Palmer Road Race, Mass. 4/29/07

[A two-race weekend, if you didn't read Maria's Sturbridge report yet, scroll down and read that first! —Liz]

This course had more climbing and was a little longer than Sturbridge. Two 20 mile loops with a slightly uphill finish.

Nancy came to the race, so there were 2 of us in Red and Black. So great to have a teammate in the field.

The first lap was uneventful. We kept a steady pace and the pack stayed together.

The second lap was more fun. Nancy put in some wicked attacks to wear out the rest of the field. Then a women put in another attack. I jumped on her wheel and tried to work with her. The field caught us though. I knew we wouldn't get away, but hadn't been going very fast during any other part of this race, so it was good to get the legs moving before the sprint.

We did the last turn and Nancy was trying to keep me from getting boxed in. She was moving me toward the front when suddenly she had no legs left. I went around her and snuck up the right side trying to get a better position. It seemed like I was in the middle of the pack when the sprinting started. I was frustrated by my positioning, but put my head down and charged. I got third, close to second, but a top 3 nonetheless. How did I pull that off ? 2 days of no wheels to draft off at the finish, yet 2 of my best finishes. Huh?

As NYC women, we did well. There were 4 of us from 4 different NY teams in the top 10. I got 3rd, Ashley from Radical got 4th, Kendall from Razorfish got 5th and Martha from Metro got 9th. Nancy came in close behind at 11.

Martha and I celebrated with egg sandwiches at a local bakery before heading back to the city.

Sturbridge Road Race, Mass. 4/28/07

FINALLY!!!! I won my first road race.

I was told that Sturbridge was a tough race with a dangerous finish. The race is 5 times around a 7 mile loop. If the pack was still together, it could be 45 girls sprinting downhill for the finish line. The finish is known for crashes and after crashing last month, I wasn't looking forward to this race.

Brent, my new coach, gave me an excellent talk the night before and encouraged me to take chances at the finish. He of course didn't want me risking my skin, but emphasized to not hold back and to just go for it.

I was terrified during most of this race, and yes...I even considered pulling over and just getting lunch from the food stand. Some of the riders were so unskilled and I was constantly trying to move away from them. On the second lap some women's handlebars behind me got a bit tangled and I heard a long shreek that ended with the dreaded sound of metal and pavement. I moved more forward in the field, determined to get through the fear and finish the race in one piece.

On the last lap, I asked a rider how many more laps. She responded it was the last lap and that is why we were going so slow. Glad I asked! I thought we had 2 laps left. And I am lucky she didn't lie.

I knew I had to move up to the front of the pack, but not right up front for the sprint or I would create a great leadout for someone. As we did the last turn before the finish, everyone was jockeying for position. Then I heard it. A crash behind me. This shook me up, but I used that energy to just focus on getting through this scary finish. Suddenly I could see the finish line up ahead and I was not where I wanted to be. I made the decision to fight and do something about it. The Boston team had two lines of 3 girls, a couple of very organized leadouts,impressive. But they left a small space between the two lines. I could see the finish line maybe 75-100 meters ahead, I got low into my drops, stood up and went for it. Somehow I passed them all. I was thinking "could I actually be winning this??" I saw the finish line, but kept going just to be sure. Seconds later a rider named Heidi rode to my side and congratulated me. I had to swallow hard so I wouldn't start crying. (geez, I am so emotional sometimes) She said I won, but I was convinced someone must have outsprinted me on the sides. Maybe I just hadn't seen them since I was so focused.

I rode easy to the car and made my recovery drink. Martha from Metro rode up a bit later and asked how it went. I told her I think I could have won. She was happy for me, but I asked her not to say anything until the results were posted. We got some food and rode to see the results. My name was next to the number one. I was in disbelief. Martha took a photo of the placings, but we laughed later when we realized they were in pen and the photo wasn't proof since we could have written them ourselves. The win seemed more real though when Ashley from Radical told me she saw the finish and saw me cross the line first. We celebrated with a few sweaty hugs amongst the NY girls.

All, in all....a day full of surprises. The cycling gods were with me, my head and legs were finally communicating and the rest days that I took Thursday & Friday helped me be fresh. I am still shocked, but the photo at the finish is the proof! I wanted to finish so bad that I won. How funny is that?

Maria on NYVC

Go now, read a great interview with Maria at NYVelocity.

She rocked her races last weekend, and people are starting to realize how good she is! And she's ours, all ours!

Introducing CRCA/Third Nature

Here we are, all kitted out for our winter training of eating and drinking! Maggie's the only one missing—must be off actually riding her bike or something!

So, Third Nature? You're probably wondering, so here's the short story—our favorite title sponsor, the Bicycle Workshop in Tenafly, NJ is expanding this winter. Opening very soon, the new shop is located in Teaneck, NJ and will be our new title sponsor. The new store is going to be a great combination of high end bikes and all the things you need to make your riding work better for you, from nutrition, to classes, to travel. Look for us in snazzy new kits sometime this spring! We're going to miss the red and black, but we think the new color combo of orange, grey and white is going to really show off our personalities!

We're still here!

No worries, the PodiumGrrls are still riding, still racing, still having a grand old time riding bikes!

We finished off the road season with a Team Cup race. Coffee called us away from checking the results, so we ended up losing a spot (yes, we know better. Ah well.), but since the overall wasn't changing, it didn't make any difference. We took 2nd in the Team Cup for the second year in a row when all the numbers were finalized.

