I.C. Weekend

Kim in the break.


After the break rejoined the group.


Field sprint.

The Iowa City Road Race and Old Capitol Crit were this past weekend in Iowa City. The first time I did these races was 2006. At that time, the Road Race was women's open and there was no separate cat4 race. Actually the first 2 years I did this race, it was like this. Anyway, that first year I got dropped within the first 5 miles in the pouring rain. I rode the three 13-mile laps all alone. It took me so long to finish, they almost sent a car out to look for me. Then, the following year I made it a half-lap before being chucked off the back by myself. Then, last year, my first year as a cat3 they separated the women's races into a cat1,2,3 race and a cat4 race. While I didn't make the break, I did manage to stick with a chase group and for the first time since I had done this race, I was not alone at the finish.

This year this race turned out to be completely different for me once again. While we were missing the powerhouse that is Sydney Brown, we had the collective power of a green monster known as Team Kenda. Even though no one was ever able to stick a break, they kept the tempo high. First, Catherine would go...then we would collect her and Kristin would go...then we would collect her and Jill would go. I spent a lot of time mid-pack hoping that my teammate Kim would make the break if one ever stuck, but the wind was fairly calm and there was enough power in the group that nothing ever stuck. As we rounded the last turn on our way to the finish, I realized that this race was going to come down to a sprint. This scared the crap out of me since I have not found myself in many field sprints. I had a few moments to collect myself after Bart (one of the motor officials) informed us to hang back while the pro men's race passed us by. After they passed the tension was thick, but no one was really making any moves. Kim told me to go to the back and get ready for the sprint. I stayed back there until the church was about to be in sight. At this time, one of the Kenda girls (who I thought was Kristin, but I now know was Jill) peeled off the back and made a hard effort to the right. I stuck her wheel and after pulling past the group just slightly, we were suddenly just on the front pulling the group. I thought I had really screwed up...but I stuck with it. Suddenly we were just a few hundred meters from the finish, I just dropped my head and went. When all was said and done, Catherine from Kenda as 1st, my teammate Kim was 3rd, and I was...5th?! I couldn't believe it. Who would have ever guessed I could have been able to get a top 5 finish just 3 years after riding this race off the back and alone.

Kyle and I hosted a former teammate of my mine and some of her teammates on Saturday night. Even though we were racing against each other this weekend, it was great to get to know them. I love meeting female cyclists and hearing about why they race and how they got into racing. It is one of the perks of racing for me.

I was honestly dreading the race on Sunday. Last year, Sydney lapped me twice and I felt dreadful the entire race. I assumed I would feel about the same this year...but before I get into that I have to give a huge at-a-girl to my teammate Cara. Saturday was her first road race and she finished 7th in the cat4's race. I thought she had done awesome, but she wasn't completely happy with her performance. Then in her race on Sunday (remember it was only her 2nd race ever), my girl just lit the place up. She was out front on the first lap, had a gap by the 2nd, and had the race rapped up on the 3rd. Even after she was ahead of everyone by more than a half a lap, she kept pushing herself up and over the hill. This girl has a great attitude and works really hard and I was extremely proud of her both days!

Sorry, I digress. Things did not go anything like they did last year. The first 2 laps were fast, but not blistering. I was toward and front and in the mix of things. Then on like the 3rd or 4th lap Kristin from Kenda took off. Then her teammate from Kenda (and winner of the race yesterday) Catherine took off with my teammate Kim in tow. At the time I thought I could have caught them, but I was afraid of bring the pack up to Kim, so I just hung back. On the next lap, I attacked on the hill and got away with only one other rider in tow. I was hoping that she and I could work together...not to catch the 3 up the road, but at least stay away on our own, but this was not to be and we were eventually swallowed up by the group. Knowing that if Kim and the 2 Kenda ladies made it back around to us would, then she would be guaranteed at least 3rd, I sat on the front and held things up. I felt like a true teammate right then. I have been so accustomed to riding by myself and for myself that I didn't really get how great it is to be apart of something bigger than that. This would however also cost me a little in the end, in the fact that I slowed up just enough that some of the dropped riders were able to bridge back up...and then those same women beat me in the sprint. Like Cara on Saturday, I questioned how I had played the game, but I learned some valuable lessons...the most important of which was how fun it is to get to race these ladies. I finished 9th after things got kinda crazy once the lead riders joined back into our group. My legs were shot and my sprinting effort was cut short when my body just said that's it.

On a side note, one of Team Kenda's girls was injured during the race on Saturday. She ended up having to go to surgery on Saturday night and spend the following 2 nights in the hospital. I believe she was released this morning and I wish her a speedy recovery :)