24 Aug 2013 Fort Follies Grand Prix

 

A trip west to Colorado for the Fort Follies Grand Prix brought not quite the result I was aiming for, but a visit to Colorado is always high on my list! With a chance to reunite with some of my Vanderkitten teammies, lots of new people to meet, and a catch up with a long lost friend, the weekend was among the best of the year.  

In the middle of the action at the Fort Follis Grand Prix.

Fort Follies Grand Prix, put on by the Fort Follies women’s cycling club in Fort Collins CO, was a one-day women’s pro crit paired with the men’s USA Pro Challenge, a 7-day stage race that would quite appropriately fit the name Tour of Colorado. The finish town for the sixth stage of the tour on Saturday was Fort Collins, a fabulous front range city north of Denver.

The Rocky Mountains watch over Fort Collins.
 

The day started with an early morning ’Ride with the Stars’, an opportunity for riders of all abilities to go for a spin with some of the country’s top riders. The ride looped along quiet rolling roads outside of Fort Collins, finishing downtown near the crit course. Attendance was phenomenal with hundreds of riders attending.

A small portion of the riders waiting to start the 'Ride with the Stars'

 

At noon, I lined up with Colorado-based teammates Amy Charity and Jenn Reither alongside a classy field reminiscent of an NRC event for the main event. With primes on offer every other lap and a huge prize purse up for grabs, the racing was animated and aggressive. Optum showed they meant business, taking the first prime on lap 1—and most of the primes after that.  

Optum rider Leah Kirchmann getting things off to a fast start off the line.

 

Although Fort Collins is at a moderate elevation of 5003 ft (1525 m), I could still feel the effects of the reduced oxygen levels as my legs felt mildly of concrete and even small exertions elevated my heart rate and challenged my breathing. I knew I would need to race conservatively to get a good result—or, in the least, to avoid blowing up in a spectacular way.

Jenn at the front reeling in an early break with my in good position for the counter.

 

Sitting in isn’t my style, however, and opportunity is a difficult thing to pass up; sometimes action simply overrides the brain. Amy did an excellent job keeping an eye on things up front, and Jenn put in big efforts to bring back threatening breaks. I kept my eye out for dangerous-looking moves, doing my best to moderate my efforts. With about 8 laps to go, I found myself in perfect position to latch onto a vicious attack from US Crit Champion Alison Powers (NOW). Alison is a time trial specialist with a signature late-race attack that sees her solo to numerous victories. The power in her altitude-adjusted legs is phenomenal. To follow her attack was a big ask for my sub-par lung capacity under any circumstances, but with the added challenge of oxygen deprivation on my non-acclimated body, I blew up. Not quite spectacularly, but pretty close.

Amazing crowds out to watch the race.

 

As I faded from Alison’s wheel and, as the world blurred around me, Leah Kirchmann (Optum) and Joanne Kiesanowski (TIBCO) flew past in pursuit. Then three more Optum riders.

Going backwards after blowing up, three up the road and three Optum riders have just passed me.

 

Suspended in the gap, maxed to the limit, I looked back to see Amy in excellent position near the front of the chase.  Relieved, my legs ceased working, pain exploded in my brain as an altitude headache set in, and I dropped like a rock through the bunch. I clung to the back of the peloton, sputtering, gasping for air, desperately trying to recover. I thought for sure I was done.

Amy at the front of the chase.

 

A few very short laps latter I heard the commentator announce ‘5 LAPS TO GO’ as we passed through the start/finish straight. Determined to be in the sprint, I forced myself back into the race. Fortunately the wide back stretch allowed plenty of room and I was get to the front with minimal effort. In the final lap, I zeroed in on the reliable wheel of Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Fearless Femme) and stuck to it, rounding the final corner onto the start/finish straight in excellent position. Barrelling toward the finish, the bunch continued to accelerate as the lead out riders in front slowed. A fifty/fifty choice: right or left around them. I veered left. Bad decision. The move left me gapped of the wheel in front of me. I was forced to start my sprint then, but with over 300 m remaining, to distance was a bit far for me. I quickly faded, losing 6 places by the time I reached the line to finish 11^th—or, as a friend pointed out, 1^st twice! The result was disappointing but also exciting. With Amy not far behind in 13^th plus a prime, one of few not grabbed by Optum, and a great ride by Jenn, we had a great race. Lauren Hall (Optum) took the win followed by Joanne Keisanowski (TIBCO) and Leah Kirchmann (Optum).

Lauren Hall winning the sprint with a big gap back to me who is losing ground quickly.

Thank you to so many people for making this trip wonderful: Betty & Dave Parker, Jim Smith, and Rob Kittle for exceptional host housing and incredible meals; Matt Charity for bike support; Rebecca Kron for travel support, and my parents for too many things to list.

