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| Attacking through the woods at Greensboro Country Park. Photo by On the Rivet |
Taking advantage of the excellent opportunity to fit in two races to our North Carolina weekend, Tiffany and I followed up Saturday’s USA Cycling Criterium National Championship in High Point with the Carolina Cup, only 30 minutes away in Greensboro. In its 42nd year, the Carolina Cup is the longest running bike race in the south. With good reason too. The winding course around Greensboro Country Park is a real gem, featuring a picturesque, 1.6-mile (2.7-km) loop road meandering through dense, mature woods around two oblong recreational lakes.
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| Drawing of Greensboro Country Park by Harry Blair. The actual course is a bit more windy, but I thought this drawing was cool! |
Joined by North Carolina-native Vanderkitten VIP Mollie Brewer, the three of us presented a formidable force, playing perfectly off of each other’s attacks. Mollie lit up the race with the first attack of the race, sprinting through the start finish and carrying a good gap up ‘mean greene hill’ just one lap into the race. Debbie Milne (Finish Strong) went in pursuit, charging up the hill, me on her wheel and countering her effort when we reached Mollie near the top of the climb.
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| Me with Debbie Milne (Finish Strong) on my wheel on the hill. Photo by On the Rivet |
As the bunch closed in, Tiffany countered, launching off the front, the bunch hot on her heels. Just as the catch was made, Mollie launched again with perfect timing. And so the race went, with relentless riding from the Vanderkitten trio. Despite many tired legs and weary bodies, with much of the bunch having put forth a grueling effort at Nationals the previous day, the race was incredibly aggressive and constantly animated, exciting to the very last meter.
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| Driving a three-rider break. Photo by On the Rivet |
Coming into the fast, downhill finish, Tiffany got the jump on the bunch, beating Columbian sprinter and speedskater Jennifer Caicedo (Finish Strong) by barely half a wheel to take an exciting and satisfying win -- her first of the season, highlighting her return to top form following injury that has sidelined her for much of the season. Mollie and I got tangled up in traffic in the approach to the line. Extricating myself on the final rise heading into the finish, I was able to make up several positions in the final 100 m with a fierce sprint to round out the podium in third, Mollie not far behind in ninth.
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| Tiffany jumping out of the bunch to take the win. Photo by On the Rivet |
The day didn’t end there! We quickly packed up our bikes and sped off to the airport that evening, me off to Las Vegas and Tiffany heading home to Salt Lake City for a few days before joining me in Vegas for our next racing adventure. The hectic schedule simply would not have been possible without Mollie's assistance, making our lunch while we packed up and getting us to the airport on time. Greensboro Velo Club put on an excellent race. Further thank yous to Michael and Mary Brewer for host housing and Jimmy Campbell from On the Rivet Photography for capturing the race in photographs with some outstanding shots.
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| Awesome shot of me and my Colavita off the front. Photo by On the Rivet |
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