Sunday took us to Watertown, MN for a circuit race followed by a time trial.
The Circuit Race -
The circuit race was a 7.4 mile loop that we did 3 times. At each lap, we could sprint for bonus points that would count toward our overall points for the weekend. Stefanie and I had surveyed the course during our warm-up. There was a 90 degree turn about 1 block from the start/finish line. We knew we would need to be in the top 3 or so coming around the corner to be in good position for the sprint.
About 1 block into the race, Theresa Moriarty threw the hammer down. I was very thankful that I had warmed up properly and was able to react to her attack without too much trouble. The first lap was full of attacks. Coming into the final stretch, Stef attacked at the top of a hill. I jumped on her wheel knowing this was where we needed to get into position for that final turn. I stayed on Stef's wheels through the corner and then took off on the sprint. Unfortunately, my "sprint" is worthless in this field. I was immediately smoked by Theresa and Abby Ruess from GP. I was somehow able to hang on and cross in 3rd place, collecting 1 bonus point for myself.
On the second lap, I ended up on the front of the pack through the tailwind section. We were quickly approaching the final turn before the sprint. Again, I knew I had to get myself in position for the sprint. Sitting on the front, I was worried that someone would attack and I would be left at the back of the pack going into the turn. To prevent that from happening, I attacked from the front of the pack and came through the turn 1st. Again, since my sprint is worthless, I got passed by just about everyone before we crossed the line. I got no points on that lap.
On the third and final lap, I simply got lucky. As we came around for the final turn, I was sitting last in the pack. Lee Penn from GP was right in front of me and decided to make an attack. I saw her go and jumped on her wheel before anyone else could. We came through the final turn in 1st and 2nd. I sprinted with all my might, but again got passed by Theresa and Abby. Even so, I still managed to get my slow ass across the line in 3rd place.
I was thrilled to finish 3rd in a women's open field! Unfortunately, Sunday's races were a package deal. The circuit race and time trial would be scored as one event, so my 3rd place in the circuit race really meant nothing.
The Time Trial -
I had a couple hours between the circuit race and the time trial. Since it had rained the entire time during the circuit race, I was hoping to find a laundromat to dry out my race clothes. Unfortunately, we were surrounded by shitty little towns in the middle of nowhere and none of them had a laundromat that was open on a Sunday afternoon. (Why would a laundromat be CLOSED on a weekend afternoon?? That doesn't seem like the best business plan in my opinion!)
Instead, I cranked the heater in my SUV, repositioned all the vents, and hung my race clothes from the rearview mirror. That actually worked pretty well. Only the strap of my timing chip and my shoes were still soggy by the time the 2nd race started.
The time trial was seeded in reverse order of how we finished the circuit race. Since I finished 3rd, my time trial start was 3rd to last. I took off in hopes of chasing down Lee Penn. She was on a regular road bike, so I was hoping my TT bike would give me enough advantage to catch her. Unfortunately, that dream did not come to fruition. 1.2 miles into the race, Abby Ruess came flying by. Damn. That meant I was 30 seconds behind her. At 3.3 miles Theresa Moriarty came flying by. Damn again. That meant I was 60 seconds behind her. My race was not going well. I felt like I was hammering with all my might but everyone in front of me was getting farther and farther away. I tried getting out of the saddle to close the gaps, but that didn't seem to work either. I ended up finishing 2nd to last, which completely threw my 3rd place finish from the morning out the window.
I ended my day feeling frustrated, humbled and disappointed. I know I'm not as fast as the other girls in my field and having a time trial exposed that fact. Occasionally I can get lucky in other types of races by positioning myself in the right spots, but when it comes down to individual strength, I straight out suck.
I threw myself a little pity party Sunday night as I struggled to come up with any positive thoughts on my performance so far. I knew Monday's race needed to go off perfectly if I wanted to come out of this weekend with any money in my pocket. At that moment, I had nothing but doubts in my head. I contemplated drowning my sorrows in a bottle of wine, but ultimately decided I should still give 100% on Monday and see what happens.
I was a little closer, but still not ready to admit defeat!
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