Stage 1: St. Paul Lowertown Criterium

(by Jennifer Reither, aka Jenn X)

Weather played a significant role at the St. Paul criterium tonight for the men and women’s races. Officials decided to shorten the women’s race from 40 laps to 30 laps, given the news that a significant “storm cell” was on its way. As the women lined up for call ups, the clouds open up and rain poured on the women making for a soggy start when the gun fired. Kristen Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce) wasted no time immediately launching an attack and gaining 15 seconds on chase rider, Joanne Kiesanowski (Tibco) with a small pack including Brooke Miller (Tibco), Lauren Franges (Tibco) and Racheal Lloyd (Proman) about 45 seconds behind Armstrong. From a spectator's view, the race was complete chaos, as Armstrong lapped fields, riders were pulled and Kiesanowki was in no mans land, between chase groups. It was not until the race was finished when the crowd actually knew who was 2nd through 4th place. But the winner in the women’s race was clearly Kristen Armstrong whose strength and savvy this evening put her in the sprinter’s jersey, climber’s jersey and the leader’s jersey.

The men’s race started off with ominous skies and wet streets. Kirk O’Bee (HealthNet) made a great attack on lap two with Aaron Olsen (Bissell) glued to his wheel. The two riders gained a significant gap until Andrew Bajadali (Kelly Benefits) and Rory Sutherland (HealthNet) made a great bridge to O’Bee and Olsen. Unfortunately 20 laps into the race a significant crash caused the peloton to sit up and reevaluate the safety of the race. Officials called the race and the peloton agreed that tomorrow’s stage in Cannon Falls would be stage 1. Danny Van Haute (Director Sportif of Jelly Belly) suggested giving tonight’s stage money to the Children’s Hospital. The peloton and crowd cheered for the donation as the Children were the real winners tonight.

Final Recap Women St Paul Criterium

1st Kristen Armstrong Cervelo Lifeforce

2nd Joanne Kiesanowski Tibco

3rd Brook Miller Tibco



Final Recap Men’s race

No result, the stage is a wash. Stage 1 will be tomorrow in Cannon Falls.

Emile Abraham on the Fixed Gear Classic

(by Emile Abraham, Team Type 1)
2004 (Monex Pro Cycling Team): 2nd on Stage 4, Red Wing Road Race

After leaving Atlanta where the weather was 100 degrees and sunny it was nice to be racing in somewhat cooler weather. This was my first time racing on a wooden outdoor track and I absolutely loved it! Initially I thought my weekend would be a disaster as my bike did not arrive in Minneapolis just hours before I was schedule to race the first event. Luckily for me it was sent on the next flight from Atlanta which I received at 5:15pm and racing started at 6pm. A close call but very happy of the outcome…. There was a small reunion as I had not seen a few riders since the track World Cups and raced with Roberto Chiappa at my local West Indies vs the World cycling series in Trinidad and Tobago.

Not being a pure sprinter I was told I needed to start every event in order to be in the running for the omnium. This weekend was my first flying 200TT in many years and recorded 11.732 seconds which was a personal best for me. I had motivation from there on and told Chiappa to watch out! LOL

By the end of the night I was leading the omnium by a mere 2 points over Ben Barczewski and Reberto. Then it was off to the wrong side of the track for what was the icing on the cake for the weekend, a cook out with some really cool people who like to have a good time…. For me that’s right up my ally! I was able to go to bed well relaxed after a great evening of racing and liming (hanging out).

Day 2

Now I have made new friends and excited to compete again looking to defend my overall omnium placing. I knew all I needed was 11 points to secure my position in the omnium, with no stress the atmosphere was very relaxed…. By now I had fans in the crowed cheering for me and what more can an athlete ask for than people in the stands yelling their name? The answer…. More people yelling their name….haha

Winning the miss and out event would have most of the points I need to secure the omnium, but not having the position in the group where I would normally race the miss and out had me punching other riders tickets from the back bringing it down to a match sprint. The crowd cheering for me gave me that extra to pull of the win, now I need at least a fourth in the kerin. My legs were tired so I knew that a smart race would be a necessity and BAMM!!!! I pulled it off and was very happy. This surely made the fact that I was not riding Philly all good. The MN Fixed Gear Classic is probably the most fun I have had racing for the year.

Special thanks to everyone who made the race possible and went out off their way to ensure that the out of state riders were comfortable and had everything they needed. I would definitely come back….

