So naturally, I'm hopping on a plane to WI. Tour of America's Dairyland began last Thursday and will finish this coming Sunday. 11 races in 11 days with some great courses, lots of prize money, awesome cow print leaders' jerseys, and more chocolate milk than you can possible consume in a week and a half. Although I wasn't able to take enough time off of work to compete in the whole series, I'm pumped to join the ToAD crew for the last 5 days of racing which will include 4 crits on the National Crit Calendar.
Feeling ready to race after an aggressive local race weekend in Salt Lake. Although I came in last, or maybe there was no record of me at all? Who knows, my mind was like pudding after racing in the blistering heat (100 plus degrees) and the strong winds (which blew in smoke from all the fires that have been springing up in Utah), and it didn't occur to me to check the results. Anywho. The race was aggressive with a team of 7 outnumbering all the solo riders who attended the Salt Palace Crit this past Saturday. After covering what seemed like all of the early attacks, I was getting tired and opted to let someone else cover what turned out to be the winning move. Allison Frye from SkiUtah stayed away for the rest of the race to win the Utah Crit Championship. I made a legit attempt to bridge to her by myself in the final several laps, and with 2 to go had the gap down to 10 seconds. That's at least what the folks watching said. I don't remember anything except for feeling the worse I've ever felt on a bike in a while. I don't think I've EVER done that in a race. I'm much happier staying out of the wind and waiting for the final 200 meters, but I was not content with 2nd place. That's right, this "sprinter" went all-in. Seriously, I was 100 percent committed, not "I'll just see what happens..." Sadly, I didn't catch Alison and the field caught me as I headed into the last corner before the finish. I hit the wall in one last attempt to get on a wheel as they went by. I hit the wall HARD. Like tacking back and forth on a flat road HARD. Like losing 5-10 minutes in 500 meters HARD. Rough stuff. Worthwhile for sure though. Hopefully.
Looking to have more success on the bike tomorrow, so please stay tuned!
SKINourishment p/b Paceline Projects focuses on the National Criterium Calendar and hopes to give aspiring riders the opportunity to gain experience and exposure at the professional level in the US.
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