Ste Gen. Road Race and Tues Night Worlds

Sometimes the best race happens when you least expect it. Unfortunately, it didn't happen for me on Sunday (6/14). The State Championship road race held in Ste Genevieve can be summed up in two words: Painful and Lonely. I got dropped at mile 7, the top of the first climb! I made it to the top, but couldn't hang on for the attack that I could see coming a mile away! Oh well. From then on it was mile after mile of chase. At first I could see the lead group in front. That group was quickly broken into lead and chase group, but I could still see both. Then I could only see the chase group. Pretty soon, I was chasing one girl in a red jersey. I'd get closer on the climbs and further on the flats or decents, but never caught her.

Susan and Christina passed me at a particularly painful moment. I had enough to get on a wheel, rest, pull a little and then I got back to the chase on a little hill. Right before the first official climb, Kate K. caught me. I jumped on her wheel and brought her attention to our "carrot" in red. We chased and caught her! but now we had to climb this hill. My guess was 6-7% grade. Steeper than Marshall, but shorter. I even commented, while I was still close to Kate, that I was glad to not have to chase down an attack on THIS! It wasn't long before I would have to chase, but it wasn't an attack; Kate is a good climber. She was gone too soon. I was lonely again! (Lesson learned: When we caught the girl in red, I noticed her number was for women's open. I even commented how I didn't have to worry about her b/c she was in the open race...I was wrong! She was given a wrong number. I should have passed her when I had the chance, but I let her go.)



The rest of the race was uneventful. Rolling hills, turtle, bigger hills, pain. I finished 8th out of 10 in the Cat 4 race. Since we raced with the Masters Women, I figure I'd be 14 of 19 overall (5 total behind me on the course). Not good but not bad. Not State Champ! (Way to go to Cristel, who IS the Missouri Road Race State Champ!!!)

That brings me to Tuesday....

I ate left over MnM's and Swedish fish all day, knowing that I would pay for the delicacies later. Sure enough, I felt sluggish by 4pm (Sugar crash!). I headed home, changed clothes and rode off the the Tues Night Worlds with Phil. I wanted (well, ok, half-wanted) to do the B race for a few laps but rolled up just as they were getting started. Darn! Jamie, Teresa and Allison were rockin' the B's while Phil and I registered for the C race. After registration, I found my fellow women C racers: Alice, Cory, Suzanne. We lined up and off we went....
Neutral lap felt nice, except for the blinding sunlight as we climbed the hill. On lap one, everyone was still settling in on how to take the turn. I drifted to the back and was fortunate to watch one guy take the turn too wide, hit the curb and do several graceful sommersaults into the grass. Yikes! That really freaked me out for the next couple laps. I even told Teresa about it as she and Jamie jumped in our race on the next lap.
I stayed in a conservative spot until Jamie suggested I get on her wheel and "Stay". She guided me around the course, put us in good spots, moved us up, helped me keep going when I started to fade on the hill, waited for me when I was ready to throw up and give up. It was my first ever in-race coaching and it was AWESOME.
I really fought hard to keep her wheel and lost it a couple of times, but made my way back to her. The race really picked up in the last 2 laps and we lost several places with 1 to go, but I finished strong and Jamie lead me out into the biggest Jelly-legged sprint I have ever done. I even set a new high HR for the year...176 (previously 173). NICE.
On the way home, I was on cloud nine and my legs felt good and strong. I could have raced all night....