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.

2-4 Jul West Michigan Stage Race (and other short stories)

Fourth of July weekend. Independence Day. The national day of the US, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. My first year in New Zealand, it snowed on the Fourth of July. I was living in Christchurch. I’d been in the country about a month. The snow started late afternoon, as the muddy afternoon sky turned a deepening gray. I walked home several blocks through about three inches of fresh slushy stuff accumulating on the footpaths while soggy misshapen flakes streaked like mini comets through the darkening evening. While rare for Christchurch, snow in July has absolutely no chance of happening in the Midwest of the US.

Hot and humid. That was the forecast for us. Brian and I decided to celebrate the holiday weekend with the inaugural West Michigan Stage Race, a three-stage, three-day tour in southwest Michigan, not far from Brian’s hometown of Holland. As an added bonus, our friend, Jon Cox—whom many in Nelson will remember from his visit to NZ a year ago February—decided to fly out from Washington DC to join us for the tour. We got Jon into racing while he was in NZ and he’s been obsessed ever since! Before telling you about the stage race, however, I need to fill you in on my adventures over the two weeks between Nature Valley and the West MI Stage Race, a bit of necessary background to the stage race.

20 Jun – 01 Jul (Tour de Health)

After a viral infection (probably oyster virus for those of you familiar with my last several weeks at Cawthron before heading to the US) that was countered by a secondary lung infection followed by an allergic reaction requiring an emergency room visit, the weeks following the Nature Valley Grand Prix were filled with further health challenges. 

Following the completion of Nature Valley, where I wisely choose to abandon the tour in favor of recovery, I drove 5 hours east from Stillwater Minnesota to Pewaukee Wisconsin, just west of Milwaukee. The intention was to have a couple day of rest before joining in on the final four days of the ten-day series Tour of America’s Dairyland, affectionately known as ToAD. Monday I went for a gentle recovery ride, still feeling pretty smashed from my long night at the ER. Tuesday, my energy levels plummeting and my throat sore, I took the day off. On Wednesday my throat was swollen and sore enough to keep me from sleeping. By Thursday getting out of bed was a huge effort. Unable to swallow without serious discomfort, I lost five pounds (2 kg) in five days, putting me in excellent hill-climbing form. (Too bad I could barely hold myself up on the bike let alone ride up a hill.) Saturday morning, my health still plummeting, Brian and I made the decision for Brian to abandon ToAD and head home to my mom and dad’s, an hour-and-a-half drive directly south. This time it was Mom’s turn to take me to the doctor (Thank you Mom!). Another dose of (a different!) antibiotic, and in less than 24 hours my sore throat was gone (and I could eat!!). I was on the mend once again.



Holland Michigan during Tulip Time (May)

Tuesday we headed four hours around the southern tip of Lake Michigan to Brian’s hometown of Holland, MI, to visit with Brian’s family. After arriving, we went for a gentle ride Tuesday evening, Brian pushing me most of the way to help me keep pace with him. Wednesday he needed to push me somewhat less frequently. By Thursday, I was keeping on his wheel the whole ride. Still a ways to go to full recovery, I was ready to gingerly push my fitness on the weekend with our next scheduled race, the West Michigan Stage Race.  

Stage 1

The tour started Saturday morning with a 14-km time trial on a gently undulating out and back course, full aero-equipment allowed. We were feeling quite worried with the plethora a flash TT bikes and disk wheels, a real advantage on the rolly course. Although less aerodynamic than a time trial bike, a road bicycle can be made more aero by the addition of clip-on aerobars, which attach to the normal handlebars allowing the rider to crouch down low on the bicycle, out of the wind. A special aerohelmet, with a sleek, narrow profile and tapering tail which extends over the rider’s back, gives a further aero advantage. A stationary trainer is also useful to ensure a thorough warmup for a TT where being completely warmed up and ready to go 100% from the start is critical.

Other than the early start times (we had to get up at 5:30!), and perhaps the uncomfortably hot, humid conditions, the biggest drama of the day was gear. Brian and I share one TT helmet, one set of clip-on aerobars, and one stationary trainer between us. Normally this is a nonissue. The original schedule for the race gave sufficient time between our starts for Brian to warm up on the trainer, complete his time trial while I warmed up on the trainer, and return in time to hand over the TT helmet and bicycle with aerobars (since we ride the same size frame, we only need to set up the aerobars on one bike). A quick adjustment of the seat height and I’m ready for my start.

Unfortunately a last minute change to the start schedule by the race organisers moved my start to six minutes after Brian’s, putting us on the course at the same time. Plan B. After weighing the advantages and disadvantages, we decided that I would get the aero gear and trainer to warm up on and Brian would go Merckx-style (no aero-gear) and warm up on the road. Fortunately there were plenty of good roads nearby for warming up.

Having had not much of a lead up training-wise, I was uncertain as to just how hard I could handle. If nothing else, I look wicked fast in my brand new Giro Selector time trial helmet. Like all aerohelmets, this one has a pointy tail that projects behind the head for maximum aerodynamics.  A special feature of this helmet is a built-in visor for eye protection. All black, the helmet gives the impression of something out of the movie Alien.



