Benjamin

(Yes, things are a little behind here at PodiumGrrls Central; one day at a time, eh?)

Astute readers may have noticed a change on the rider list—yup, Andrea is no longer expecting, she's a mom!

Benjamin was born June 27, 6 pounds 14 ounces. Cute as heck.

5 weeks later, the whole family is doing great and we're planning to hold Andrea to her promise to get on the bike any day now! There's still some big races to do before the end of the season, and she did ride almost up to her delivery date...!

Good and bad

CRCA Team Cup, a 6-lap points race

On the upside, Emma and I were in a five woman break that swept up all the points on the third and fourth laps.

On the downside, the break was established in part by Caroline hitting the ground with 7 other riders. We didn't know that at the time, and that always reeks.

The break finally screwed itself, cat and mousing around on the fifth lap so the field could catch us and have a chance to try and get some points for themselves. One of the Radical girls did that, so I think I took 4th, Emma in 6th or 7th overall. Not too bad considering first and second sprint points were consistently taken by the same two riders.

Back of the envelope calculations without complete knowledge of what the final results were indicate we may have moved back up into third in the team standings.

Tour d'Toona by Emma

Hoss’s Martinsburg Circuit Road Race
Friday, July 29, 2005
Women’s categories 3/4
19.2 miles

I drove to Altoona with Julie Reid (CRCA/Rocky Mounts) and we stayed at the Days Inn a few doors down from Reem Jishi (CRCA/Radical Media). I have to say that Altoona is a nice town with really generous and friendly people, and the riding in the surrounding areas is beautiful. The circuit course was pretty and the terrain was rolling. There was no climbing really, but there were some technical descents and turns; especially at the last mile to the finish. I was maintaining a good position toward the front for most of the race. Most riders were safe for the most part except for the occasional butt bump to the handlebars. Right before the first turn into town, the field got a little nutty. Everyone knew that position was super important for the final criterium-like 2k before the final sprint, so people started taking risks. Sarah Scott (Guy's Racing) from Philadelphia crashed at the turn leading into the final stretch. Tragically she is left paralyzed from the waist down. She gave an interview on cyclingnews.com on August 10. Her attitude is unbelievably positive. What an inspiration.  



We didn't know that the crash was so dramatic for Sarah so most of us kept racing.  No one else crashed, but the field was stopped in their tracks.  I was next to her and to the inside and had to slow down a lot. I was stuck grinding up the hill in my big chain ring and had to chase like a bandit after the front group of riders who were accelerating rapidly. I managed to pass 4 or 5 gals and finish 14th. Going into the race, I was really excited about this type of technical finish. That's bike racing--exciting, exhilirating, scary and dangerous.



Podium finishers: Klemper-Johnson (Mission in Motion) finished 3rd, Drakulich (SAAB) 2nd, Cody Andrews (NCVC) 1st. 
Verizon/Boscov’s Road Race, Altoona/Blair County
Saturday, July 30, 2005
W 3/4
20 miles

The start/finish was at Jaffa Mosque. Reem, Julie and I got to the race nice and early. We parked our cars in an empty lot above the main parking lot. We had a fun warm-up in a shady section with Gwen Stefani blasting out the car. The start%2

Giro del Cielo by Emma

July 16-17, New Jersey

Skylands Park Criterium
40 laps (~30 miles)

I told a few CRCA girls that I’d be attacking at the line, in the hopes that they’d join me, but I ended up riding several laps solo before the field caught me. This race was not without excitement. Big primes and lots of attacks kept the pace hot. Mara Miller (Somerset Wheelsmen) took it to the bank winning an espresso machine and lots of cash. (I bought the espresso machine from her). There were several attempted break-aways with me in them, but nothing could stick. The course was completely open and all riders were visible to each other at all times. With one lap to go, Mara picked up the pace with Hannah Long (CRCA/Metro Sanchez), Jaimie Epstein (CRCA/Radical Media) and me on her wheel. I didn’t jump soon enough before the finish and was only able to take 3rd. Hannah sprinted past Mara who was a close 2nd.

