Commerce Bank Liberty Classic, Brooke O'Connor, June 11
In case anyone was wondering how I did in the Commerce Bank Liberty Classic in Philadelphia yesterday, here’s a (semi-)quick report, as I thought that was going to be the length of my race initially.
160 starters and it was a bit crazy in the first few flat, fast miles on Kelly Dr., but then I thought we settled into a nice rhythm, until the first crash happen directly in front of me. I was sitting in the top third of the field at this point, so it shocked me when bodies laid down in front and I had to come to a complete stop. By the time I got around the field and started chasing with 1/2 of the rest of field, I came upon another crash spread across the whole narrowing road less than half a mile later. I squeezed between the curb and a down bike and continued chasing with many others. The pace was fast and furious down Main St of Manayunk and we almost caught the front group by the time we hit The Wall. Unfortunately I’m not the best climber, so I lost more positions going up and continued to chase with a group of about 12 for the rest of the first and second laps, seeing another group of 20 just ahead of us for nearly the whole 2nd la! p. ; I couldn’t go any faster.
My legs were burning going up the The Wall the second time and I thought that was the end of my race, but I had 3 teammates in my group and my husband Jim, my sister and her husband all cheering for me on The Wall for support. Once the group in front of us was out of sight, and my group developed a nice rotating paceline on the third lap picking up straggler riders here and there, my legs felt much better and I actually felt decent the third time up The Wall. Unfortunately my group was the dividing line and the officials pulled us from racing the fourth and and final lap. Everyone in front of us finished, everyone behind us was pulled or dropped out.
It was disappointing to have my race determined for me by 2 crashes within the first 5 miles (neither of which I was actually involved in) and it’s such a talented and fast field and fast course that it would have taken a fitness level and climbing skill beyond mine to latch back onto the front group. I found out later that a handful of women were taken to the hospital from those first 2 crashes including my teammate Cory who ended up with a compound fracture in her wrist. As it was, only 78 of those original 160 women finished. But I did get one moment of glory as I was leading my group going up over Lemon Hill on the second lap, the announcer called out my name and that of two of teammates as we crossed the QOM line (didn’t get any points though).