Time Trial helmet and Alien similarities?



Alien-inspired, I got off to a good start on the gentle uphill slope. Almost immediately, though, I started to experience a rather uncomfortable (and disconcerting!) feeling of suffocation, soon accompanied by claustrophobia. Beginning to feel a bit panicked, I put serious thought into stopping on the side of the road to catch my breath. Fortunately, after a minute or so, I was able to calm myself down and I got over it.

The problem was the new helmet. Not having ridden with it before, I was unused to the effect that the visor has on exhaled air, keeping it in close to one’s face. Once I figured out how to breathe differently to accommodate the visor, all was much improved and I was reeling in riders ahead on the road.

After the turnaround, the return journey seemed much shorter than the way out. Before I knew it, the finish was looming. I had way too much left in the tank. I got out of the saddle and sprinted the last kilometer (at least). With my health on the edge, better to go too easy than too hard! Amazingly, the results sheet listed me as finishing second, within striking distance, 33 s back from winner Meghan Lapeta (Smart Racing). Woohoo!

Stage 2

Stage 2 on Sunday brought a 45-minute criterium on a fast, 1-km loop. With three 20-s time-bonus primes up for grabs and 30-, 20-, and 10-s time bonuses for first, second, and third on the finish line, potential for movement in the standings was huge. At 33 s down, I was keen to get some of those bonuses. Unfortunately my body and my mind were not on the same page.

Women's Criterium Podium

Not having done much for two weeks, my body was pretty grumpy about anything requiring effort. I gave it my best, (unsuccessfully) going for all three time-bonus primes and even putting in two attacks, but I suffered through the entire race. The Miller Energy Team did an awesome job organising themselves and leading out a rider for each of the primes, with the leadout rider successfully pulling off right in front of me to block my sprint each time. I had it sussed by the finish though and won the race by the skin of my teeth with an enormous bike throw at the line. Tour leader Meghan, who put in a big attack heading into the finish, lost position near the line and finished out of the time bonuses. With me receiving a 30-s bonus for first, the gap was down to just 3 s. I paid for me efforts though, spending the evening completely smashed.



Men's 40+ Criterium Podium



Brian had an awesome race as well, attacking with 3 laps to go and going for a solo flyer. He got swallowed up with about 500 m to go, but with the assistance of an ever so slight downhill finish, was able to hold on for third, moving up from seventh after the TT to sixth overall.

Stage 3

Stage 3 on Monday (another early morning) was a 50-km road race, one loop comprising a series of rolling hills heading out and a flat 20-km run-in to the finish. The original race was scheduled to be 100-km, but the decision was made to shorten the race—which suited me just fine. Health-wise, I wasn’t quite ready for 100 km!

The first attack of the day came at about 8 km in to the race. Putting in an effort to match the increased speed of the peloton,  boy did I feel terrible—and very glad for the shortened race! Things settled down again as we approached the start of the hilly section. No one seemed to have much interest in climbing and our speed reduced to a crawl. Not able to restrain myself, I attacked on the next hill. My breakaway was cut short when the pace car was slowed by a car on the course, and I in turn by the pace car. As the field brought me back into the fold, tour leader Meghan countered with a powerful attack, immediately establishing a good gap. Resisting the urge to jump (I’m uncertain that I could have!), I let the field bring me up. With perfect timing we caught Meghan just coming upon the next climb at 20 km. Meghan and I pushed the pace up the hill and we were away.

Women's Overall Podium

Immediately we started working perfectly together, lengthening our lead on the field. The bunch gave chase for a while, but with the hills making an organised chase difficult, the riders behind us soon sat up, content to race for third. Meghan and I reached the sharp turn onto the main road, the halfway point of the race, with the peloton out of sight. From there it was a two-up time trial to the finish. My body was much happier with the even riding pace compared with the torturous stop-and-go effort of the previous day.  

As we reached 1 km to go, the finish banner in sight, Meghan pulled alongside me and our pace slowed as we prepared to duke it out in the sprint. I jumped first, attacking with about 700 m to go. I took Meghan by surprise and she wasn’t able to grab my wheel. I flew through the finish with a good buffer, Meghan several bike-lengths behind and the bunch 3 min back. The win gave me another 30-s bonus, and, more importantly, another 10 s on Meghan for the overall tour win!



 

 



Men's 40+ Road Race Podium

To make the day even more exciting, in the 40+ race, Brian also broke away at about 20 km into the race. He was joined by another rider and they stayed away for the remaining 80 km of the two-lap race. He wore down the other rider in the run-in to the finish and won the sprint(!). The pair finished a whopping 5 min in front of the field, launching Brian into second overall for the tour.   

15-19 Jun Nature Valley Grand Prix

In its thirteenth year, the Nature Valley Grand Prix is touted as the most exciting, fan-friendly stage race in North America. The tour includes six stages over five days, taking in six cities and two states. ABD headed into the tour five riders strong, Jessi, Stacy, Kristen, Sarah, and me, with our awesome Team Manager Mike Ebert, extra support from non-racing teammate Elena and the ABD “Van-aconda” to faithfully transport us to the start of each stage.

