So it was great to line up with 150 of the strongest women in the US, if not the world. All the major teams were represented- Colavita, Tibco, Team Type 1, Columia High Road, & Webcor, amongst others. We had a great spot staging- right at the front, and behind the race leaders.
The course is like a 23 mile crit- right up our alley! Even the topography was reminiscent of Texas: long rollers, a 25 mph wind with even stronger gusts, and lots of exposed flats.
It was a great start- fast, fast, fast! Railing it from the gun. The trouble started with all of us comfortably in the pack: Lori's gear choice (the same 13-27 of the prologue,) proved utterly inadequate to handle the 25mph tailwind- we hit 50mph, and Lori's legs spinning at 140rpm, muscularly and cardiovascularly untaxed, but slowly drifting backwards in the pack, totally lacking in a gear to push. So while Lori is futilely spinning her brains out, a Tibco rider hits a downed water bottle and takes Rachel down! Fortunately, Rach is ok, roadrash notwithstanding. Her brand-new Crumpton suffered a smashed Sram shifter, but is otherwise none the worse for wear, thank goodness!
So Rachel rode in the caravan with our fabulous mechanic, Ryan, and team director, Eric. Looks fun!Jen stuck tight with the front pack (whittled down to 30 or so by the end of the race,) losing contact on the final Queen of the Mountain climb, but only losing a couple of minutes through the final windy stretches of the course. Great job, Jen!
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