Lago Vista will always have a special place in the hearts of Texas racers: the promoter, long time Austin-area rider Don Hutchinson, cobbles together a community of volunteers and gets the resort community of Lago Vista to welcome us- always a boon!
Lago is a more selective course- it is either climbing or descending, with few flat moments in between. The group started with 35 women in the open- a great field by our standards! With 6 laps to make total, the first few were pretty uneventful, some minor attacks, but nothing that really shook the pack. On the 4th lap, in one of the only relatively flat sections, one of the Brain & Spine girls goes to the front to drill it. Immediately afterward, Jen Purcell attacks, splitting the group: 8 girls down the road, including Colavita pro sprinter Shontelle Gauthier, longtime national-level racer Catherine Walberg, and U23 National Road Champion (and Superweek Sprints winner,) Casey Manderfield. A total of 8 broke off, with myself in a group of 8, behind them. Our pack worked together smoothly, most of us having someone down the road that we weren't interested in catching- the Flyers, AT&T/B&S, and of course THSJ.
The break worked together pretty well until the last half of the last lap (go figure-) when attacks started cropping up. Jen covered what she could, and the group stayed together for a final sprint with the eight. Jen led out the final stretch, then decided waiting time was over, and went for the uphill sprint finish. She held off the other gals, putting 3 bike lengths on the Colavita sprinter, with Catherine coming in 3rd, and Casey coming in 5th. Another V for Jen & THSJ!
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