Concord Crit - Women's cat 4 - 8-4-08
Concord Crit
Saturday 8/2/08
Cat 4 – 11 starters
Katherine Snell – 6th
Loraine Warner – 7th
Kathy Martin – 9th
Libby White (her second race of the day)
Katherine Snell:
This weekend was a bit of a bummer for me. After feeling really strong the previous week, a rest week and a new PR at the TT, I was really psyched and hoping to do well in the races and maybe get some upgrade points. I decided to warm up on the road for Concord which in hindsight wasn’t a great idea since one really needs to get to max HR a couple of times before a crit. My left Achilles tendon had been bothering me most of the week (that’s what I get for hammering with the guys on Monday night when I’m supposed to be doing recovery). I grew a little more concerned at the start as Elle Anderson had been joined by Meredith Ehn and the two of them had won other crits I’d been in. The officials decided to make it a little more interesting by having us finish the same lap as the W1/2/3s. Luckily the first lap was pretty tame but by the beginning of the third lap, I noticed that the field was strung out pretty good with about five, strong young riders (all about 20 years younger than me) and I thought of getting closer to the front in order to be able to respond to an attack. No sooner than I started to move up, after the first corner, then the front of the field accelerated up the hill after the second corner. I tried to keep the pace up the hill but I got gapped anyways and then tried to catch back on the downhill. Loraine was on my wheel at that point and I tried to bring her with me. Unfortunately, the gap just kept getting bigger as we headed down the start/finish straight. Next thing I knew Loraine was gone and I was now solo trying to chase so I put up the good fight and did my usual time trial thing for the next 15 or so laps to finish 6th place. After the race I had a minor heart attack as friends spectating tried to tell me I had pulled off with a lap to go though I thought I had finished just after the W1/2/3s – it’s hard to tell when your competition is 2 minutes ahead. I checked with the officials and was relieved to find out that I had indeed finished albeit out of the money.
Loraine Warner:
I had a bone to pick with this course since I crashed at this race last year. I was hoping to do well, but my fitness hasn’t been what it should be, so I figured I’d just wait and see how I felt. From the go, there was a fair amount of varying speed, with several accelerations, enough so that the field was completely strung out early on. I was on Katherine’s wheel about 3 laps in when I saw her drift from the 5-woman lead pack going up the hill. Crap! Sadly I didn’t have enough to go around her and try to close the gap, which in retrospect, I think I should’ve at least tried. I stayed on Katherine’s wheel for a bit, then drifted off only to be caught a little later by Libby White. Libby and I rode together until lap 10 when we got lapped by the group of 5. I managed to jump back in with the lead group and stayed with them until they took off for the finish sprint. Not exactly the results I was hoping for, but happy to have stayed upright.
Concord Crit
Saturday 8/2/08
Masters 65+
Annette Kennedy -5th
Goal: To see if I could stay with NEBC National champ, Ed Lang for half of the race. And maintaining my MCRA point lead.
I’m recovering from a pulled muscle in my back. Trying to keep my lead with the MCRA point series this race was a priority.
I worked especially hard to stay with Ed and Richard Martin but, could only stay for 6 laps (15 lap race). After being dropped by Dick and Ed, myself, Bob W., (NEBC), June,
( MCRA) and Kaarel, (NHCC) began working together. Nothing exciting just taking turns pulling until the last three laps, Bob and Kaarel took off and our little train was broken up. June picked up the pace and then I took a turn pulling. I saw Van in front of us and I TT to get to him. I was hoping he would help me with a lead out for the finish. Van pulled June and I each giving us a rest. Coming out of the second to last corner on the finial lap, June began to sprint. I thought it was a little early but as she came around Van I stayed on her wheel and we entered the last corner for the finial sprint. I sprinted in my saddle, being nice to my back, and got her with a little to spare. All and all it was a fun race and I happy once again to beat June and gain a few more points. I have the lead by 32 point but if she was to do a race while I’m on vacation she could easily catch up. We may be battling it out at the Bobby Beal’s stage race.
PS NEBC is in second place for team point in the MCRA. Keep track of your points and see if we can hold the 2nd place until Sept, BB stage race weekend.
I did not race Bow per Doc’s advice, to long and too hard of a race for me with this back issue.
