5 Aug Tour of Elk Grove

After struggling for several weeks with a slow recovery from illness I finally found some form and headed into the Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove with good legs. But luck was not on my side and a flat tire in the last several kilometres of the tour dashed my hopes for a good result.

The 2012 women’s Tour of Elk Grove was a three-day, three-stage tour held in Elk Grove, Illinois, near Chicago. A huge event since inception as a prominent men’s pro race, the tour gained National Race Calendar (NRC) status for the women’s race last year, ensuring a high-calibre field with riders from the top teams in the US. Elk Grove is also the only race I’ve done every year since I started racing so, in that sense, it’s a special race for me.

Finishing the Stage 1 time trial,
feeling fast on Leah's Felt TT bike.

The tour began on Friday afternoon with a 4.5 mile (7.2 km) time trial. With 5 tight corners on the course, a good time required both time trial prowess and cornering proficiency. Aided by teammate Leah Herman-Sanda’s very awesome time trial bike (which I thoroughly enjoyed riding!) and my super-slick PSIMET team issue wheels, I posted a decent time (for me) to start me off in 25^th position, 1:03 back from winner Alison Powers (NOW and Novartis for MS)—and tied with Kiwi rider Courteney Lowe (Optum). The top of the GC standings were pretty stacked, with 15 of the top 25 spots occupied by riders from top US pro teams NOW and Optum, each racing with full squads of 8 riders. An additional 3 spots were filled by riders from TIBCO, a third top US pro team, fielding a smaller roster of 5 riders.

All lined up as Optum drives the pace mid-race. I'm 9 riders back
with just my right shoulder in view. Photo by Ali Engin.

Stage 2 on Saturday afternoon was a 60 min criterium. The race started in oppressive heat with temperatures well above 100 (40 C). TIBCO and Optum put in constant attacks, but NOW, protecting the yellow jersey, was not interested in letting anything go up the road. As the race progressed, temps dropped, winds kicked up and skies darkened with an impending storm. Heading into the final laps, we were all together for a bunch finish. One lap to go and the race was getting messy with riders vying for position. NOW finally took control at the front of the peloton, lining up their lead out train with less than a lap to go. I was in great position, just behind their train. Perfect. This was going to be a good result!

Clouds darken the sky as the storm approaches during
Stage 2. Photo by Ali Engin.

But then, for whatever reason, NOW struggled to keep the pace high and a flurry of attacks launched as the front of the peloton blew into disarray. I scrambled for position as riders flew past on either side, boxing me in. Heading into the finish, NOW was so busy yelling at each other and everyone else, Jade Wilcoxson (Optum) escaped to take the stage with National Criterium Champion Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Exergy TWENTY 12) second and Kendall Ryan (TIBCO) third. In the chaos, I ended up too far back for the result I had in mind. I finished a disappointing16^th, but the result was enough to move me up a few spots to 19^th overall. The race finished just in time. About 15 min later the heavens opened up, drenching the course and all remaining with a furious downpour.

In cooler weather that followed the spectacular storm, Stage 3 on Sunday was a 75 min circuit race around a 10-km corner-laden circuit. The outcome of the previous stage had brought the margin between first and second place to just 1 sec. With a fierce battle between Powers (NOW) and Wilcoxson (Optum) brewing, Stage 3 promised to be an electrifying race! My legs felt great. I was up for an animated race. And that it was, with attacks launching right and left. This is the type of racing I love!

Unfortunately, bad luck struck when, on lap three, a rider near the front slid out on one of the corners. I had to brake hard around the corner, and, running out of room to stay on the road, I slid out as well. Fortunately unscathed, I got back up quickly, put my chain back on the rings and headed off in full pursuit. With the pace on at the front in anticipation of the $1000 half-race prime up for grabs, I had an all-out, leg-burning, lung-busting chase. Although I was grateful for the race convoy, the multiple corners amongst the cars made cornering a bit unnerving (of course, my chase was through the most technical part of the course!). Reaching a straighter part of the course, I reconnected after about 5 km on the rivet. Back in the bunch, I was a bit worried that I had used up all my matches. But a short recovery in the middle of the peloton and I was feeling fresh again and ready for action at the front, hungry for a top finish.

One lap to go, I still felt good. I had great position at the front, following wheels, looking for potential successful breaks. Then, more bad luck. With only 3 km left to go, a rider crashed at the front of the field. Not far behind the mêlée, I grabbed a handful on brakes to avoid collision. This time, my rear tire had had enough and blew out with a resounding BOOM.

Fortunately only one rider went down, but in the chaos it took over a minute to get a wheel change. Riding solo through the windiest section of the course, I lost another minute plus before I reached the finish line, knocking me all the way back to 35^th place. Not exactly the result I was looking for. On the bright side I’m happy to be riding well again.

Wilcoxson took her second win of the tour to take the overall win, with Optum holding steady atop both the overall NRC individual and team standings. Wilcoxson’s win was classy and well deserved. It was extremely disappointing to see NOW try to win by intimidation, foul language and dangerous riding. Respect is something one earns, and that’s not the way to earn it.   