Stage 1

Stacy with a good pain face in Stage 1

The Tour started Wednesday morning with a 10 km time trial along the Saint Paul riverfront. The course hugged the banks and bluffs of the Mississippi River, heading out and back and then snaking up a 6% climb to finish with stunning views overlooking downtown Saint Paul.

The story for the day was Sarah, who continued a string of travel nightmares. Scheduled to fly from Michigan to Minnesota Tuesday evening, she waited in the airport terminal through multiple flight delays into the wee hours of the night. The flight was finally cancelled, so she went home for a few hours of sleep. Thankfully, she was able to get an early morning flight. She arrived in Minnesota at 6:30 AM and caught a taxi directly to the start of the first stage. The heavens decided to open and pour down so Sarah had a bit of a wet time waiting for us to arrive. Unfortunately she had an early start time so not much time to warm up.

The worst of the downpour lessened off as riders got underway, but we all got sufficiently soaked and covered in muck from the spray off the road. Former World and Olympic Time Trial Champion Kristen Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co.) took an unsurprising win in 14:30, a massive 23 s clear of the next rider, reigning US National Time Trial Champion Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Highroad). Stacy had the best ride for ABD at 1:44 back with Jessi not far adrift. Filthy and soaking wet, we headed back to our amazing host houses, half of us to the Dorr’s and half to the Stewart’s, got cleaned up, had a nap (especially Sarah) and refuelled for the evening’s stage.

Stage 2



Wet conditions made Stage 2 treacherous.

Stage Two Wednesday evening was the St Paul Downtown Criterium, set in the heart of the city’s Entertainment District, featuring a five-corner 1.4 km technical course complete with twists, turns and brick sections. Despite a brief showing of sun midafternoon, dark clouds descended as we warmed up and the rain re-started about 30 min before the start, continuing just long enough to make the roads dangerously slick. A top-notch field of 98 riders, stacked with talent including World Champion Giorgia Bronzini, riding alongside New Zealanders Cath Cheatley and Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita), lined up at the start. The wet pavement made for a crash-filled stage, including one crash that took down 30 riders. Worse yet was the impact of the conditions on the tempo of the race. The bunch would scream into each corner, hard on the brakes, and then blast out full speed.



Massive pile up on Corner 1, Stage 2.



Coming off a lung infection from the previous week, I wasn’t the best judge of effort. I’ve heard that antibiotics take away top end fitness (probably a bit less so then illness, but there you go). Anyway, I can first hand confirm this as truth. I had zero top end. Sprinting out of every corner was absolutely agonizing. One lap in, I was completely gassed. Each lap, I lost three or four spots as I worked my way backwards through the peloton, unable to garner sufficient energy to match the pace of passing riders. Finally, with 13 laps to go, I fell off the back and settled into a much happier pace with a small group, including Stacy who, despite an abundance of power, struggled with the slick, technical corners. Jessi kept good position, establishing herself as a contender for the amateur jersey by finishing with the front bunch. Kristen hung on long enough to make the time cut the start the next stage, but poor Sarah, with her travel dramas, was pulled early. Tour over. On the bright side, ABD came away injury free, avoiding the worst of the chaos that took out top NZ-rider Cath Cheatley with a double-pelvis fracture.

Kristin Armstrong put into words the intensity of the race. “Tonight was one of the hardest crits I’ve done in years,” Armstrong said. “People were on fire. I know that there’s been past years that have been tough, but I think the depth of this field is the best I’ve seen at Nature Valley.” The hour-long stage was won by World Champion Bronzini, followed by defending champion Shelley Olds (Diadora) and Australian sprinter Chloe Hoskings (HTC-Highroad) with Armstrong retaining yellow.

Stage 3

Peloton passing through scenic Cannnon Falls

Stage Three on Thursday brought the Cannon Falls Road Race, 107 km of rolling hills through one of Minnesota’s favorite tourist destinations. The course wound along country roads known for their short, quick climbs and unpredictable winds, finishing with a challenging six-lap 3-km circuit through the neighborhoods of Cannon Falls. Warming up on the circuit, Kristen decided that Ebert was getting off way too easy. She came up with some last minute challenges, including a broken rear derailleur, minutes before the start. Ever composed, Ebert handled the damage without a flinch and had her on the line with seconds to spare. But the damage was done. With all the drama, Kristen’s head was no longer in race mode and she drifted off the back of the bunch within the first 20 km. Now we were down to three.

The stage was filled with was nearly continuous attacks, but in contrast to the constant stop and go of the night before, I felt so much better. The pace was fast, with always something going on. The kind of racing I like. A small break got a minute up the road for the first QOH. Once that was caught, nothing else was allowed more than 20 s freedom. The beautiful scenery rushed by in a blur. A short section of unsealed road in the last 10 km of the race proved the crux of the course. Peanut Butter & Co put on a blazing pace going into the dirt, stringing out the bunch. Multiple crashes and out-of-control riders split the peloton to a front group of 35 riders.