Bow RR
Sunday 8/3/08
Cat4/Masters – 20 Starters
Michele Harrison – 11th
Katherine Snell – 12th
Lisa Ludwig – 15th
Michelle Archambault – 16th
Carrie Fraga – 17th
Michele Harrison:
Bow was my second race of the season and I was feeling a little anxious about getting shelled on the climbs after last weekend’s experience at Tour of the Hilltowns. Katherine and I got the dubious honor of sitting on the front of the pack for the neutral start into the first climb. It was a tortuous start with the pace car going way to slow and everyone behind itching to jump. And jump they did and I dangled off the back trying hopelessly to re-attach to the lead group slipped away. I was finally able to catch Katherine on the start of the second lap and we worked well together – me pacing on the climbs and then attaching to her locomotive engine on the down-hills. The adrenaline was pumping as the skies opened up and I tried to hang onto her wheel as we hit 43+mph on the downhills. There were a few riders in sight and we tried desperately to reel them in, but failed.
Katherine Snell:
I had reconnoitered the Bow course Thursday evening and it didn’t seem to bad – fun even. I had managed a decent speed even though I was trying to keep it in the endurance zone. Then I came home and discovered the course is counter-clockwise or opposite the usual direction. Oh well, so much for the preview – at least I knew how to get there. Again I chose to warm up on the road and was foiled by the marshals – no one was allowed out, even in the opposite direction. At that point it was too late to set up the trainer so I warmed up as good as I could in the parking lot. Luckily, the NEBC riders were allowed to start at the front, this being our club sponsored race. I started next to Michelle Harrison and we attempted to control the pace into the first climb. I was hoping that if I could get the field to climb at my pace for a while that I might not get gapped too badly. That worked for a while – halfway up the first climb. Then a couple riders came around us and brought the pace up and it was full-on climbing. I managed to hang on up the rest of the climb and had no problem through the downhill but then lost contact as we went up the steeper second half of the climb into Bow Center. Again I was back into solo chase mode as I had managed to outclimb the back half of the field. The second time around, Cathy Rowell (who was marshalling at the finish) reminded me that I had teammates behind. I looked back and didn’t see anybody but on my way up the first climb I was joined by Michelle Harrison and a couple of other riders. Michelle told one of the other riders to get on my wheel as we descended but they were afraid of the speed and we dropped them. Michelle and I then worked together to try and chase back and had a lot of fun on descending on the back half of the course. Max speed for the day was 51.5 mph, and although I’m not sure I believe it, we regularly hit over 45 mph. We then started to catch the back of the field on the climb on the third lap. I was beginning to feel better as I passed Natalia Gardiol (MIT). That feeling did last long as she then proceeded to blow by me – I guessed I embarrassed her. The back of the field was in sight most of the rest of the final lap but as Michelle and I started into the rollers again I was starting to run out of gas. Just before the final climb, I told Michelle to feel free to go ahead and pick up any places she could as I was starting to go into survival mode. Michelle went ahead and again it was a solo ride for me into 12th place.
Andrea Wasik’s experience driving the pace car:
I was driving the pace car for the Women’s 4 field (also drove the Men’s 3 which was called at the top of the KOM on what I think was the 3rd lap). The Women’s 4 was my first time at the wheel of the pace car. I had Linda Stevens riding Shotgun and Kathy Martin as Backseat Rear Guard. It was very tough holding the field back for the 1st mile, which we were told was to be neutral. According to the official, neutral means whatever speed the driver deems necessary to keep the pack together and keep everything calm. It’s hard when there are a bunch of riders behind you who are definitely ready to race! Anyhow I kept watching for the white heart balloons, our sign to start racing, but when I was just about there the follow car radioed me to say that a couple riders were falling off the back and to try to hold it back until they got back on. It then proceeded to POUR! Anyhow soon enough we decided it was time to go, and we were off! The pack seemed to break apart pretty quick, though it was hard to see much action due to the heavy rain during the first lap. I can’t imagine what it was like back there – can’t wait to read the rider reports! Soon enough there was a lead group of 5, then it quickly dropped down to 3, and then 2. It stayed that way for the remainder of the race, with Elle Anderson and Merideth Ehn working together. It was amazing to see them gliding up those hills with what looked like such ease. We wound up passing about 6 of the 1/2/3 Women along the way, which was impressive as they’d started several minutes ahead of our group. We had some Masters Men approach our group of 2 and we maneuvered to get them & their pace & follow cars ahead of our leaders, but shortly after they passed, they sat up. We were by now approaching the fire station intersection, and our ladies were flying – we then had to slow as we were bumping up against the Men’s follow car! It all ended with a great sprint. Merideth was pulling Elle, who played it perfectly and sprinted past Merideth to take the win.
It’s a lot of fun driving the pace car, in fact it tired me out so much I felt like I’d been racing!