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.