Thanks for reading,
Emile Abraham

Terms from the race radio

(by Giana Roberge, PROMAN/Paradigm, Team Speed Queen)

Many up-close pictures of professional cyclists show them with a radio cord traveling from behind their neck to an earpiece tucked neatly away, usually behind a piece of tape. These radios allow the riders to talk to their teammates in the race as well as their directors driving the car in the caravan behind the peloton. The radios provide information as well as direction from the person driving the car. Below is a list of some of the terms used and what they mean from the director and rider’s perspective.

Attack: When told to attack, riders on the team (who are usually selected at the prerace meeting) look for an opportunity to try to escape from the pack with as few other riders as possible. They do this by sprinting hard away from the group at a time when they might get the biggest gap possible or when it will take enough effort for someone to chase them down that there is a hesitation allowing for a gap to open.

This can also be a warning that there is an attack, and it is usually given with the side that the attack is coming on and, if there is enough time, who or what team it’s coming from.

Bridge: This means that a rider needs to get from the group he or she is in to the group or rider that is up the road. When a rider “bridges” a gap, they typically do it solo or with only one or two other riders. They use an “attack” to bridge the gap. By doing this, the team ensures they have someone in the break, which can either negate the break, or help to keep it away. When someone bridges to the break, he or she has left his or her team behind but has a better chance of winning the stage. However, if a team has a rider in the overall race lead, and the break they are in gains enough time to threaten their team’s overall lead, they may be asked to “sit on” (see below) or to “situp” out of the break and let the main field catch them to assist in the chase.

Cover: Typically used in a prerace plan: “We are going to cover important breaks.” This means that when a split does occur and a break forms, or an attack happens that creates a break, the team needs to have presence there.

Bring Back: This means that the team, working together, needs to bring the attack or group up the road back by riding at the front at a pace that is faster than the break up the road. This is to protect the team’s marquis or protected rider. When the team is bringing back a break, they are doing it in such a manner that their protected rider and most of the field is sitting behind the “train” of riders at the front. Typically, this is done only when the team has a rider in the lead or when they are riding for the race to come down to a field sprint.

Counter Attack: Something that happens when one attack is brought back. It is an effective tool for creating a break, or within an already established break, getting rid of one of the threatening riders.

Chase: Used to “bring back” a break. This is a methodical use of energy, usually timed to precision so that the break is brought back at the perfect time, either to set up for a final field sprint, or when the team can best contain any counter attacks that happen when the break is finally brought back to the main field. Sometimes, a chase can happen almost throughout the race with the team riding “tempo” at the front (see below), with the director keeping close tabs on the time split and notifying the team of exactly the time difference, and the distance to the finish, so that mathematically, the team knows how much energy to invest in the chase. Typically, when a team chases it means there is someone of threat in the break. If there is a break that is no big threat but they want to keep it in a certain time range, the team will ride tempo (see below) at the front of the race. By doing this, they may sacrifice a stage win, but maintain the overall lead of the race.

Tempo: This refers to the speed at which a team rides at the front. When the team has a rider in the yellow leader’s jersey, there are times that the best way to protect the lead is to have the team ride at the front fast enough that it deters any attacks. If there are attacks and a break does form, the team maintains its organized pace line at the front and just picks up the speed enough to bring back the break. The team in the lead will ride tempo until they are close enough to the finish line that they know their lead of the race will not be threatened if an attack does go away and stays clear until the finish.

Sit on: Once in a break, a rider may sit on. This means they will pedal at the back of the break and not assist in the pace making. This is done to either negate the break, or to help slow it down by not assisting in the pace making or a rider will do this in order to rest so that later he or she can have a better chance at winning the stage or attacking the break. If the rider’s team is chasing behind, the rider in the break will never work the break and will sit on. Typically, if a rider has covered a break and the rider’s team has the overall lead of the race, race etiquette dictates that the other riders in the break do not expect the rider whose team has the lead to work the break.

Work the Break: Opposite of sitting on the break, if a rider is working the break, he or she is assisting in the pace making. This also means that his or her team is not working in the peloton behind, and is getting a chance to recover. If the team approves of the break, they will be very attentive in the pack behind the break to make sure no one else bridges to the group in front, or if they do they bring another of the team members with them.

Other information that comes across on the radios is if someone has flatted or had a mechanical, if there has been a crash, when feeding is allowed, where the intermediate sprints are, who is in the break and where they are in the overall rankings and what is for lunch back in the caravan car.