That’s my racing in the Midwest finished for the year. Next up, I head west to Colorado for two weeks and test how my body handles racing at altitude. On tap this weekend, the Racing for Hope in Golden CO and then the North Boulder Classic.

Kudos to Special Events Management for putting on a great tour, and for coming up with a better and better women’s tour each year. Big thanks to Leah Sanda for the use of her TT bike and to Brian Grant for helping with the huge amount of tasks I needed to complete on Friday in a short amount of time, and to PSIMET Wheels for keeping me rolling fast and ENZO’s buttonhole for keeping the ride comfy.

28-29 Jul GR Cycling Classic & Prairie State Crit

Frustration. That was my key word for the weekend. On tap were two fantastic races, the Herman Miller Grand Cycling Classic and Sammy’s Prairie State Criterium. Both events were fabulous and well-run races on fun and exciting courses. But despite a relaxing week, my recovery hit a plateau, leaving me frustrated and short of a good result.

Castle Park in Holland MI is thought to be the inspiration
for L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900.

Leading up to the weekend, Lami and I enjoyed a lovely week in Holland MI visiting with Lami’s family and basking in the beauty that is Holland in summertime, including our first weekend off racing since our arrival in the US in May.

Saturday’s race, the Grand Cycling Classic, was a 75 minute crit on an eight-corner 1.3 km (0.8 mile) course over historic brick-paved streets of downtown Grand Rapids MI. As a National Criterium Calendar (NCC) race, it drew a big field of high caliber riders. Pro team TIBCO controlled the race with a star-studded six-rider squad of top-notch riders, putting in attack after attack that kept the race animated from start to finish. Optum was the other main powerhouse with three riders.

Rides strung out on the GR course with the pace high and
TIBCO leading the charge. I'm 4th wheel back.

I got good position off the start line, ready to go with any moves off the front. I knew that a successful break would need a Tibco and an Optum rider, so I concentrated on going with those attacks. From a small 5-rider break early in the race, I grabbed a prime but we were reabsorbed quickly back into the group. Attacks continued and I was enjoying the aggressive racing—that is, until about 30 min in when my legs started, for lack of a better description, freaking out—literally—with little mini cramps. While each cramp lasted only for a second or so, the spasms progressed randomly and successively through all the muscles of my quads.

Grand Rapids course from above. Photo from GR Press.

Unlike ‘normal’ cramps, these cramps were an indication that I wasn’t quite recovered and my body was telling me that things were still a bit out of whack to be able to handle competing at this level. Unable to ignore the message (since my legs wouldn’t work) I backed off and did my best to race conservatively. A three-rider break containing US National Crit Champion Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Exergy TWENTY12), Jade Wilcoxson (Optum) and Jen Purcell (TIBCO) escaped the bunch mid-race. Staying away, the trio finished in that order. Back in the bunch, TIBCO kept things animated, and, although missing out on the win, dominated with 4 of the top 10 spots. In the bunch finish, I salvaged 14^th, which, while not what I was gunning for, wasn’t too bad all told but frustrating nevertheless.

Me trying to make a move at St. Charles with Optum
keeping a very close eye.

After the race we headed back around the Lake to race the inaugural Prairie State Criterium in downtown St. Charles IL the following morning. The race featured a fun 4-corner course, 0.8 mile long, with one technical corner and an exciting super-fast finish. With my legs extremely grumpy and unhappy doing pretty much anything that involved movement, I knew the race was going to be a challenge. The challenge was accentuated by a tiny field of only 18 riders with 4 of those riders being pros from Team Optum and 3 being representatives from the Columbian National Team. With no other organised teams present, Optum absolutely dominated the race.

Race announcer Todd Busteed doing interviews for the
Dog of the Day at St. Charles.

I knew that Optum would attack until they launched a rider free, but which rider to follow? Any one of them was strong enough to ride away solo. So I did my best to follow every single move. And then the one where my legs needed a break. That one got away. Jade Wilcoxson (Optum) and Serika Guluma Ortiz (Team Columbia) launched off the front with Optum riders chasing down any attempts to bridge. Looking for some time trial training, Leah and Kelli (PSIMET) took control on the front driving the pace for a couple of laps, but Optum quickly went back at it with another flurry of attacks, eventually launching another Optum-Columbia pair. Conscious of the warning I had received from my body that day before, I couldn’t do much about it. The second Columbian rider fell back to the bunch leaving us to race for 4^th. 2010 & 2011 Canadian National Crit Champion Leah Kirchman took the bunch sprint with me just missing out on 5^th by a fraction on the line. Gutsy attacks from some local riders were great to see. Keep it up! That’s the sort of aggressive women’s racing Chicagoland needs more of.  

Right in the middle of the action at the Grand Cycling Classic.

Race promoters Midwest Cycling Series have plans to grow the race into a multi-day Prairie State Cycling Series, scheduled for next July in multiple Illinois cities so keep an eye on the calendar. It promises to be a great series. Big thanks to race promoters Arlington Sports and Midwest Cycling Series for putting on some great racing, and PSIMET, ENZO’s and Brian Grant for awesome support. Next up, Tour of Elk Grove this coming weekend.