Green Mountain Stage Race Day #2 September 1, 2007

Today was the circuit race. 34 miles with a few short climbs.

Since Ashley and I were in the top 10, we didn't have to rush to line up since they called us to the front. Elena lined up right behind us, so the black and whites were ready to go.

The group stayed together for most of the first lap, but got shattered when we hit some climbs. Ashley and I held on, but both of use weren't feeling great. It wasn't until the last 10 miles that she and I both found our legs. I asked her if she wanted a lead out, so we decided to give it a try.

We got to the final 500 m. Ashley let me know she was on my wheel and I quickly inched my way up to the front of the field. We were in great position when "smash, crunch" and a few screams. A nasty crash. The field then quickly moved to the right and our great position was lost. There was a small gap to my right, but I left it open so Ashley could swing by. She never did. Her chain dropped and we discovered after the race, her front derailleur was cracked. It was a good leadout, just some bad luck in making it successful. I ended up in 12th and went down to 7th in the GC.