17 Aug 2013 Edwardsville Rotary Criterium

 

Celebration! Photo by Team Mack

Saturday morning I headed off on the 5-hour drive down to Edwardsville IL, about 25 mi (40 km) northwest of St. Louis, for the Stifel Nicolaus Edwardsville Rotary Criterium with one goal in mind: to win. A twilight start meant that I could drive down on Saturday and still arrive in plenty of time for my race at 7 PM. Set in the historic downtown center with huge community involvement and live music all evening, the venue, now in its fourth year, was absolutely packed with fans creating an awesome high-energy atmosphere perfect for racing.

Start-finish arch as darkness approaches before the start of one of the men's races.

Heading to Edwardsville was a difficult decision for me because the race coincided with the Delta Subaru Gaslight Criterium in Grand Rapids MI, an event that I thoroughly enjoyed racing two years ago and has the added attraction of being nearby Holland MI where I attended college. In the end, a bigger payout at Edwardsville drew me south. 

Great course at Edwardsville.

 

The attractive prize purse brought out excellent fields for races all afternoon. A fast-paced course with seven turns was my type of crit, but with the presence of super speedy sprinter Carrie Cash (Pepper Palace), I knew that the win was going to require a big effort, and that effort was going to require avoiding a field sprint.


Rounding Turn 1 during the race. Photo by Kelly Croy Patty

Cool shot by Jaime Guzman

A strong move by Rachel Byus (FCS) and Emilie Fanigan (Dog Fish) a bit before mid race threatened my plans, but eventually they were brought back and, with about 20 min to go in the 60-min race, I got my opportunity. After getting a good jump on the field for a prime, I continued driving hard and extended the gap. I hovered at about 10 s for a long time. The technical course made 10 s a good gap, but with several strong legs in the field, not good enough to relax. I drove on, digging deeper despite my screaming legs, rebelling stomach, and cramping diaphragm. Finally, with one lap to go, I had a comfortable lead and was able let up on me effort and enjoy the finish, savoring the win as I celebrated—along with the throngs of supporters, including plenty of Vanderkitten fans—all the way along the finish straight.

Top step with Britta Siegel and Carrie Cash. Photo by Jaime Guzman

With such a great effort from Dogfish Racing and the Edwardsville Rotary Club and excellent sponsorship from Stifel Nicolaus Financial group, this race will be back next year so Midwest racers put it on your calendar! Thank you to Team Mack head honcho Gary Doering for incredible support and excellent company for the weekend.

Getting out my claws. Photo by Team  Mack

 

2-4 Aug 2013 Tour of Elk Grove

Photos with fans. Bobke came out just to cheer me on!

 

After a painful and trying season, it’s hard to believe that the race that in February seemed so far away has come and gone. The Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove marks the final women’s tour on the USA road calendar and this year doubled as the National Race Calendar (NRC) finale. And an exciting finale it was!

This year’s Tour of Elk Grove was three days of racing: a prologue time trial and two circuit races based in residential Elk Grove, Illinois, near Chicago. Status as a NRC event for three years running guaranteed attendance by the top teams in the US. Elk Grove is also a special race for me since I’ve raced it every year since I started racing.

The tour started with a 4.5 mile (7.2 km) time trial. I had a great warm-up, really opening up my lungs. I felt pumped waiting at the start gate and gave it my all out on course—or, at least I thought I did. It hurt anyway! But a season of slow progress and careful attention to overtaxing my limits is poor preparation for a time trial. I found that in the last kilometer, I had a lot left, which means I didn’t go hard enough in the first 6.2 kms! The result—a much slower time than I was shooting for. Time trial-specialist and newly crowned US Crit Champion Alison Powers (NOW) took the honors with the fastest time followed by Amanda Miller and then Shelley Olds, both TIBCO. The results of the stage clearly demarcated the top teams at the tour with riders from three teams (NOW, TIBCO, and Optum) dominating the top 20 positions.  

Digging deep in the prologue, aided by my KASK Bambino TT Helmet.  Photo by Jeanette Vidmar
 

By the end of Saturday’s 80 km circuit  race, time bonuses throughout the stage resulted in three riders  from three different teams being tied for the lead: Powers (NOW), Olds (TIBCO), and Joëlle Numainville (Optum). What’s more, the NRC title was still up for grabs between three riders: Powers (NOW), Olds (TIBCO), and Claudia Häeusler (TIBCO). All this made for an extremely tactical race.

With so much riding on time bonuses, especially for the finish, Saturday’s race was highly controlled. The last 3 km was a real fight for position as the big teams lined up riders at the front. I found an excellent wheel in Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Fearless Femme), moving me up with 2 km to go. Things got pretty tight and another rider moving up squeezed me into the TIBCO rider to my left, who was already against the curb. Our handlebars were lined up in a row end to end, hands touching, me in the middle. A good time to remain calm. All I could do was stay where I was. Things opened up (relatively speaking) as we rounded the final corner for the sprint and I managed a top-10 finish in 9^th. The win went to Numainville (Optum), just barely edging out Olds (TIBCO) on the line, closely followed by kiwi Joanne Kiesanowski (TIBCO) in third.

