I’m writing this on my way home from racing in Kentucky for the second weekend in a row. Due to weather being much more spring-like than it is in most places in our conference, two schools in Kentucky hosted the first two collegiate cycling weekends.
Last weekend was at Murray State. It was my first time outside bike on a bike this year, not counting my ride in Phoenix last month. Needless to say, I was worried about my fitness, especially considering I recently upgraded to the highest collegiate cycling category, Women’s A’s. The girls in the A’s field are wicked fast! Many of them are nationally ranked and race for elite teams. The hands-down fastest rider in our conference, pro cyclist Sinead Miller, just got back from the Tour of Qatar and is so fast she has her own Wikipedia page!
I was right to be worried. The change from B’s to A’s is a whole different world. Races are twice as long and much faster. I finished near the bottom of the field at both races at Murray. Both times I got a great ride in, learned a lot, took some turns at the front and best of all, was able to help my teammates. Given it was my first race in such a competitive field, I was just happy to finish!
Fast forward to this weekend at Lindsey Wilson College and I still wasn’t feeling strong or confident. I was most looking forward to the individual time trial (ITT) portion of the weekend, even though I wasn’t able to bring my tri frame along due to space constraints. I figured it would be good practice for Triathlon Collegiate Nationals next month.
Saturday morning started early with the ITT. It was a short (10K) and moderately hilly course. The cold air triggered my asthma early in the race and I was fighting to breathe for most of the race. I still managed to finish within 30 seconds of my teammates, but the 20.2 mph average was far from my performance in triathlons last summer. I wish I could blame it all on asthma but med school and winter have definitely taken their toll on my fitness!
The rest of the weekend turned out amazing! On the extremely hilly 50-mile road course Saturday afternoon, I managed to channel my inner climber and end up in a six-person chase group. It was my first time doing an organized paceline with people in a race situation. Luckily, my teammate Lindsey was there to shout advice, and once the other women figured out that I’m a newbie they were also gracious and helpful as well.
Aside: I’m learning more and more how great the women in the A’s field are about helping new riders, even if they aren’t teammates. I think it’s something unique to the college Women’s field and it makes me feel like I fit in and am finally becoming a real cyclist, not just a triathlete who cycles once in a while!
The road race finished up with a very steep climb that made me want to get off my bike and cry. I soldiered on and was happy that Lindsey came in 5th and I came in a respectable 9th. My first top ten finish in a field of elite riders!
Sunday morning was a criterium – 1K laps for 45 minutes. There was one decent hill on the rectangular course. It was fast and furious from the start. Sinead and a few of the other strongest riders from the field (including Lindsey!) broke away a few laps in. I formed a chase group with about five other riders and we did our best to stay in front of the field.
They caught us for a few laps but I was feeling pretty strong, so toward the five laps to go mark, Beth, a UW-Whitewater rider, and I dropped the field and worked together until the finish. She was also super helpful in giving me advice on race tactics and at the end told me she wouldn’t outsprint me if I pulled the last few laps (she had been working on the front the whole race and was completely spent). I was happy to tow her to the finish, and felt lucky to work closely with such a strong rider. I ended up taking 7th! Another top 10 finish!
Collegiate Nationals are rapidly approaching, so after each of my races this weekend I laced up my running shoes and did quick brick (bike then run) workouts. I can’t completely suppress the triathlete in me on these race weekends!
I can’t even explain how much fun I had this weekend. I was so much more relaxed and really bonded with my teammates. I’ve really been missing girl time and gossip this semester, since so much of my life is devoted to school and getting in as many workouts as possible. It was nice to have that feeling of hanging out with girlfriends again. It’s hard to balance trying to study when I’m not racing and being part of a team, but I think I managed very well these past two weekends.
On another note, our Women’s B’s girls dominated the field this weekend! Congrats to Holly, Jenny and Summer for taking top spots in all three races.
Special thanks to my training partner/coach, Chris Clausen
, for lending me a super sweet pair of Bontrager Aeolus 6.0 tubulars to give me both speed and confidence. They made my beautiful bike even better looking!
To read Lindsey’s race recap from this weekend, check out her blog!
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