State Crit Weekend

This past weekend the best in Florida came to duke it out for a shot at the title of State Criterium Champion.
On Saturday we had a "warm up" crit. The course was rather hard. It had a small hill with a headwind, and 6 corners.
The women pro,1,2,3 were racing with the women cat 4s all weekend. When we rolled up to the line I saw some of Florida's power houses were there. It was going to be a tough race.
We took a neutral lap around the course and then rolled back to the start. The whistle blew and I tucked into the field looking around for a good wheel. I found my way to Jackie Kurth's wheel and was content to stay there. After a couple minutes I found myself pulling and spending way to much time on the front and chasing gaps. I hung out in the wind way to much and after about 15 minutes of red lining my heart rate I blew and went out the back.
I managed to chase back on but after the next attack blew again and found myself off the back again. I went into and out of several different groups and when 3 laps to go came around found myself with another cat 3 and the solo leader of the race who lapped us.
I sprinted and won against the other girl but it was a sprint for nearly last and it wasn't very satisfying.



Will Tearing it up in the 3's race.



Michelle and I chilling after our race

The next day was the real deal. I was really nervous but totally excited. The sun was blazing and the wind was definitely blowing. The finish was at the top of a small hill and on the back stretch there was a small descent. With four corners it wasn't a ridiculously technical course but I was a little wary of the final corner because I've crashed in it before when I carried to much speed and hit a reflector.
I was totally pumped at the start. When the official blew the whistle I went into my race zone. It was time for the poker face and racing edge to be put to work.
The race went smooth for the first 15 minutes. A few attacks here and there but it always came back together. My legs felt pretty good but the attacks were fast and furious. The announcers were giving out primes and the big names continued to try and break away. Half-way up the hill one of the ladies husbands had found a water tap and turned it up and every other lap he would spray the entire field. It felt amazing and when ever the water was on we all swerved over to try and cool off a little.
About 30 minutes into the race I popped. I sprinted and managed to get back onto the field. I was tired but once I was back into the group my legs felt better again. I sat in and tried to conserve as much energy as I could. When 5 laps to go came I was pretty tired and really hot. The laps seemed to slowly tick by. Finally it was one lap to go. I was tired and my legs didn't feel the best any more. We came around to the descent and the first attack started our last lap race. I got surged and found myself towards the back hanging on for dear life. I popped on the hill and tried to just keep my legs going for just a little bit longer. When I crossed the line I was out of breath and out of water but very happy.



The Women 1,2,3,4 field hammering up the hill.



Michelle tearing it up as a cat 4.



The women field string out over the hill



Women Sprint finish



Craig Creeden racing to a 13th place in the mens 3 race



Men pro 1,2 photo finish for 4th-6th place



Umm...Where did Ryan's hair go??

All in all I think I learned alot this weekend. I could have done alot better on Saturday but I took alot away from the race. With Sunday's race I was extremely happy with how I did. In the previous year I was dropped and this year I hung in. I mean I would have liked to get onto the podium or even win it, I mean who wouldn't, but I also learned alot from this race and I am totally excited for my next crit. maybe then I can finally get the win I have been chasing after all season.

thanks for reading!

Ciao

Sugar Loaf RR / Ferndale Circuit Races

This past weekend was the sugar loaf rr and the Ferndale circuit race. I did the womens pro,1,2,3 for both races.
For the road race the women raced with the men cat 3. The rr course is one of the hardest courses that the FL race season has to offer. It is in Clermont, the "hilly" part of Florida. The course is 9 miles long and is basically up or down. The major climb is Sugar Loaf right before the start finish.
The first 2 miles were neutral. I started to far back and tried to move up as much as I could during that period. Once we hit the first hill the group split up a little bit and it was easier to move up through the field. I made it towards the front half of the field and felt pretty good with my positioning. When we hit sugar loaf I wasn't able to hang and popped off the back. I was with another woman and we rode together for about 4 miles before being joined by 4 other women and 3 men.
We had a nice group going and kept the speed fairly steady. There were a couple attacks but for the most part we stayed together. It was really hot outside and we all suffered over the hills as the sun was blazing down on us.
We came around for our second lap and we were still together. Two ladies took off up sugar loaf. They slowed down towards the top and we all regrouped. I came around to the feed zone hoping to get some ice cold Gatorade or water. I got lucky and got two ice cold bottles, thanks to my dad and grandpa who did amazing jobs making sure I got my feeds.
For the next lap we all stayed together. We kept the pace steady and basically rode it like a training ride. On the next lap we saw that we were coming up on another rider in the distance. As we crossed the finish line we heard the announcers say it was another Herbal Life woman. We already had one Herbal Life girl in our group already and we soon had one more.
The new Herbal Life girl was climbing really well. She hammered up all the climbs and I struggled to hang on. I ended up blowing half way through the lap and was riding on my own. In the distance I could see another women about 30-45 seconds in front of me. I put my head down and hammered to catch her. I finally made it up to her wheel about 2 miles from the finish. We were both tired and the thought of going up sugar loaf one last time was not pleasant. She attacked with about 1 1/2 mi to go but I hopped on her wheel and she pulled until we hit the final hill. I wasn't sure how it would play out but I waited to see how she was feeling. She seemed tired so I gave it a go and attacked. I got a gap and held it til the line. My overall placing wasn't great but I had a great ride and it was really good training.

That night I got plenty of sleep and carbs to get ready to for the Ferndale circuit.

The circuit course was about 3 miles long. It was flat and wasn't to technical. The women pro,1,2,3 were put with the women cat 4. I was excited to have a race with only women.
At the start Michelle Blake and I were setting the pace at the front. I was ready to get the race started so I looked at Michelle and told her I was going to attack. We went around a corner and I sprinted out of it. I could see from my shadow that I had a gap. I held it for a minute before getting caught. Once the field caught up they wouldn't pull through. When we came around to complete our first lap I attacked out of the final corner. This time when they caught me I was able to get into the draft. The next couple laps weren't to exciting. There were a couple attacks but we ended up staying together.
About 15 minutes into our race Tina( Cycle Science ) and Sheila ( Herbal Life) attacked and got a gap. It was a counter attack and I was to tired to try and follow. Herbal life had 6 riders in our race so our chase effort ended up failing. They were long gone in only one lap's time.
It was now a race for third. Team ORC and Herbal Life went back and forward. ORC had two ladies in our field and they would attack and counter attack but Herbal Life was always right on top of it. I was happy to just follow the wheels and wait for the finish.
With 3 laps to go the attacks became more intense, but the group always came back together. When two laps to go came around we heard the announcers say that if the leaders caught us then we would be finishing on that lap. I raced the entire lap struggling to keep positioning in case we got caught. We ended up eluding the leaders and having to do one more lap. Cat and mouse games were being played and attacks were being made. I just sat in and tried to stay towards the front. I was struggling against herbal life while they tried to box me into the middle of them. I finally made it free and not a minute to soon. We rounded the corner before the final corner. There it was, the stop sign that signified the final turn. I was 4 wheel coming out of the corner. I passed one woman and held my position. The finish was slightly uphill and I almost died about 20 meters from the line but I held my position and ended up 4th place overall.

I learned alot this weekend. I'm excited for the next race that the women race with the cat 3 men. If anything the road race was amazing training. In the circuit I realized that I HAVE to make it into the move. Also final corner positioning (rookie mistake on my part) me being fourth wheel...ya not the smartest. All in all I had a great weekend. I had my best finish so far and got in great training for Camp and Nationals.

Next weekend is the State Crit and in 4 weeks I leave for South East Regional Camp. I'm totally stoked for both.

thanks for reading,

Ciao