Methow Stage Race

My goal in this stage race was to learn and build on what I did learn in the two previous SR I have done this season. (Walla Walla and Frozen Flatlands)

This was such a great place to have a stage race, thanks so much to Broadmark Capital for putting this one together. The Valley was amazing, just getting there was part of the fun. Next year hopefully the North Cascades Highway will be open, that is an even more scenic drive.

This was a combined Woman's field, Cat1-4, this by it self seemed like more than I was ready for. I was so glad to have my teammate Amy there as Cat 3 with experience but mostly because she is so much fun to hang out with. The TT started right outside our hotel, gosh that was nice getting up eating a good breakfast putting on the sausage suit ;-) jumping on the bike and warming up on the road. We were so tired from the drive that we chose not to pre-ride the course, I think that I am glad that I didn't this time the hills would have psyched me out I think. 10 mile TT with multiple rolling to climbs. I got the best TT time ever amd considering the wind and terrain I was pleased but felt I could have done better. My legs were cramping on the hills and my postition must have been off a bit because my siatic was irritated cause pain and fatiuge in my right leg. I was feeling OK till I hit the last hill on the way back, at that point my legs completely cramped up, now I understand what cramping is really like, I couldn't turn the peddles I was pusing too hard of a gear I dropped to 7 mph, omg that sucked! My 30 second person passed me then I crested the hill and started the last strech. As soon as I started spinning my legs again the cramps went away and I began to gain on the women that had just passed me. I kept her pace and she came in a second or so in front of me. All in all I was pleased and I learded from the experience.

We bought sandwiches and went back to one of our teammates place to eat and hang out. I could barely eat, I felt awful. I knew I had to because we had the crit in a couple of hours. We didn't stick around long both Amy and myself were nervouse and wanted to pre ride the crit. (This is one of the best things I have ever been tought in racing it makes such a difference to actually get on the corse and ride it before the gun. Thanks Gina! )

Twisp was windy! It was a 4 corner crit bumpy pavement pot holes lots of dirt and debris. The corners were going to be brutal only because they weren't smooth but it was doable not really scary stuff like grates and manhole covers just bumps. I have only started two combined crits in all of my years of racing (ha! well all 4 years plus this season) I knew it was going to be fast and I had to clip in and get moving, I did that but opps I was inthe second row and the ladies in front of me did not get going as fast so I did my best trackstand and waited as the fast ladies took off. Still with the pack but towards the back I knew were to be for the corners but I didn't get the choice several laps in things started to spread out I was nervouse about some of the handling around me in the corners, breaking and bad lines I backed off, should of sprinted! Not sure if I would have hung for the entire 45 minutes but I felt good and the pace up front had slowed but the group I was with was also slowing and I souldn't stay at the front with the wind. The lead rider Lisa Dunwald was going to lap us so we were pulled, DNF'd! Suck Suck Suck! On the brightside pretty much every Cat 4 was in the same boat, only two servived the crit so our GC remained pretty much unchanged.

We hung around to watch the boys race poor guys got hammered by wind and worst of all dust and dirt for 60 minutes. It was parching to just sit there let alone racing sucking that all in. Good job to all the guys who toughed it out it must not have been pleasant! Afterward we went to the Twisp River Pub, great food, I never even set my chicken club down when they brough it to me, I devoured it and manged to have a good beer too. I like beer and even though I needed to hydrate I also needed to remember this is all supposed to be fun!

Next morning, god awful start time of 8:45, still we got up ate got in the car and drove madly to get to the start to warm up. I felt bad, not sure but probably more nerves than anything. I already felt defeated, it was windy, I know from my lack luster performance at Walla Walla and Frozen Flatlands that I am not good at holding a wheel in general wind exasperates this shortcoming of mine leaving me dangling, popped or chasing in all of my races. Today I knew I was racing with a strong field and I felt very out classed. We rolled up the hill nuetral the first time, they honked and we started racing about 400 meters from the finish by the time we passed the line I was thinking to myself maybe I should just skip this, I feel like crap and I am too far down for it to matter. I didn't things got moving and I soon forgot to be negative and I began to race. My thoughts switched to "move up, tuck in, hold that wheel don't give it up." I have got to say this was my first RR with the 123, (I don't count TST I did a couple of years ago) it was great to ride with them, they were smooth and Mindy, TGH quickly began to organize the race, so different from the 4's were everyone just clusters and then yo yo's about. The terrain was mostly rolling hills curving decents and an unexpected crit like jaunt through downtown Windthrop. Yes, I realize this was in the race bible but I didn't fully get what we would be doing until we were there. That was so exciting and fast! On the second lap after the climb I saw Amy Freker attack. No one went after her, she is a Cat4 so I am not sure if the other teams didn’t care or they just simply missed it. She stayed away and not too long after Mindy jumped and bridged to her. Again no one seemed to respond. Both times for me I was trying to stick to my game plan of not attacking or chasing this being my first real combined Cat race. (I had chased Mindy down in the pervious lap and didn’t want to burn all my matches.) So off they went, TGH had the majority of riders a didn’t need to work for a while with teammates up the road but they didn’t do much the entire race after that point except chase me down after I attacked on the hill the 3 time up, yes this is where math skills and looking at my speedometer would have been a good thing. I was so happy to not have been dropped thus far or to even have to chase back on that I didn’t realize we still had an entire lap still to go and one more time up that darn hill! I was about 400m from the finish line when things started to become clear. One, Mindy and Amy just kept riding past the finish line with the lead car and two, a swarm of Group Health gals surrounded me one of them saying “just slow up they are going to catch back on anyways.” This is when it hit me, I said “aren’t we done yet?” Someone said nope one more lap. Hmmm I thought that probably was my last match. I was hurting, the TiCycles girls and a few more riders plus Amy caught up and we stared our final lap. I was just barley hanging on at this point, good thing the race was moving pretty slowly so I was able to recover. The remainder of that lap Amy, me, a couple of W.A.R (Wenatchee) girls, and a Velo Bella rider worked at the front. The final time up the hill the TGH girls busted up the hill taking the top placing. It was a good hard race.
They broke out the Cat 4’s for placing and I got 3rd in the RR and 4th place GC. Best I have ever placed in any race.