This weekend a full squad of Wheelworks women decided to take the Catskills by storm. We caravaned out to this mountainous region of New York on Friday ready for anything.
First up was the prologue. It was a relatively short (2.2 miles) uphill time trial with some very steep pitches, but a nice flat run in to the finish so that we could use our sprinting skills to finish the thing off.
No one was very sure how they would do, but we warmed up together and then cheered each other on as we were sent off at our respective times. Nicole was the mountain goat of the day, showing her years of experience by taking 6th place in a race that would, at least on paper, be considered a terrible course for her.
She was well in striking distance of a GC podium spot with her 6th place and we headed to our beautiful host house excited and motivated to see what we could do. The prospect of getting a GC podium for our little team of non-climbers was absolutely thrilling!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Tour of the Hilltowns
Being a team of non-climbers, the Tour of the Hilltowns sounded a bit ominous, at least to me. But with fearless teammates like Anna and Hope ready to see what the Wheelworks women could do, I was up for giving it a shot.
And what do you know, Hope and I pulled off 2nd and 3rd Massachusetts-ians (if that's what we're called) in our state road race championship. Not bad for a pair of racers who prefer a course with lots of turns and more downhill than up. Of course, we could never have pulled it off without Anna setting the pace and keeping the race under control for the entire first half. What a beast she is!
Go Wheelworks Racing!
And what do you know, Hope and I pulled off 2nd and 3rd Massachusetts-ians (if that's what we're called) in our state road race championship. Not bad for a pair of racers who prefer a course with lots of turns and more downhill than up. Of course, we could never have pulled it off without Anna setting the pace and keeping the race under control for the entire first half. What a beast she is!
Go Wheelworks Racing!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Yarmouth Clamfest and BOOGIE BOARDING
The Yarmouth Clamfest was on tap this weekend and we went up with the entire Wheelworks Racing women's squad (along with our fearless male companion, Dan Watts). The Clamfest is a New England classic and we were all VERY motivated to show the locals what we are made of.
The race is a technical circuit race with a steep kicker of a climb about 1Km from the line, but a sweet downhill sprint finish. We had a great team discussion before the race and each laid out the best way we could individually win and then came up with a good plan that everyone was excited about. Needless to say, we were pumped to get the show on the road, literally.
Unfortunately, Hope crashed coming into the hill on the first lap and despite a valiant effort chasing the peloton, her bike was a bit too out of whack to allow her to reingage. (Her shoulder was separated in the fall, but she's so tough she's planning on bouncing right back on the bike this weekend at the Tour of the Hilltowns.)
Meanwhile, Anna was patrolling the front like the master breakaway artist that she is and was in practically every move of the day. Go Anna! We were tired just watching you work your magic!
In the end, it all came back together and Nicole and I were ready for the sprint. I wasn't sure on my chances, so I decided to make sure Nicole was in good shape and then jump really early. If my move worked, I could surprise the bunch and cross the line solo. And if it didn't and they chased me down, Nicole would be there to show them who's boss in the sprint.
Lucky for me, my move worked! And I crossed the line first, for my first pro win! Very exciting! And Nicole took the field sprint to get us two on the podium. Everyone worked so well together it was incredible. I am so pleased to be on a team with such smart and skillful women!
The race is a technical circuit race with a steep kicker of a climb about 1Km from the line, but a sweet downhill sprint finish. We had a great team discussion before the race and each laid out the best way we could individually win and then came up with a good plan that everyone was excited about. Needless to say, we were pumped to get the show on the road, literally.
Unfortunately, Hope crashed coming into the hill on the first lap and despite a valiant effort chasing the peloton, her bike was a bit too out of whack to allow her to reingage. (Her shoulder was separated in the fall, but she's so tough she's planning on bouncing right back on the bike this weekend at the Tour of the Hilltowns.)
Meanwhile, Anna was patrolling the front like the master breakaway artist that she is and was in practically every move of the day. Go Anna! We were tired just watching you work your magic!
In the end, it all came back together and Nicole and I were ready for the sprint. I wasn't sure on my chances, so I decided to make sure Nicole was in good shape and then jump really early. If my move worked, I could surprise the bunch and cross the line solo. And if it didn't and they chased me down, Nicole would be there to show them who's boss in the sprint.
Lucky for me, my move worked! And I crossed the line first, for my first pro win! Very exciting! And Nicole took the field sprint to get us two on the podium. Everyone worked so well together it was incredible. I am so pleased to be on a team with such smart and skillful women!
Of course, we went to a brilliant dive bar/grill called 'Lobsters in the Rough' for some excellent post-race food and then hit the beach for some seriously competitive boogie boarding. Thanks for a great weekend Wheelworks Racing!
On to SuperDuperWeek
Next up was a short stop at SuperDuperWeek aka The International Cycling Classic. This is a two week series in Illinois and Wisconsin, but Nicole and I thought we'd just race a few days, visit some good friends in Chicago (So good to see you Lorrie and Susie!) and then head home.