MN based Kelly Benefits' Jonny Sundt on crit racing

Good read on the Pezcyclingnews.com site. Jonny Sundt will be part of a full 8 man contingent representing Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast at the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Emile Abraham on the Stillwater Criterium

(by Emile Abraham, Team Type 1)
2004 (Monex Pro Cycling Team): 2nd on Stage 4, Red Wing Road Race

Emile Abraham is one of Team Type 1’s top sprinters. He has competed in the Nature Valley Grand Prix several times, scoring a number of top 10 finishes – including runner-up on the inaugural edition of the 80-mile Red Wing Road race in 2004 (won by Dave McCook). His memories of the race, though, are overshadowed by a single stage: the Stillwater Criterium.

When someone asks me about the Nature Valley Grand Prix, I think of it as one of the great races on the circuit. It’s a hard race, but certainly not one that is out of my reach. The race has traditionally had some really good courses – with one exception. The last stage – the Stillwater Criterium – is just too hard for me.

If you are not familiar with the Stillwater Criterium, it is perennially the final stage of the race. And it is billed as one of the hardest criteriums in the country. For a guy like me, it’s not even a “criterium,” because it is certainly not a traditional four or six-corner race around streets that are as flat as a pancake.

Instead, the Stillwater Criterium features a long climb and an even longer false flat section just before a raging fast descent that dumps into an off-camber final corner. Then the climbing starts all over again. I’ll say this: The climb is steep, to the tune of 20+ percent grade.

So being a “traditional” sprinter, this race is a really hard circuit. I’ll be the first to tell you that it’s just a little bit much for me. Actually, it’s ridiculously hard. I don’t look forward to it, but at the same time, there’s a real sense of accomplishment when it’s over – regardless of whether you win or just finish.

Don’t take this as sour grapes, though. I love the Nature Valley Grand Prix. But when it comes to the last stage – I really don’t like. So if you want to see me smiling – or even winning in my specialty – head on over to the criterium in downtown Minneapolis. It’s got a great course (flat!), huge crowds and a tremendous atmosphere. I hope to see you there this year.

Armstrong vs. Aaron’s

(by Meredith Miller, Aaron's Cycling Team)

The 2008 cycling season has finally started to roll with the women’s peloton fighting it out at the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Criterium and the Sequoia Classic. The season has yet to shift into high gear as there are still quite a few gaps between race weekends, but it was clearly obvious at these last races that the women are ready to rock and roll.

For me personally, I am excited to be racing with a new team this year, the Aaron’s Women’s Pro Cycling Team. With a bigger, stronger team this year we expect to have much success on the road, as was evident when the team placed 4 out of 4 riders in the top 10 at Sequoia’s 40km individual time trial. We were elated to have done so well, especially after having saddled up on our brand-spanking new Specialized Transition TT bikes for the 1st time just the day before the TT. But, yet, there was one woman racing who almost made us want to pack up and go home. Not because this woman is a terrible person, just the opposite really, but because she is former World Time Trial Champion, Kristin Armstrong – a woman who is so remarkably powerful and dominating she stamps her name on any TT she enters like no one’s business. Clearly, when she beat 2nd place by roughly 4 minutes she’s on track for Beijing.

Now, why do I bring up Kristin’s name? It’s because she and I were teammates during the previous 2 years on Team Lipton, and now times have changed, I have to look at her as stiff competition, the “enemy”. In Sequoia, it was the first race in a long time that I had entered in which I was actually discouraged to see her name on the start list – “damn, why is SHE here?”. In years past, it was exciting to see her win race after race, TT after TT, but now it’s different because I have new teammates that I want to see win. Although Kristin will be racing primarily in Europe this year, she and her Euro team will still be around, particularly at the Nature Valley Grand Prix, a race that Kristin has dominated by riding away from the field at both the Mankato RR and the Stillwater Criterium sealing her overall victory in 2006 and 2007.

As a teammate I was thrilled to be part of these victories, but now I will be playing a largely different role, that of making sure it’s Aaron’s on the top of the podium. How will we contain this woman, a woman who has made the NVGP “her” race? Ah, well, those are the kind of secrets that I can’t share, but you can bet that Aaron’s will be playing every card we’ve got to keep Kristin under control.

Cat's Hill Classic podium

(by Shelley Olds, PROMAN/Paradigm)

This year's Cat's Hill Classic was not as hotly contested as it has been in years passed. Noticeably absent from the women's 1/2 field was the Webcor duo of Karen Brems and Christine Thorburn, who have won this race more times than I can count on both hands. Also, there was no QOM competition this year, which was something I did not find out until after the race. That was a big disappointment because there should always be a King and Queen of the mountain competition in this race. There always has been, so I am not sure why it changed this year.