Sunrise Mountain TT
4.6 miles uphill

Cannibal style was the preferred mode of transportation. The TT was short and intense. The course was beautiful—a narrow road in the middle of the woods. The weather was hot and muggy, but I’m getting used to that by now. I was blown away with my time, one minute behind Mara and 30 sec behind Betty Tyrell (Somerset Wheelsmen). My time was 15 and 30 sec faster than 4th and 5th place. I may become a decent time trialist after all. Thank you Julie Reid for lending me your amazingly light race wheels.

Sussex Fairgrounds Circuit Race
30 laps (~36 miles)

This was a pretty course with a windy section and a short, power climb approximately 200 meters from the finish. Betty Tyrell, Hannah Long, Mara Miller and I were close on the GC and were carefully watching each other. After several attempts, Betty Tyrell got a gap on the field. No one was going to chase her and her teammates began to block. I urged Hannah to work with me to catch her, but she was determined to sit back and let others chase. I attacked and bridged solo up to Betty which took almost 2 laps. Once I caught Betty, she and I worked together to keep the field at a comfortable distance. With 2 laps to go, the field was more than half a lap away. I knew we were safe. I began to sit up a bit, saving myself for the final sprint. Sure enough, at 50 meters to go, I dug deep and sprinted past Betty. Her skillful time trialing abilities and enthusiastic cheerleading were instrumental in keeping us away for 7 laps. Betty’s teammates and Reem Jishi (CRCA/Radical Media) supported our efforts by disrupting the field’s chase. This was my first road race win. What a wonderful feeling.

A special thanks to Heather Labance (Skylands), Brook Wilson (Somerset Wheelsmen) and all their “helpers” for putting on a wonderful weekend of racing. Thanks also to all the supporters who provided the generous primes and prize money.

Race Series Final Standings!

Thanks to everyone for participating in the Tenafly Bicycle Workshop Women's Series—it was a big success. All riders are cordially invited to the end of season BBQ hosted by Tenafly Bicycle Workshop in Tenafly, NJ. Details to come soon!

If you have any thoughts regarding this series or planning the 2006 series, please let us know!

Category 3

1 Emma Nelson 445
2 Stephanie Bleecher 388
3 Elizabeth Tyrell 330
4 Hannah Long 295
5 Cindy Ma 290
6 Liz Seward 260
7 Diana Panchyk 220
8 Heather Labance 195
8 Mara Miller 195
9 Leslie Jennings 185
10 Karen Ulrich 175
11 Reem Jishi 170
12 Angela Johnson 162
13 Jaimie Epstein 153
14 Barbara Shweky 152
15 Jill Waggett 150
16 Jane Berger 147
17 Marie DeRosa 144
17 Jane Kenyon 132
18 Jennifer Magur 100
18 Kristina Eaton 100
18 Lisa Jellett 100
19 Shelley Reynolds 95
20 Margo Herman 90

Category 4
1 Nina Santiago 402
2 Carol Picot 318
3 Caitlin McVarish 313
4 Laura Tyson 304
5 Julie Reid 275
6 Lisa Manfredi 270
7 Wendy Cohen 237
8 Suzanne Tempsick 232
9 Elaine Molinaro 223
10 Kelleigh Dulany 213
11 Karen Bechtold 190
11 Teresa Disessa 190
12 Kimille Taylor 180
12 Nancy Ford 180
13 Gloria Deucher 165
13 Karen Ulrich 165
14 Evelyn Heinbach 161
15 Lise Dupuis 159
16 Margaret Schotte 155
17 Suzanne Huelster 150
18 Tania Ayoub 147
19 Martha Bush 136
20 Nancy Camp 132


Points were calculated used the following scale:

1st) 100 points
2nd) 95
3rd) 90
4th) 85
5th) 80
6th) 75
7th) 72
8th) 70
9th) 68
10th) 66
11th) 64
12th) 62
13th) 60
14th) 58
15th) 56
16th+) And below 25 points

If you have any questions, please email: emma (at) getfitnyc.com