The Dirt Field

This report, like the 31K race, will be short.

I woke up brutally early after a crappy week, but somehow still managed to feel race-ready by the time I rolled up to the line. My pre-race nerves were unusually strong, but I got it together enough to talk race strategy on the line with Monika from XO Communications/Battley Harley-Davidson. The start was very restrained and the first lap was controlled as we covered the 6-ish mile rolling course as a group. After that, Monika found a good place to put a gap on the field and we pulled away, taking pulls for the remaining two laps. The sprint finish was up a hill, and I squeaked ahead to win by less than two seconds.

It was my first time not riding a race alone and I realized quickly that having another rider to work with is pretty cool. Not only does it make trying moves a lot easier, but it’s also fun to have somebody to talk to and share the hard efforts. This race also marked the first time I drafted off a horse and buggy (although ‘drafted’ is a strong word, since it was during my warm up and the horse was moving so slowly I almost had to put a foot down). Amish country is awesome (except that there’s a lot of poop on the road).

Next on the calendar is the Tour of the Battenkill next Sunday – I’ll be racing there as part of my new team, XO Communications/Battley Harley-Davidson! This new development is shifting my race goals for this year to focus on the road; I’m going to the USA Crits Speed Week, trying to get my Cat 2 upgrade ASAP, and doing some of the big NRC races. It’s an exciting time to be riding my bicycle.

But I still can’t clip into my Speedplays.