Megan and I rode the course the night before the race so that she could see the climb once before she raced it. The course is in really bad shape as far as the pavement goes. There are cracks in the road all over the course, especially on the descent and in the last corner. The only smooth part of the course was the 23% climb.

Moments before the race started, my teammates and I got together and talked about strategy. The plan was to make the race as hard as possible by being very aggressive with an early attack and several counter attacks throughout the race. The race was supposed to last an hour, but for some unknown reason, it was cut short by about 15 minutes, which changed the way the race played out as well. Kate and Megan started the race just as we planned with Kate going for the early move and Megan ready to counter. There was an early prime for $100 and I could not resist. I went for it and crossed the line first with ease.

For some strange reason, despite feeling less than stellar, I thought it would be fun to go for 2 more primes throughout the course of the race, as well as the non-existent QOM competition. Someone told me after the race that I would have won it if they had one. Sweet. Good job Shelley.

So, I scooped up $200 in primes and 4 canisters of my favorite recovery clif product and then all of a sudden it was 4 to go and I had just gone for a prime. So, I decided to chill out a bit, stay with the pack that had since dwindled down to about 10 riders, and rest up for the final lap. When the bell rang, it was a group of about 5 of us and I was sitting on the back of the group. I let the attacks happen in front of me and followed wheels until the downhill where I was thinking the whole time, "O.k. time to go." But for some ridiculous reason, I did not. Instead I waited until just before the corner and after Amanda Eaken had already made her move, to jump. When I did, I knew immediately that I had waited too long. I raced her to the line but it was too late.

It was a huge disappointment, as this is a hometown race for me and I believe I should have won the race. But, it was a mistake that I won't make again. I was a bit over-confident and should have trusted my instincts to go in the final lap. Lesson learned. This will just be fuel for the fire.

Thanks for reading - Shelley

(photo via snapfish)

The State of Bicycle Racing - Part II

by John Lieswyn
(Winner, 2002 Nature Valley Grand Prix)

(See Part I here)
So, the ASO says their Tour de France and all their other marquee events will be held outside UCI rule. Is it because the UCI's late but much vaunted doping passport system isn't viewed to be strong enough? I doubt that the French Federation (FFC) can do better. It comes down to an absolute refusal to accept the UCI's system of purchasing a license and a guaranteed entry into the Grand Tours and major events. That system forced ASO and their colleagues to allow in riders whom they suspected may be involved in illegal activities, and then they were proven right as those same riders nearly destroyed their race, their livelihoods. And now the threats are reaching the level of affairs of state and potentially will embroil and tarnish parts of the sport relatively unrelated to the ASO-UCI brouhaha. Why is this important to us "Down Under"? Because we want to see our top Aussie and Kiwi riders demolish the competition at Beijing- we don't want to see the UCI suspend some of the top competitors simply because their French compatriots showed up to work one day at a non UCI sanctioned event. There may have been lots of patriotic chest pounding when the USA walked away with half a dozen cycling golds in 1984, but as a long time teammate of two of those medalists I can say they had far less pride in having beat only half the world's best.

The State of Bicycle Racing - Part I

by John Lieswyn
(Winner, 2002 Nature Valley Grand Prix)

Ask many sports and leisure cyclists what they know of bicycle racing and their response may be limited to Sarah Ulmer and Lance Armstrong. If your interests are a bit deeper than that or you are dismissive of the sport thanks to the recent doping scandals, read on for my take on what seems like an open and shut, black and white case of innocence versus guilt.

It seems to be an especially appropriate time to consider this subject as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) accredited world governing body of cycling, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is currently on a collision course with the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), the owners of some of the most prestigious events in the hallowed history of bicycle racing. Thousands of words have been written in hundreds of news articles about this long running conflict which has now escalated into a showdown where neither side can win, and only the cyclists and the sport stands to lose.

