Cyclonauts Road Race, Tami Buhr, Women's 3/4, 40+, July 29, 2006
32 miles
37 Starters
NEBC: Tami Buhr (4), Cris Rothfus (14), Carrie Lemieux (25), Cathy Rowell (30), Jen Cunningham-Butler (35)
Despite vowing to never do another hilly road race during Sunapee, I managed to force myself out of bed at 3:30 a.m. for Cyclonauts. We had a nice turnout of NEBC riders with Jen doing her first road race in a couple of years I believe. It was great to have her back in the pack.
The cream of the cat 3 crop showed up for this race, and it was active from the start. Mike Norton had given us our ‘talking to’ at the start about really racing or else, and the gals seemed to take him seriously. When we hit the gradual but long climb at around mile 5, I was definitely suffering. Despite several attacks and a brisk pace, no one got away. Rather, people were just gradually shed from the pack.
I covered some initial attacks, but just didn’t feel that great and began to seriously worry that I might not make it to the finish if I weren’t careful. Cris and Carrie took over covering attacks and did a great job. Carrie looked really strong, and together she and Cris protected me and let me save my energy for the finish climb.
The finish was a nearly two mile climb (or so says my power tap file…I thought it was shorter than that). Cris was going to be at the front going into the corner before the climb with me on her wheel. She was going to pace me up the hill and I would go with anyone who picked up the pace. Cris did her job and got to the front, but I screwed up and didn’t manage to get up there so I went into the corner towards the back. The fast gals started to go immediately so I had to pick my way through the pack and get up to the front pace makers. I would get on someone’s wheel, watch to see if they were letting a gap open and listen to their breathing. If they looked like they were weakening, I’d move around them and go up to the next person. Pretty soon, there were four of us left.
The climb flattens for a section and then ticks sharply back up at around 300 meters (I think) and then finishes with a false flat for 200 meters. I was the last in line on the flat section getting in a nice recovery. My plan was to stay there until 200 meters and then go for the line. I saw Beth Miller (NAV) on the front start to go on the uptick. I felt I could go with her so I went around Ashley Hubka (Copi) and Joanna Peters (PVC). We got to the top and I cracked and both went back around me and I came across for fourth. I was a bit disappointed that I wasn’t more patient. If I had stuck with my original plan of waiting until 200 meters, maybe I could have finished higher. Or maybe not. I gave it a go. That’s bike racing.