I made it through the chaos with good position at the front, shutting out screams of terror emerging from riders behind me. Fortunately, Jessi and Stacy also made it through unscathed, unfortunately though, on the wrong side of the split. I dropped back off the bunch through a string of riders spread out on the finishing circuit. Reaching Jessi and Stacy, the three of us dug deep in an effort to limit the damage to Jessi’s GC position. At the finish, the loss was 1:58 with Jessi maintaining sixth in the amateur jersey competition. At the front of the race, Bronzini powered to her second stage win with Hoskings second and 25-time World Inline Speed Skating and Former US Crit National Champion Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Colavita) third.

Stage 4

The peloton speeds by in Uptown Minneapolis

Stage Four on Friday night was the Uptown Minneapolis criterium. Twenty-eight laps of a pancake-flat course with six tight corners squeezed into 0.88 km. The peloton was down to 81 riders and, with Kristen’s bad luck in Stage Three, the team was down to three. Stacy and I lined up with terrible position, smack dab at the back of the bunch. Jessi had slightly better positioning, about mid-pack, but she got off to a bad start of lost most of that in the first lap. With the big field and tight course, we spent the whole race (somewhat unsuccessfully) trying to move up to better position. The yo-yo effect at the back of the peloton was brutal.

Horrible crash on Satge 4 with one lap to go

Mid-race, a small break got a good gap off the front and started to threaten the yellow jersey. With about 10 laps to go, Peanut Butter & Co chasing hard, the pace went on and the field started to splinter. Four laps left and the break was caught. The fight for the front was on. With the pace blazing hot, heading into the finishing straight, one lap to go, a massive crash at the front of the bunch caused a huge pile up as riders further back came around the corner to hit a wall of bodies and bicycles on the ground. The crash spread completely across the road. So many riders went down with multiple serious injuries, it was impossible to clear the road for the final lap. Race officials were forced to call the race and nullify the results. Most riders came away with minor bumps, bruises and skin off. Unfortunately, four riders, including defending champion Olds, were taken to hospital, out of the tour. Stacy, Jessi and I were fortunate to avoid the crash. For me, the real adventure of the evening was yet to come.

I had woken up that morning with a case of very itchy, ugly hives, origin unknown. With Jessi sitting in sixth in the amateur rider competition, only 25 s out of third, the priority was to keep her in contention. Other than being inconveniently itchy, I felt good and decided to go ahead and ride. During the race, my body was clearly a bit out of whack. Despite the pleasant temperatures, I felt chilled in the later laps of the race. Afterwards, probably spurred by the increased body temperature from the exertion of the race, my upper lip began to swell. Through dinner, the swelling continued. My fortune cookie that evening read “You will be the center of attention”. Little did I know…

By the time we got home, my lip was quite a concern—to everyone except me (the benefits of not being able to see one’s own face). My incredible host mom Laurie Stewart and her mother, Marge, who was visiting for the week, whisked me off to the emergency room. We arrived at triage and I was immediately admitted to the priority waiting area. I didn’t even have a chance to sit down before I was assigned to a room. As I waited for a doctor, my lip continued to increase in size, now joined by my feet.

Worried about the swelling spreading to my airway, the ER doctor got things under control quickly. Then it was just monitoring my progress to ensure I didn’t worsen. Although uncertain, the most probable reason for the swelling and hives was an allergic reaction to the antibiotic I was taking for my lung infection, exacerbated by the added stress on my immune system from the exertion of racing.

After about four hours of monitoring, the swelling had stabilized and I was able to convince to doctor to send me home. Laurie and Marge kept an eye on me the whole time and made the hours fly by so fast with their wonderful conversation. At 3 AM I was released from the ER and, with a whole bagful of lovely medications to take, we headed home to bed. Fortunately by morning most of the swelling had subsided and, still three strong, ABD would fight another stage.

Stage 5

Finishing in downtown Menomonie

Saturday afternoon, the tour headed east to Wisconsin for the 130-km Menomonie Road Race, a course punctuated by short, incessant rollers and climbs of up to two miles reminiscent of some of the European spring classic road races. Containing the biggest hills of the tour and finishing with four laps of a tough 3-mile circuit in the historic downtown district of Menomonie, the stage would prove to be the most decisive of the tour. The pivotal break got away on the first QOH about 20 km into the race. With race leader Armstrong missing from the front group, Peanut Butter & Co blew their team apart chasing but were unable to shut it down. The seven-rider strong break finished with a 1:13 gap, enough to give a new race leader. Finishing second in the stage, former World Time Trial Champion Amber Neben (HTC-Columbia) pulled on the yellow jersey while Leah Kirchmann (Colavita) took the stage honors with Erinne Willock (TIBCO) taking third.

