Thursday, February 19, 2009

Alsatian Road Race 02/08/2009

Going into this race Jen was 1st in GC by only 5 points, so teamwork and smart racing tactics were critical in order for Team Hotel San Jose to win the omnium - or overall competition.

Rachel, Lori, and Jen went over the game plan the evening before and knew what riders to watch for going into the road race, which was the 3rd and final event. Jen wanted to ride conservatively through-out the 45 mile stage due to an extended solo effort off the front in the crit the day before, but she was also ready to get into a break with the other general contention leaders if need be. Rachel and Lori were ready to chase down any moves that looked threatening and were focused on helping the each other maintain safe positioning, particularly going into the final stretch of the race. As the race progressed, the top five riders in the overall were watching each other closely. There were other breakaway attempts going off the front at about 12 kilometers to the finish, these were made by riders interested in winning the stage - but out of contention for the omnium win. Even so, Lori followed these to be sure THSJ was not ever put in the position of chasing, since we knew both Jen & Rachel would be ready for a strong finish, if properly protected.

As the field headed toward the finish, the riders off the front were caught, and everyone was together again for an uphill field sprint. In the last few kilometers before the finish, Jen patrolled the front of the field and waited to chase down any of the last few inevitable moves to go off the front. As these attempts were brought back, they became fewer and fewer. As the end approached, Jen, Rachel, and Lori all decided to stay within positioning for a strong finish and vie for the most amount of points in the omnium. Jen closely watched and stayed near the strongest climbers in the field and knew their wheels were ideal for the mad dash to the top of the hill.

As the field hit about 200 meters to go, the leaders ramped up the pace and Jen knew she had to leave the field early to get a jump before the finish. At 50 meters to go she attacked and opened a gap that no other riders were able to close in time. She held on to first in the stage and first overall. Lori and Rachel had some very solid pack finishes and Rachel also finished tenth in the overall. The girls were very happy to have such great success and communication in this 2nd race of the season and are all looking forward to many more team victories to come!

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