I have to admit I was much more tired from my recent racing (and driving) escapades than I thought, so I wasn't much use as a teammate, but Nicole was able to represent the blue and gold of Wheelworks very well with two podium places. Go Nicole!
Grand Rapids (cobbled) Cycling Classic
After a fairly lengthy drive (two days actually), I settled in nicely at the Courtyard Marriott in Grand Rapids courtesy of the Marriott Rewards points accumulated by Mum and Dad McGuire. The hotel was lovely and the race course was literally 3 blocks away, so I was feeling very pleased with myself, especially once teammate extraordinaire, Nicole Freedman, and we focused on some serious sleeping in preparation for the big crit Saturday afternoon.
The race was perhaps a little small in the number of participants, but it was certainly not lacking in firepower. Tibco brought 4 strong riders and Cath Cheatley and Laura Van Gilder were ready to battle it out, so we had our work cut out for us. The race was aggressive and quite fun, I have to admit, even if I felt like I was hanging on for dear life across the two lengthy brick-cobbled sections.
I was able to make it into what turned out to be the winning move with 4 laps to go, only to be unable to hang onto a blistering attack by Cath Cheatley that only Jo Kiesanowski could stick on. That meant I was pretty toasted for the sprint, but it meant that Nicole was fresh and ready to go. She came up to see if I wanted a leadout and when I could barely hang on to her wheel, she knew to just go for it. She jumped with half a lap to go and had a huge gap going into the last turn. Unfortunately, Laura Van Gilder was charging hard and was able to catch her at the line, but we were very pleased with 4th place in such a classy field.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Oh Canada! (At least briefly)
Well, with some last minute race research, I decided to drive 14 hours to Grand Rapids, MI for some wicked fast NRC crit racing this Saturday. (http://www.westmichigansportscommission.com/cyclingclassic/index.html)
Apparently, if you drive pretty much due west from Boston for 14 hours, you hit MI, via Canada, with a little stop in Niagara Falls. Very exciting.
Apparently, if you drive pretty much due west from Boston for 14 hours, you hit MI, via Canada, with a little stop in Niagara Falls. Very exciting.
I didn't actually enjoy this fabulous view, but I tried to look over my shoulder while I was in the crazy traffic jam at the border crossing. I stopped overnight in Sarnia, Ontario and just got up and hit the road again, so unfortunately, I didn't really get to tour Canada too much.
All of this driving was made much more pleasant by the fantastic books on CD that I checked out of the Boston Public Library before I left. Thank you PBL!!
This morning I made it to fabulous Grand Rapids. I got in a nice ride and am feeling ready, so fingers crossed all goes well tomorrow.
Since I made the big drive, I'm planning on stopping by Superweek (http://www.internationalcycling.com/) starting on Sunday, so stay tuned a steady stream of crit reports in the next few days.
All of this driving was made much more pleasant by the fantastic books on CD that I checked out of the Boston Public Library before I left. Thank you PBL!!
This morning I made it to fabulous Grand Rapids. I got in a nice ride and am feeling ready, so fingers crossed all goes well tomorrow.
Since I made the big drive, I'm planning on stopping by Superweek (http://www.internationalcycling.com/) starting on Sunday, so stay tuned a steady stream of crit reports in the next few days.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Crit Magic
The crit! My personal favorite stage. I was really excited for this race. The course doesn’t seem like it would be particularly exciting, but there always seems like there is something going on as we are whipping our way through the laps. But first, the start line chatting...
The start/finish straight is long, slightly uphill, and often (as it was today) into a headwind. Then we flip around a rotary of sorts straight into a fast downhill with enough curves to keep everyone on their tows. Finally, there are two tight turns going in and out of the last short side. It’s challenging and there’s definitely something for everyone. Not to mention the fact that it was probably the hottest day of the year out there, so this was no piece of cake.
My goal for the day was top 5. We predicted that Colavita/Baci would work to make sure there was a field sprint for Kelly Benjamin, so the smartest thing we could do was to stay out of trouble and conserve as much energy as possible. I tried to stay tucked in throughout the race and followed wheels that were going in the right direction.
Despite a few attacks and counterattacks, the race did indeed come down to a sprint and I was able to get on the Colavita/Baci train with 2 laps to go. I kept calm and moved up steadily. I was fifth wheel going into the last turn and was able to come around a Colavita/Baci leadout to be 4th heading into the final straightaway. I knew I had to stay on a wheel as long as possible and then try to pop around at the last minute. I stuck on the wheel, but wasn’t able to come around the strong women in front of me. Despite that, it was a great end to a great weekend. Everyone raced really well and more importantly, we had a lot of fun together.
Can’t wait to race with everyone again really soon!
The start/finish straight is long, slightly uphill, and often (as it was today) into a headwind. Then we flip around a rotary of sorts straight into a fast downhill with enough curves to keep everyone on their tows. Finally, there are two tight turns going in and out of the last short side. It’s challenging and there’s definitely something for everyone. Not to mention the fact that it was probably the hottest day of the year out there, so this was no piece of cake.