Jessi rode a great race, finishing in the main bunch (only 27 riders) 1:13 back and moving into fourth spot in the amateur competition, only 3 sec out of third. Having learned a hard lesson in Stage Three, Jessi kept excellent position throughout the stage. Stacy, being fairly new to stage racing, was beginning to feel the accumulation of fatigue that builds up over several successive days of hard riding. Combined with the added energy drain of the unfamiliarity of large bunches, the hills took their toll. For me, the impact of my emergency room excursion and the subsequent fluid lingering in my lungs turned out to be a bit much in the company of world-class riders. I found myself unable to climb and dropped like a rock through the peloton whenever the road headed skyward. Reaching the bigger climbs mid-stage Stacy and I finally drifted off the back of the peloton to settle into a small group of eight and rode a more pleasant pace together to the finishing circuit where we arrived in time to see Jessi whizzing around in the final lurch to the line

Stage 6

The best for last. Nature Valley’s final stage, the Stillwater Crierium, has an international reputation as the toughest criterium in North America. The Stillwater course is 13 laps of a 2-km loop, featuring a trek up the epic Chilkoot Hill every lap. This lung-busting 24 % climb is followed by a short false flat and then a four-corner, white-knuckled descent bringing riders back to the foot of Chilkoot for the next lap. And while the start is at the bottom of the hill, the finish is at the top. With only 66 starters, the field was dwindling. Health not on my side, I opted to sit this one out. ABD was down to two.

A special jersey presentation ceremony to honor rider Carla Swart, who died in a training accident earlier this year, brought an emotional note to the start of the race. The jersey, given to the rider who sacrificed the most for her team leader as voted by the other riders, was awarded HTC-Highroad rider Ally Stacher. If Ally didn’t disserve the jersey after the first five stages of the tour, she definitely earned it in Stage Six with an impressive effort from the whole HTC-Highroad team.



Restarting up the hill after the crash at the start



Bronzini winning on Chilkoot Hill



The race started with disaster for much of the field. A crash in the first several hundred meters brought the back of the peloton to a standstill. Because of the steep grade, several riders, including Stacy, needed a push to get going up the hill. Ebert was there in seconds, but the chaos shattered the bunch. Within five laps, a decisive break of 11 riders formed. The rest of the field splintered. Riders dotted the course. Most, I’m certain, just waiting to be pulled. Stacy battled on for about 10 tormenting laps before the officials decided to end her agony. Jessi, in an unfortunate moment of confusion, thought she was pulled from the race, but went riders behind continued past she realised she wasn’t and had to head backward on the course to get enough momentum to continue up the hill. Having moved into virtual third spot in the amateur GC standings on the road, the mix up cost her the placing and by the time she was pulled for real a few laps later she was back in fourth. While fourth was disappointing because she actually finished third, her performance was admirable, and merely a whisper of bigger things yet to come. In World-Champion fashion, Bronzini took her third win of the tour in an electrifying finish with Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Highroad) second and Armstrong third. With strong support from her team, Amber Neben held on the yellow jersey to win the tour, Willock second and Armstrong third.

We may not have won the tour, but hands down we won the award for the best manager, best van, best host families, and best dramas.

11-12 Jun Tour of Galena

Finally fully adjusted and completely caught up with work and updates, we had a challenging week of hardcore training planned. The week turned out to be challenging, but for completely different reasons.  

From O’Fallon we headed north to Green Island, Iowa, to spend the week visiting with family and training on the quiet, rolly rural roads of northeastern Iowa before racing in the Tour of Galena on the weekend, my final prep before the most challenging race on my US calendar, the Nature Valley Grand Prix, next week. Unfortunately Monday night I came down with a nasty virus that had me miserable and exhausted with a horrible headache, shivering and boiling at the same time. The result was I spent more time sleeping than visiting—or training. My chances of being in any shape to race were looking pretty slim.

By Wednesday the joint pain and fever subsided (but not the headache) and my sinuses began to clear. Things were improving. Thursday, though, my lungs began to tighten and my energy levels were back to near zero once. Lung infection. Not good. Fortunately, with my aunt’s assistance, I was able to get in to see a doctor for some antibiotics (Thank you Aunt Janet!). Almost immediately, I began to feel better and in less than 24 hours my sore throat was gone. Now (COUGH) I just (COUGH) need to (COUGH) clear my (COUGH COUGH) lungs. What is it about sleeping that causes one to cough so much? Nonetheless, progress. I might race yet.

Galena IL

The week had started with the blistering hot temperatures that had arrived from the week prior. Thankfully, Wednesday night a spectacular thunderstorm brought cooler weather (Lami and I both love thunderstorms—they’re a real treat since they’re so rare in New Zealand). By Friday temperatures dropped from insufferably hot and humid (upper 30’s; 100) to a much more manageable high teens (60’s).



Main Street, Galena

Friday afternoon we headed 40-minutes’ drive (Lami rode while I drove) north across the Mississippi River and back to Illinois for the inaugural three-stage Tour of Galena. Galena is a small tourist-destination town of about 3500 located in the far northwest corner of Illinois. The area is part of the Driftless Zone, an area that was not covered by glaciers during the recent ice ages. Because it escaped glaciation, this area is known for its hills, valleys, bluffs and large amounts of exposed rock. Perfect terrain for a bicycle race.

