Giro del Cielo by Andrea

Cat 4 Giro del Cielo, Sussex County, NJ

Crit:

As it started drizzling I got a bit worried about slick roads and sketchy bike handling. In the first half of the race I drifted towards the back which was a big mistake since it meant braking in every turn and then sprinting. I came to my senses and realized I was wasting too much energy since there were still a lot of laps to go so I took the inside line through a turn and moved towards the front. Things got much better after that. There was one attack that looked threatening since there was at least one rider from the very strong Artemis team in it and her teammate was at the front of the pack attempting to block. We chased it down though- their tactics were pretty obvious even for a cat 4 field. The course was around a parking lot and totally visible from everywhere, so it would be tough to get away.

There were lots of premes. I went for one but was outsprinted. Those of us who sprinted tried briefly to get away, but that didn’t work. Artemis has some big powerful riders who weren’t going to let anything get too far up the road. The pace heated up in the final few laps. One rider thought the second to last lap was the bell lap and didn’t realize we had one to go. She slowed down and gapped off half the field. I was far enough in the front to get past her as the pace intensified. Unfortunately I was on a slow wheel for the field sprint and couldn’t get around it fast enough, so eighth place was all I was able to do.



Circuit Race:

I was not the only one worried about the heat, so we were all pretty happy to hear that the race would be shortened by 5 laps. The race proceeded at a moderate pace. There were a few little attacks, but everything got chased down. Once again, team Artemis wasn’t going to let anything get too far up the road. I stayed towards the front of the field for most of the race and focused my efforts on conserving energy and making sure I was in a good position on the hill just in case anything took off from there. Things stayed together for the final lap and Alison made a really good attempt at leading me out up the hill, but as we got there I noticed the action taking off in the middle of the field, so I went with it and managed to take 4th. My sprint has improved but could definitely use some work. In a race like this, it’s all about strategy and positioning for the final sprint.

Union Vale RR by Maria

Cat 4 Women's Race (sunny, 92 degrees, newly paved heat absorbing black roads and minimal shade)


This was my first race representing the team, so I wanted to do well and make my teammates proud.

The race consisted of two 14 mile hilly loops with a final climb to the finish line that lasted 1.5 miles. I was told the course was similar to Fitchburg's road race, but shorter and less intense. I can honestly say that with the heat, it didn't feel that way! Amongst the 30 or so riders, CRCA was well represented with Elena, Jennifer and Cecelia from Radical Media, Martha from Sanchez Metro and a couple of unattached CRCA riders.

After one slow paced loop, there was an attack that a couple women and I successfully chased down. The field re-grouped and stayed together until the last 5 miles, when the pace picked up. The pace remained fast going into the final climb and a group of us picked it up once more to try separate the field. It worked. After about 1/4 mile or so up the hill, there were only 4 or 5 of us left. I kept looking for the "1KM to go" sign and it seemed to never come. I convinced myself that I had somehow missed it and that I was almost done. No such luck.

After a few more minutes of pain, I got into a rhythm and took control of my breath. My heart rate hit an all time high of 183, a number I had never seen! I sped up once more and passed the woman who was #3 going up the hill. When I finally reached the "1KM to go" sign, I increased my pace once more to try to catch the two women battling it out for first place. They were just up ahead of me, but as I increased my pace, they increased theirs.

When I crossed the finish line I kept peddling and about a mile up the road, it hit me. I actually finished and somehow got 3rd! Only a gatorade popsicle would have made the end sweeter.

-Maria Q.

TBW Cat 4 Series Update!

After 3 races....

The series has seen some great racing so far, and here are the current standings:

Place.....Name.......................Points
1..........Maria Quiroga............195
2..........Andrea Urist..............180
3..........Dominique Hall..........151
4..........Elena Leznik..............100
............Cecelia Pleva..............100
6..........Kat Campbell...............85
............Tracy Wargo................85
8..........Kate Giordano.............80
............Lisa Dupuis.................80
10........Martha Bush................75
11........Wendy Cohen..............72
12........Erica Adelberg.............70
13........Ashley Prine................68
14........Alison Lonshein...........66
15........Erin Dyer.....................64
16........Caroline Gaynor..........62
17........Bonnie Fletcher............60
18........Shelly Farmer..............58
19........Maggie Estep..............20
............Meg Cortright.............20


Next up in the series is this weekend's Giro del Cielo stage race. It's a great opportunity to rack up the points: we'll be scoring the time trial, crit, and circuit race separately! But more importantly, it promises to be a fun weekend of racing. For more information, visit the event website at Skylands Cycling. Race day registration is available on site.

About the series:
The 2006 TBW Cat 4 Series comprises the Grant's Tomb Criterium, the Skyscraper-Harlem Criterium, the Lou Maltese Memorial, the Giro del Cielo stage race, and the Bear Mountain Fall Classic. Take part in any of the races and you're automatically registered in the series.

Lou Maltese RR, Central Park

We were prepared to shine today, and thanks to some wicked hard efforts by Nancy, we absolutely did.

Four laps of Central Park, just us cat 3/4 riders—we were determined to do well. Radical Media put in some excellent attacks, but nothing stuck for more than a few moments. Not surprising, as a number of the girls in the field seemed to be pretty determined to make sure they were there for the finish!

Fourth time up Harlem Hill, Karen Ulrich made her move, a massive attack up the last half of the hill. Nan was closest and went flying after her along with Erin from Champion. The three of them held it together down the west side, but no one in the field wanted to let them go—and Elena from Radical finally closed the gap enough that the rest of us were able to catch back up to the escapees.

Things slowed up a bit around the base of the park as a CRCA rider took the lead. The rest of us rested our legs and jostled for Kimelle's wheel—which was precisely the place to be. Nancy Modica kept her out of the scrum and she took the win with relative ease. Nan and I battled up the hill, passing Lori Romano on either side as she tried to stay with Kimelle, and took 2nd and 3rd. Andrea took 3rd in the cat 4 field, so we had 3 podium spots amongst us.

A good day's work....back to CP in the morning for a women's field club race with Harlem Hill points. Should be fun!