Nancy won 'Most Improved Rider-Female' for CRCA this year—how cool is that? This is the second year we've had a rider win (or share) this particular award and it's always flattering to realize other riders are aware of your hard work.

And I tried to focus on cyclocross with limited success but a lot of fun. The highlight was definitely Nationals in RI, although the Verge races in RI were an awfully close second if only for the pure fun of not travelling solo! Nationals was a great experience, the course was so much fun, and it was just evilly delicious to have that many girls out racing.

So now we're all in the middle of winter training (well, some of us are just starting!), looking forward to those wet, cold, spring races, and looking for more sponsors. Know anyone who wants to help support a women's team in NYC? Drop us a line! Money, product, free food....it's all useful!

Getting Started in Cat 4 Racing

A while ago, Stillwater Heron asked how one gets started in Cat 4 racing. (A real-live reader who doesn't ride for CRCA! How exciting!)

An excellent question.

Short answer, you just do it. Show up to a race, fill out a 1-day racing license, pay your fee, and line up with the rest of the girls.

Long anwer is actually a lot like the short answer. Because a lot of getting started in racing is really just showing up. But if you want to make a really good experience of that first race, a few tips:
- find a race with a Cat 4 women's field. It will still be hard, there may still be moments where you think "OK, I'm dying now." But racing with other women who have roughly equivalent amounts of experience tends to make everything a lot more fun.
- look into finding women's racing clinics in your area. In NYC, one of the CRCA women's teams does a clinic every summer. A "controlled" three-lap race, escorted by active women racers, it's a lot of fun for everyone involved.
- be prepared to hold your ground. Racers can be pushy, and sometimes it's not worth making a fuss over, but you want to feel comfortable enough on your bike that if you knock elbows you'll be generally OK.
- make sure your bike is in good condition. It doesn't need to be the most recent thing, but it should shift smoothly and you should feel comfortable on it.

Now that it's fall, I'd also recommend a cyclocross race. It's a lot different than pack racing, but a great way to gain technique and skills, plus since the group tends to break up wicked quickly, if you aren't comfortable riding in a pack, you're still in the race.

Questions? Comments?

Silvermine TT by Maria

Luckily it didn't rain as the weather people predicted, but it sure was juicy out and the wet roads kept a number of riders from showing. The course was easy to follow, beautiful and the hospitality and organization of the event were top notch.

The course started with some climbs on Seven Lakes Drive. The rolling hills lasted about 3 miles and then it was relatively flat. After the turn-around, I finally gained time on the woman in front of me. I managed to pass her, but never caught up to Bonnie from NY Velocity who was sent off 2 minutes ahead of me. She was my unrealistic rabbit to catch. Bonnie had a great ride and finished in 3rd.

My only mistake in this race was thinking that there was a bit of climbing at the end of the race. The rolling hills I had climbed at the start seemed like nothing on the way back because of the momentum from a descent. I saved myself too much for the end climbs and was shocked to see the finish line. I sprinted to the line knowing that I didn't ride my hardest since my legs felt great. Ooops.

I was convinced I messed up placing well since I felt like I could keep riding afterwards, but to my surprise I won by 50 seconds. I was so happy that I didn't mind putting on my sweaty team jersey again for a few photos.

TBW Women's Series Standings

One race to go, and there's a lot of competition in the standings. Bear Mountain will make or break this thing, so go register now! Cat 4 women will have their own start, so racing will do more than just getting you more points in this series—it will also help encourage promoters to continue offering W4 fields.

Place Name Points
1 Andrea Urist 335
2 Yo Kumm 270
3 Robin Zimmerly 248
4 Jennifer Bodine 247
5 Katherine Russell 240
6 Hannah Carrithers 228
7 Teresa DiSessa 224
8 Pamela Saltzgueber 218
9 Elaine Molinaro 215
10 Maria Quiroga 195
11 Annie Malouin 183
12 Wendy Cohen 174
13 Peg Fontello 158
14 Kate Flore 155
15 Elizabeth Kaftan 152
16 Dominique Hall 151
17 Alison Lonshein 144
Cynthia Steiner 144
Jennisse Peatick 144
20 Nancy Heller 138
21 Lisa Maxted 110
22 Lisa Manfredi 106
23 Elena Leznik 100
Cecelia Pleva 100
Leah Oppenheimer 100
26 Kelly Ann O'Connor 96
27 Vickie Kostic 92
28 Kat Campbell 85
Tracy Wargo 85
30 Kate Giordano 80
Lisa Dupuis 80
Mary Cortright 80
Jillian Duncan 80
34 Martha Bush 75
35 Erica Adelberg 70
36 Ashley Prine 68
37 Erin Dyer 64
38 Caroline Gaynor 62
39 Bonnie Fletcher 60
Joann Rude 60
Dawn Wylong 60
42 Shelly Farmer 58
43 Maggie Estep 20
Christina Peske 20
Kelly Milton 20
Elizabeth Liguori 20

Pathetic

You just know a race hasn't gone well when the conversation in the car goes like this:

"I was just pathetic. That corner! I must have gone 3 miles per hour every time through that corner."

"No, you were fine. I was pathetic. I chased on every single lap!"

"You're both nuts. I was way more pathetic than both of you. I mean, I'm the sprinter and for some reason, I thought going through the u-turn in 10th was going to work out? I'm pathetic."

One thing we did all agree on was that the very short course in Denville, NJ was not at all fun. Thanks to a flood taking out part of the course, it was edited down to 4/10 of a mile. Two proper turns in quick succession, followed by a u-turn into a headwind. Repeat 25 times, and there's only one word for it.

Pathetic.