Floodgates, downtown Galena

The city is named for the mineral "galena", the natural form of lead sulfide and the most important lead ore mineral. Native Americans mined the ore in Galena for use in body painting. In the 1690s French trappers discovered the area and began mining the lead. The area was settled 100 years later and by 1845, Galena was producing 80% of the lead in the US. Until the late 1980s, Galena remained a small rural farming community. In the 1980s, a tourist campaign completely changed the face of Galena. Long-standing businesses closed their downtown locations, many relocating to the outskirts of Galena, in favor of touristy shops. The transformation rejuvenated the once boarded up buildings of Main Street into a thriving community. In 2011, Galena was rated as one of the top ten "Charming Small Towns" by TripAdvisor.

Back to the racing. The inaugural Tour of Galena was run as a three-stage, two-day omnium, where placement in each stage is awarded by points. The rider with the highest accumulation of points at the end of the tour is the winner. Riders choosing not to compete in all three stages can participate in any stage independent of the omnium competition.

Stage 1: Time Trial

The tour kicked off with a brutal 7 km time trial. The out-and-back course was rolly with a steep sweeping decent that became a leg-zapping 14% climb after the turnaround. Race info stated, “Aero equipment is allowed but not necessarily recommended.” Hmm. I opted for the Eddy Merckx-style nonaero-equipment approach. Warming up, I could feel my body resisting any effort, especially after my sluggish week. I was quite glad for the short distance. On the start line, the clock beeped down the last five seconds. Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-Go! I got off to a good start, building speed up the gradual incline off the start line. I crouched low over the handlebars to get as aero as possible, but when I began feeling faint I realized that my oxygen intake was a bit impeded. I decided that, in my current state of health, I was going to need to compromise between aerodynamics and oxygen supply.

I felt reasonable to the turnaround and plowed up the hill with gusto, passing my 30-sec rider and gaining time on the rider behind. On the way back the effort was a bit easier with a gentle tail wind. I felt like I should be going so much harder. I just..didn’t…have…any…more…to give. With about 1 km to go, my energy reserves bottomed out. My legs and arms turned to jelly and I was barely holding myself up.

“You’re almost there” were the cheers from the side of the road. “Almost there” I thought, sprawling over my handlebars in an effort to keep from falling off. I crossed the line completely spent; I think the most exhausted I’ve ever felt after a TT. Yes, after only 7 km. I hadn’t even gone that hard! Apparently my efforts the previous weekend had a beneficial effect on my fitness (although not necessarily reflected in how I was feeling). Somehow, the results showed me finishing second, only 9 seconds behind teammate Jessi Prinner. At 18 years old, she can have those 9 seconds. I’m taking a nap.

Stage 2: Road Race

The afternoon stage (after a long hot shower and rejuvenating nap) was three laps of a 22-mile course for a smidge over 100 km—but with five substantial climbs each lap, some quite steep, the course was testing. The first lap was relatively uneventful as we mostly got familiar with the course and each other. On the second lap, teammate Jessi started putting in some little digs on the hills. By the third climb, 10 km into the second lap, Jessi attacked and this time riders started falling off her wheel. I punched it around the fading riders up to her. Liz So (Team TATI) caught my wheel as we crested the hill onto 5 km of exposed ridge. Not wanting to drag anyone along the ridge, I sat up. She sat up—I think a bit relieved. As further riders joined us, a few bridge attempts were made, but with Jessi not competing in the omnium, the other riders were complacent to let her go and she quickly powered away out of sight. I bided my time along the ridge until a good chance to escape. I found it in the fast descent off the ridge. At the bottom was a rough rail road crossing immediately followed by a sharp right turn that dropped quickly around the corner shortly followed by a steep climb. A perfect place to attack.

I got a good gap around the sharp corner and could see the bunch chasing hard as I crested the climb. I could also see Jessi up to road. Not really being in the best condition to ride 50 km solo, but also not wanting to endure a test-of-patience race and then take my chances in an unfamiliar technical finish, I opted to plow ahead in an effort to reach Jessi’s wheel. The course was a great breakaway course with the rolling terrain and winding roads ensuring quick cover. Whenever a longer climb loomed in the distance, I could see Jessi up ahead. But I also knew that meant the bunch would soon be able to see me as well. Looking back mid-climb from the spot where I had seen Jessi moments before I could see the bunch just coming into view, still chasing. But my rough measures, that put me closer to Jessi than the bunch was to me. Darn. I was hoping to sit up. Onwards towards Jessi.

Soon my glances behind became open road—and my occasional glimpses of Jessi became less of less frequent. I saw her one last time, on the hill where she had escaped one lap prior. (After the race I found out that the reason I saw her was that on that hill she had dropped her chain and had to stop momentarily to replace it on the ring.) I pushed hard up the climb in renewed hope of joining her, but she and I had no way to communicate on the road. Each time she looked back, seeing an unknown rider chasing, she went harder, uncertain who it was. And then I cracked. Jessi became a dot of the ridge. And then, she was gone.

