Tour of Battenkill 4/19/08

 I got to the start line early to make sure I was in the front row.  Elena and Erica soon joined me.  Erica was going to see how she felt after the first 7 miles since she was still not feeling great after her mishap in the park a few days before.  I whispered to Elena that I planned to attack on the first set of hills at mile 8 and that she should be up front and come with me so we could get away.

In order to make sure I had good positioning going into the climbs, I took lots of win up front setting the pace.  It was fine.  I felt good and wasn't going very fast.  We hit the first climb and Elena and I were right where we needed to be.  The dirt was quite dry and soft making it difficult to keep the bike steady, but I pushed the pace up the hill the best I could.  After the descent, I was surprised to find only one woman with me.  (Audrey F.S)  We rode for a minute or two before about 6 women joined us.  I organized everyone to take 30 sec pulls.  We worked together pretty well for the most part and soon there was no field or chase group in sight behind us.

At around mile 24 came the second set of significant climbs.  Again, there was quite a bit of sand and it didn't help that the pace car slowed down and was kicking it in our faces.  Audrey increased the pace and I went with her.  At the end of this set of climbs there were only 4 of us.  We quickly continued with our 30 second pulls as we picked up the pace once more.  

At about mile 40-45 the heat really started to get to me.  It was about 84 degrees out and sunny.  I had already drank 2 water bottles and had one left.  I had eaten some of my Clif bar and a whole flask of gel mixture.  My thighs were screaming in pain, my head was pounding and girly cramps on a day like today are no fun.  I knew I could find another 10 miles or racing in my legs, I just needed to focus and promise myself I would destroy myself for a chance at the top of the podium.

Mile 50 was the last set of climbs.  These were especially sandy and treacherous.  There were riders that had been dropped from other fields all over the place.  I studied who was sliding and who seemed solid on their bikes and chose my line very carefully.  When we finished the climb, there were just 3 of us!  Andrea, Amy and myself.  I didn't know if they could sprint, so I knew I had to conserve  the best I could and play it smart.  I knew that as long as I stayed upgright and didn't have any mechanicals, that I would podium, but somehow at this point that wasn't enough.  I looked for the 1K or 200M sign, but never saw either.  We then came to the railroad tracks that we had ridden over earlier at the start, so I just went for it and sprinted.  I wasn't sure if it was too early, but I didn't care.  I gave it everything I had left and was determined to continue sprinting like a mad woman until I crossed the line.

After I crossed the line, I spent the next few minutes trying to catch my breath while I rode to the car for painkillers, a recovery shake and a cold Coca Cola.  (Chris, great idea to get the cooler and the Cokes at Rite Aid :)  )  It wasn't until I was riding to confirm my placing that it really hit me.  I had just won.  

I received a lovely cowbell as a trophy and a stuffed cow that matched the Radical Media kit perfectly!  

It was just over 2 hours and 44 minutes of intense, painful racing.  I can honestly say that this was the hardest I have ever worked in a race.

Elena was awesome and despite her mishap in the sand, broke away from her group of riders and soloed the last couple miles for an impressive 5th place!

2 Raddies in the top 5!