My goal for the day was top 5. We predicted that Colavita/Baci would work to make sure there was a field sprint for Kelly Benjamin, so the smartest thing we could do was to stay out of trouble and conserve as much energy as possible. I tried to stay tucked in throughout the race and followed wheels that were going in the right direction.
Despite a few attacks and counterattacks, the race did indeed come down to a sprint and I was able to get on the Colavita/Baci train with 2 laps to go. I kept calm and moved up steadily. I was fifth wheel going into the last turn and was able to come around a Colavita/Baci leadout to be 4th heading into the final straightaway. I knew I had to stay on a wheel as long as possible and then try to pop around at the last minute. I stuck on the wheel, but wasn’t able to come around the strong women in front of me. Despite that, it was a great end to a great weekend. Everyone raced really well and more importantly, we had a lot of fun together.
Can’t wait to race with everyone again really soon!
TT-ing It Up
The time trial was the third day this year. We were all motivated to give it everything we had and our resident TT expert, Anna Milkowski, was able to dispense all sorts of useful advice. What more can I say about the race against the clock than we all went as fast as our legs would take us and couldn’t be disappointed with that.
Rocking the Road Race - Trying to Anyway
The second day this year was the road race, different in a couple of ways from year’s past – first, because we were not finishing up Wachusett Mountain, but instead in Princeton Center and second, because the sprint points were fought out at the finish line instead of the KOM line at the base of Wachusett. On paper, it might have seemed like it would be an easier day than in years past, but it certainly wasn’t.
Colavita/Baci was once again in charge of things and that meant making sure each time through Princeton Center and the feed zone climb, the race was shattered to pieces and everyone was put on the rivet.
It was a race of attrition from beginning to end and the Wheelworks-ers worked hard to stick it out and fight to the very end. Everyone pushed themselves beyond what they thought was the limit and valiantly made it to the finish. I was lucky enough to follow the right wheels and dig deep at the right time, so kept myself in the front group.
But the Colavita/Baci women were too strong for the field and first Rushlee Buchanan went up the road with a Verducci Breakaway rider, and then Cath Cheatley joined them after a vicious attack. Cath won for the second day in a row, showing just how strong she is at the moment.
I was able to ride in with the front group, attempting to sprint, but finding I had just about nothing left in the tank as I rounded the corner into Princeton Center.
Colavita/Baci was once again in charge of things and that meant making sure each time through Princeton Center and the feed zone climb, the race was shattered to pieces and everyone was put on the rivet.
It was a race of attrition from beginning to end and the Wheelworks-ers worked hard to stick it out and fight to the very end. Everyone pushed themselves beyond what they thought was the limit and valiantly made it to the finish. I was lucky enough to follow the right wheels and dig deep at the right time, so kept myself in the front group.
But the Colavita/Baci women were too strong for the field and first Rushlee Buchanan went up the road with a Verducci Breakaway rider, and then Cath Cheatley joined them after a vicious attack. Cath won for the second day in a row, showing just how strong she is at the moment.
I was able to ride in with the front group, attempting to sprint, but finding I had just about nothing left in the tank as I rounded the corner into Princeton Center.
Lets get things started at the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic!
The Fitchburg Longsjo Classic is something I look forward to every year. It’s a fantastic race and its about as hometown as we Bostonians can get, except for the much anticipated Boston Mayor’s Cup, of course.
The first day of the stage race this year was the Fitchburg State College Circuit Race. It features a steep finishing climb, a long and extremely bumpy back stretch, and a fast and furious descent into the last turn before the climb. The pro women’s field had 95 starters including a number of former national champions from all over the world and a stacked Colavita/Baci squad ready to take control from the gun. Which they did.
The course itself it challenging enough, but the women’s field was ready to race today. There were some blistering attacks and impressive intermediate sprint competitions. In the end, however, it all came back together and it was a massive sprint for the line. I was lucky enough to hit the last turn at the front of the group, but that sprint hill is a killer and I was pedaling in squares by the line just trying to get to the end. I was hoping for a top 10 but had to settle for 11th. Not too far off.
And of course, before the mayhem began, I was all smiles.
The first day of the stage race this year was the Fitchburg State College Circuit Race. It features a steep finishing climb, a long and extremely bumpy back stretch, and a fast and furious descent into the last turn before the climb. The pro women’s field had 95 starters including a number of former national champions from all over the world and a stacked Colavita/Baci squad ready to take control from the gun. Which they did.
The course itself it challenging enough, but the women’s field was ready to race today. There were some blistering attacks and impressive intermediate sprint competitions. In the end, however, it all came back together and it was a massive sprint for the line. I was lucky enough to hit the last turn at the front of the group, but that sprint hill is a killer and I was pedaling in squares by the line just trying to get to the end. I was hoping for a top 10 but had to settle for 11th. Not too far off.
And of course, before the mayhem began, I was all smiles.
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