Road Race Podium

I crept up the hill. I knew the bunch would have a good glimpse of me on the exposed ridge, and I would need to dig deep to get off quickly. Still clear of the bunch, I made it off the ridge, over the tracks. 20 km to go. Winding my way up the next climb, I began to hear the horn of a car, a support car, in the distance behind me. “Oh no,” I thought, “I’m caught.” Glancing behind I saw a single rider snaking around the corner, climbing strong and closing fast. That looks like ABD kit. Too far away to tell. Then I realized, that car’s way too flash for the women’s race (the men’s Pro/1/2 field gets the flash cars). Phew! The approaching rider was fellow ABD-er Ben Damhoff, off the front of the men’s field, accompanied by the men’s lead car. He blew past on the descent with a wave. Behind him, quiet, empty road.

One more climb. Two more men come past. Empty road behind. 10 km to go. It’s all downhill from here! Except (GASP) for that last (GASP) little (GASP) kicker right before town. Home stretch now. Not much left in the tank. How absolutely lovely to be able to enjoy the finishing straight and cruise over the finish line. Another one-two for ABD.

Stage 3: Criterium  



Criterium Podium



The final stage of the Tour of Galena omnium was a 50 minute criterium on a flat, 1-km course in the heart of Galena’s downtown district on Sunday afternoon. With Jessi back at home celebrating her high school graduation and me securely leading the omnium, the goal for the day was to move teammate Kristen Meshberg up from sixth to third in the omnium competition—not impossible, but would require a win from Kristen and at least two riders finishing the crit in between her and the third placed rider. Kristen started out hard, attacking off the line and stringing out the field. I countered a lap later, but with competition tight for the lower podium places, the girls weren’t letting anything get away easily. When the pace got a bit too slow, I took the opportunity to attack, staying away for several laps while I collected two primes in a row. Kristen bridged up and we had the ideal break, but I was gassed from my effort and we were soon caught. With the bunch together, Kristen and I took the opportunity to take turns taking the multiple primes—I think there were eight all up. I love crits with heaps of primes! I tried to use a couple of the primes to launch Kristen, but the field was quickly on her wheel. One lap to go and it was down to a bunch sprint. Ironically, had Kristen and I been racing as individuals, one of us would have won the sprint easily. However, in an instance of riders unfamiliar with riding together messing up a sure thing, we finished second and third with Liz So (Team TATI) taking the opportunity to grab the win. The result launched Liz from fourth to second, but was only enough to move Kristen into fourth overall, only three points out of third. We’re learning, and with seven podium spots, including three of four top spots, and the overall win for the weekend, an awesome result for ABD.  





Omnium Podium



5 Jun O’Fallon Grand Prix Criterium

Thank goodness for morning clouds. Temperatures on Sunday dropped to almost tolerable and the breeze even gave an ever so slight coolness to the air. The crit was a fun albeit bumpy hour glass-shaped course, on-mile in length with ten corners, including an exciting chicane corner heading into the finishing straight. The turnout for the women’s Pro/1/2/3 was disappointing at only six riders. But quality isn’t necessarily related to quantity. The race was brutal. When Chris Roettger and Carrie Cash Wooten (Revolution Racing) lined up on the start line, I knew it was going to be a tough race.
I went out hard from the gun, hoping to split up the two teammates straightaway, but with both women experienced strong riders, my plan came to no avail. After a couple of laps on the front I began to question the intelligence of my tactic. My enthusiasm faded, soon to be replaced by a slight feeling of dizziness and perhaps a touch of nausea. We shelled two riders straight away so it was a race of four. Carrie came around and she and I shared the load for a few laps as I regained a bit of equilibrium. Then the attacks, as expected, began in earnest. Chris flew by to my right. No sooner had I grabbed her wheel did Carrie put in an explosion of speed. I chased her down and Chris countered with another effort. And so it went.
At 15 minutes the prime bell rang and, being the optimistic and often nonsensical rider that I am, I put in a big effort, only to be rolled on the line by a very speedy Carrie “I’ll take the Cash” Wooten. We had a big gap after the sprint, so I pushed the pace hard for a few laps, taking advantage of the opportunity to get away from the constant one-two attacks. But with a good 25 minutes to go in the race and Carrie catching a free ride on my wheel with no incentive to work, I was conscious that too much effort on my part would give away the race.
A couple of laps and we were again four—and back to one-two attacks. Thankfully, Chris was now a bit tired from her chase effort, mediating her attacks, the fourth rider, Natalie Carroll (Dogfish Racing) hanging on for dear life, teeth firmly wrapped around her handle bars. Final lap, I had the advantage going into the final chicane, but in a deja vu of the earlier prime, the speedy Carrie came around at the line to take the win. I took second with Chris crossing the line in third. Definitely a good race to work the molasses out of my sprint. A weekend of good hard training accomplished. Thanks to Metro East Cycling for putting on a great weekend of racing.

