Beaufort Recap- Onward and Upward

Hello again!  Paceline Projects p/b Veloforma is slowly inching our way up in the Speedweek competition.   Hopefully this steady progress continues!  Yesterday evening I lined up for the 3rd race in the series in Beaufort, SC.  With a particularly tight and technical corner on turn #1 which spits the riders that make it through upright out on a narrow road, I knew that I would have to do a better job of positioning myself in the race if I wanted to stay safe and have a decent result.  After a nice spin on St. Helena Island in the morning and a stellar pre-race turkey sandwich (and yes, Rocky and Joan roasted this turkey themselves so it was delicious and noteworthy), the legs were feeling good and I was ready to race.  My new Beaufort fans were very vocal during the race, and Rocky's reminders to move up were encouraging and did the trick.  I stayed out of trouble and spent more time towards the front than I have been the past couple days, so success in that regard.  With Mellow Mushroom and Tibco forming a strong break of two up the road, multiple all racer primes, and few field primes, the pack was fairly complacent and those of us in the field prepared for the field sprint.  We went through a sweeping bend heading to the finish line and things became a little dicey when some were not very careful to hold their lines.  It happens.  With no where to go but into the barriers or another rider who was also trying to avoid the sporadic sprinting, I had to ride in at the same position I headed into the finish with.   About 10th or so.  Finished 12th for the day.

Veloforma enjoys Beaufort view at dusk.  Special thanks to Alex Raicer for providing me with some super fancy wheels to race on this week. 

Enjoyed a wonderful post-race meal (a local shrimp, chorizo sausage, green apple, alfredo sauce, mozzarella and basil pizza) with Rocky, Joan, their neighbors, and Sara Clafferty, another racer who volunteered to be my travel buddy for the remainder of the week.  In case you are curious if this seemingly bizarre pizza combination was good, it's a ordering risk worth taking if you have the opportunity.  Very tasty.

This morning called for an early departure, as I volunteered to visit a local elementary school in Walterboro, SC the location of today's race.  Of course, I woke up to this funny card from the Keith's wishing me a Happy Birthday before we continued onward to Walterboro.

Joan & Kat 

Sara and I were escorted to Forest Hill Elementary School by Melissa who heads up the Let's Go! Program which aims to get more kids and their families moving and eating healthy.  We arrived to a packed auditorium with very enthusiastic kids to discuss bike safety, making healthy snack choices, and the races tonight.

We had some volunteers come up to the stage to see if they could pick the bikes up, and of course even the littlest ones, hoisted my Veloforma right over their heads with ease.  They had many questions ranging from "I like to ride fast, but my dad tells me to slow down or I'll break my bike, but I really want to ride fast, what do I do?" to "What do you do when you can't keep up with your friends?"  Of course there were the usual inquiries too: Why are your tires so thin?  Why do you wear that?  Why do your pedals look like that?  Are you famous and have you been on TV?  I had a great time and sounds like we will have some young fans out there tonight to wish us luck.  I'm planning on doing a bit of spectating this evening as well.  Kids' race in a few hours!  Excited for tonight and was notified by my friends and forever teammates, Debony and Bruce, from back home in NH that I'm sitting in 10th overall.   Looking forward to continuing that upward climb this evening!

Stay tuned...

Rosewell & Other Speedweek Updates

Greetings from Beaufort, SC!  After a hectic couple of days, I have the opportunity to put my feet up and reflect on Speedweek thus far.  So, we've hit some bumps.  After an exciting first race at Athens, Whitney and I were geared up for our race the following day in Rosewell, GA, eager to use our diverse strengths to complement one another and achieve a notable result.  Unfortunately, luck plays a role in our races, and we were most unlucky this past Sunday.   Early in the race, Whitney was caught up in a crash on the back side of the course which left her quite beat up.  Although this tough cookie was adamant on staying at the race for the finish and postponing the trip to the ER, she eventually caught a ride with the ambulance to have her elbow, shoulder, and hand looked at.  Upon Whitney's direction, I remained in the race and luckily avoided the later crashes.  Feeling a bit unsafe hanging out in the middle of the pack, I opted to take a page from my teammate's book (How to Race Like a Bad Ass Woman: Thoughts and Reflections From an Aggressive Racer.  Chapter 1 Don't be pack fill.)  I got to the front and stayed there for a bit going for a cash prime.  I won the prime and stayed toward the front for a bit after that, but heading into the finish, things became dicey again and I didn't quite have my wits about me.  I drifted too far back heading into the last corner before a long drag to the start/finish line, eliminating all chances of a good result.  I still managed to pass quite a number of riders to secure a 18th place finish.  Eh.  Nice shot from the race on cyclingnews... http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/roswell-criterium-2012/photos/220319

Once I found Whitney's bike, rental car keys etc, I made my way to the ER to find the nurse torturing her (in the kindest way possible) with his scrub brush.  Most of us have been there and know how crummy it is to hit the pavement, although it's impossible to recall the pain of road rash with complete accuracy.  After x-rays they discharged her and we made our way back to Atlanta after a quick stop at CVS for essential items (meds, pints of ice cream, spoons.)  Monday morning, the hospital called Whitney to let her know that they did find a fracture and she needed to follow-up with a specialist.  After packing up the bike and car, I drove Whitney to the airport so she could get back home and start the healing process as soon as possible.  I continued on to our next race location and arrived in Beaufort, SC late yesterday afternoon.  After a long and lonely drive, I was welcomed by my hosts Rocky and Joan Keith and their soccer playing pup Kiley.  They are phenomenal folks and I'm so grateful for their hospitality and company!  Rocky and I went out for a great spin last night and then enjoyed a delicious dinner and my favorite, dessert!

Feeling well rested today and looking forward to a fun night of racing in Beaufort this evening!