Making up space in the finish. Always easy to find Vittoria Hora Evo shoes in the bunch. Photo by Jeanette Vidmar 

 

The resulting three-way tie on GC meant an exciting day on Sunday. Sunday’s stage was 7 laps around a 10-km circuit with lots of turns. Given my start position near the back, moving up was a real challenge and I spent most of the race mid bunch, too far back to know what was happening up front. The sprints for time bonuses every other lap were a real battle. On the second sprint lap with 3 laps to go, a break of 6 riders slipped up the road. Although favorable for NOW and TIBCO, the break did not suit Optum, who put the whole team on the front to shut it down. Olds was now the virtual winner on the road, so TIBCO launched further riders to soak up the bonus seconds available on the finish, forcing NOW and Optum to chase. Although TIBCO’s efforts were thwarted, they did have the effect of wearing out riders from Optum and NOW. The final catch was at 3 km to go, leaving the tour win to be determined by the result on the line. Great work by the powerhouse  Fearless Femme team put Aussie Kimberly Wells in perfect position for the win, followed by Olds second and Nomainville third. The result secured Olds as the overall winner and moved Powers to third behind Numainville. I benefited once again from the steady wheels of Fearless Femme to help me one-up my result from Saturday for 8^th. Although I was shooting for top 5, given the struggles I’ve had through the season, I’m really happy to get two 10-top results in such a high quality field.

Cool photo of Stage 2 from Ali Engin.

 

In an interesting swap, Powers traded in her yellow jersey in the tour for the NRC jersey while TIBCO exchanged the NRC lead for the tour win, settling for second and third in the NRC—at the same time earning the title of strongest team by taking the NRC team win not to mention top team in the tour. Not sure if any of that was negotiated between the two teams, although that would be pretty challenging to orchestrate... Regardless, pretty exciting to have so much come down to the final sprint on the final stage of the final race of the series. No one can say women’s racing is boring with action like this!

Awesome job to Chicago riders Kelli Richter (PSIMET), Janette Rho (LPV), Cady Chintis (LPV), and especially newly upgraded  Ellen Ryan (xXx Racing) and Daphne Karagianis (Chicago Cuttin Crew) for excellent performances. Also, a special farewell to amazing and accomplished rider Meredith Miller (TIBCO) who used this tour to announce her retirement after 11 years of professional racing. With the yellow jersey win and team victory as part of the 2013 top US team, what a great way to end your tour racing career!

Thank you to the Alexian Brothers and Special Events Management for building the women’s tour into a better and better event each year. These guys are listening and they’re working hard towards supporting women. Thanks also to PSIMET Wheels and ENZO’s Buttonhole for being huge supporters of women’s cycling and personal sponsors and a personal thank you to Leah Sanda for host housing and to my parents for coming out to cheer me on.

27-28 July 2013 Winfield Weekend

 

I finished off July with a fun two days of racing at the Winfield Weekend, hosted by ABD Cycling Club. While confused weather brought autumn-like temps, I got in a great weekend with great friends, and picked up a National title to boot.

Showing off my Vittoria Hora Evo shoes. Photo by Fernanda Guzman

My recovery time continues to improve as my week post-Prairie State Series brought only a bit of diaphragm rebellion, but much less than in previous weeks. The last time I raced at Winfield two years ago, large chunks of welt-producing ice fell from the sky, driving everyone to shelter just before my race. This time, the hail stayed away but a cold front brought temperatures reminiscent of October rather than July and I stood on the start line shivering as we awaited the late afternoon start. Apparently my body wasn’t quite ready to do anything strenuous. My diaphragm cramped up almost immediately and I felt pretty uncomfortable throughout the race. I hung in there, though, spending much of the later parts of the race trying to hide in attempt to avoid much further exertion. Cady Chintis (Les Petites Victoires) rode a great race to take the win on the line in a photo finish, me second and Jannette Rho, also LPV, third.

Community support for the races was fabulous. The boy with the vuvuzela ran out to the curb to cherr us on every lap!

Sunday I felt much better and had a great time racing on a super fun course, this time able to grab the win. Good thing too, because the race was the American Bicycle Racing National Criterium Championship, giving me a National Championship title! A very busy week of multiple deadlines has put me a bit behind on updates. I’m finishing up my season with the Tour of Elk Grove at the moment. Stayed tuned for another blog soon.

One highlight of the weekend was racing with wonderful friend John Fleckenstein from Team Mack. Photo by Fernanda Guzman

Thanks to Mary Lee and the ABD Cycling Club for putting on a fabulous weekend of racing, to Mark McGeen, Gary Doering, and John Fleckenstein from Team Mack for the excellent company, and Paul Schilling for race support. Thanks so much to everyone who was there supporting me all over the course!