4 Jun O’Fallon Grand Prix Road Race

With no team race on the schedule, Brian and I decided to head down to O’Fallon, Illinois, for two days of racing aimed at boosting our fitness for the harder racing ahead. About five-hour’s drive south of Chicago and just east of the Mighty Mississippi River, O’Fallon is a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. The course was a 40 km loop through mostly narrow rolling rural roads, the rows of early season corn lining the course lush green and just inches above the soil.

With the point of the weekend being training, I was hoping to get in some hard racing. Well, I got it! Not because of the field, the course or even the intensity of the race. It had entirely due to Mother Nature.  With temperatures soaring above 45 degrees (high 90’s) with humidity to match, a cloudless sky, and a stiff headwind on most of the longer straights, the race was one of attrition. The women’s race was two laps (80 km) of suffocating, energy draining heat. I tell you what, that was plenty. Brian’s mater’s race was three laps and the Pro/1/2 guys had a brutal 150 km.

I wanted to make the race hard without blowing myself apart, so around each corner (the course had 23 per lap) I went to the front and rolled through so that anyone breaking into the corner would have to work to get back on. About halfway through the first lap, the field was struggling. I upped the pace around the next corner transitioning from head-cross into a tailwind and the bunch splintered, leaving a lead group of six. With two of the three bigger hills on the course in the last 8 km of the lap, my legs and arms began to feel like jelly as we passed through the start/finish and a nap seemed like quite a good idea.

Having finished two of my three bottles, I was grateful to grab a fresh ice-cold one through the feedzone (Thanks Jane!) where, unloading my empty bottles, I accidentally threw my remaining half-full one. Being a bit loopy, but not crazy, I stopped to retrieve the accidentally discarded bottle (Thanks again Jane!). A modest attack after the feedzone meant a bit of work chasing back on but the heat quickly demotivated much output of effort from the girls and I was quickly back in the group.

One rider tailed off not long into the second lap and we were soon five. The remainder of the race was relatively uneventful as we each struggled to conserve enough energy (and water) to finish the race. By about 15 km to go, I had just a splash of drink left in my bottle. Heading into the last 5 km of the race, all of us dragging in the heat, one rider attacked up the climb. I dug deep and followed with Chris Roettger (Revolution Racing) on my wheel. We pulled hard over the top, I took my last sip of water, and heading into the last hill at 2 km to go Chris attacked up the climb. And then there were two.

Cresting the hill I felt pretty blown, but the 500 m to go sign boosted my spirits. Gasping for air I stayed on Chris’s wheel out of necessity rather than tactics. She put in a dig for the line but when I stayed with her she sat back down. I stayed on her wheel, sprawled on my bike, melting. Two-hundred meters to go and Chris let loose again. I had just enough left to come around. Chris sat up and I was able to cross the line solo in a full victory salute. My first 2011 US win!

30 May Rock Island

Back across to the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, Monday we headed to Rock Island Illinois for the Quad Cities Criterium, one of the longest running cycle races in the country. The flat, fast, three-quarter mile hourglass-shaped course just one block from the Mississippi River boasts one of the best wheel pits in the world.

With better weather on the forecast, four of us decided to do the double. In contrast to the previous morning, Monday started HOT. By 9 AM temps were already pushing 35 (mid 90’s). Stacy and I used the 2/3 race to work on some team tactics. Although my sprint felt like I was riding through molasses, I grabbed the midrace prime and we had great position at the front with two laps to go. The lead out didn’t go quite so well and we lost position with two turns to go. We need a bit of practice, but not bad for a first attempt. We salvaged out botched effort with a 7^th and 9^th.

In the afternoon, we were joined by Jessi, who opted to spend the morning studying for a course she’s taking, and 6^th team member Kristen, who drove down that morning to join us for the Pro/1/2/3 race. Our first race as a complete team! From start to finish the race was filled with excitement. Four of us got call ups to the start line, Stacy for her 3^rd-place finish the previous day, Jessi for her selection on the US National Team, Kristen as the defending champion, and me for my New Zealand license. As with the previous days’ races, several riders charged off the start line, full gas. I really need to get used to these fast starts!

The field wasn’t ready for it either and a break established early. With Kristen up front, the rest of us were able to relax for a bit. Not long though as the break was caught after several laps and attacks started flying. I had good position at the front to cover and cover and cover. I started to feel pretty blown! With two riders dangling off the front I was able to catch a ride with a bridging rider to establish a four- rider break. We lasted several laps longer than I wanted to and I was quite relieved when the bunch finally shut us down.  More attacks and this time Stacy was on it. She bridged to a disintegrating break and blew right past. With a gargantuan effort in gusty winds, Stacy stayed away for 12 laps for a very classy solo win. With nothing left in our legs, Jessi and I finished mid-bunch. Coryn Rivera (Peanut Butter & Co) took the bunch sprint and Holly Matthews (ISCorp) rounded out the podium. Overall, a very successful weekend for the ABD women’s team. And not a bad result for our first effort as a full team!  Thanks to race organizer Donnie Miller for putting a special focus on the women’s categories by offering Women’s 2/3 races throughout the weekend.

Stacy taking the win

Applewick picks up women's win at QC Criterium