The Tour de France has been rocked by scandal before, with the Festina Watches team story well known and the innuendos against Lance persistent for years. The ante has been raised now with two consecutive yellow jersey wearers implicated. First Floyd's implausible testosterone positive resulting in being the first Tour de France winner in history to be stripped of his title to the subsequent year's Michael Rasmussen being dismissed by his team while in the yellow jersey and looking certain to win the overall. As a friend and former colleague of Floyd I simply cannot reconcile the faulty "proof" with the simple reality check- why would a man who knew he was going to be tested, and had been tested day in and day out, take something so easily detected as a steroid? Many people point to his seemingly impossible recovery of ten minutes the day after losing eight...but let me just say that there were many a day when I hit the wall (ran out of energy) and couldn't pedal another stroke, only to come back the following fully refueled and feeling unstoppable. When the human body is tuned to such cardiovascular peak performance it reacts with incredible speed to whatever is put in the bloodstream. If there is no glycogen then boom, no muscle contraction - complete failure. Pour in some sugary Coke and a Snickers bar and zoom within seconds you can ride 50 km/h. So where was his team car with the Coke? When the peloton is shattered over ten minutes on a steep and twisting narrow climb, the team cars can be completely out of reach. All Floyd's men were long dropped and the bonk had hit him when he was isolated against the world's best riders. None of them were about to whip out an energy gel for him. (By the way, Leppin doesn't exist outside of Australia and New Zealand- so don't believe the hype) The most remarkable memory I have of the body's sensitivity to exertion and fluid/energy intake was at the completion of the USA Professional Criterium Championship... it's one of the few countries in the world with such an event but let me say that while it's nowhere near as physiologically depleting as seven hours in the saddle at Paris-Roubaix, it is one hell of a tough two and half hour war on wheels. This particular year I rode my heart out in an ultimately doomed breakaway during the final thirty minutes, out of fluids and sprinting around a course shimmering with forty degree summer heat. After crossing the finish line I grabbed a bottle in the feed zone and downed it like a rescued Saharan desert survivor. My eyes bugged out wide as the dry skin on my arms were drenched in beaded sweat before the bottle held in my hands was empty- less than thirty seconds. I went from so woozy that I couldn't stand up without the tripod of my two wheels supporting my weight to feeling nearly normal- in less than sixty seconds. In short, the body is capable of physical feats that to most of us seem impossible without artificial help.

Rolling back a little further in cycle racing history, I recall when I was trying to make it onto a European pro team in the early 90s. Word in the locker rooms and team buses was about a new super drug - absolutely undetectable by any testing protocol. It was years and several amateur rider deaths before we knew it as EPO. But we knew something was going on. I went from straight up wheel to wheel battle with Lance Armstrong in 1990 to a support role in '91 and '92 before we went our separate ways- he as a euro-pro and myself taking what I could get as a USA domestic pro. I still harbored dreams of the Tour and relished opportunities my US team could afford, such as Italy's 1993 Settimana Bergamasca (won by Lance in 1991). Given my recent history and strong form, I thought that I should be in the top ten no worries. How wrong I was was spectacularly showcased in a epic mountain time trial. Without special equipment, follow cars or hoopla I set off to prove my worth. Earplugs in to block the sound of the wind (a mental trick to make you feel faster) I climbed a gradual 3% narrow gorge road, an eye on the monster climb approaching. Suddenly a horn tooted and I instinctively pulled right to make way. Phwoosh, an Italian rider SHOT by me as if propelled by a circus cannon. He wasn't breathing hard and he looked at me with a smile as he pounded a massive gear at a speed in the high 40s - uphill. I'll never know if he had been holding on to the team car, he was hopped up on Pot Belge, or was just that much better than me. But that really took a lot of steam out of my boilers and it got worse from there. I had to turn to the third page of results to find my name that night. Even today I can sympathise with the thoughts going through Eric Zabel's mind as he sat dejected on the curb with a teammate after getting absolutely pummelled in yet another race... wondering what to do. Give up one's dreams, career, income and sacrifices or join the cheaters. To so many of them, it wasn't cheating if everyone was doing it. But to me... it was absolutely wrong. They snaked me out of potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars and their actions have cost many people their jobs and dreams over the past decade.

(to be continued - stay tuned!)

Sea Otter NRC Podium

(by Shelley Olds, PROMAN/Paradigm
I want to tell everyone on the team how awesome it was racing with you all this weekend. For those of you that weren't there, let me give you a little run down:

The team for the weekend was 7 strong, with the 5 towers and the two shrimps in attendance. Going into the race, I was a little nervous and unsure about my fitness and how I would feel in this kind of a race. The circuit race at Sea Otter is pretty tough. It's about a 2-mile race course, wide-open and usually very windy with a significant climb and a fast descent on every lap. We did 22 laps on Saturday...

I knew going into the race that it was going to be a race of attrition. I also knew that I had 6 very strong teammates to race with and I was confident that we would be able to control the race. I spent the entire first half of the race conserving energy, watching other teams go for the sprint and QOM points, and spinning as lightly as I could up the climbs. PROMAN was patrolling the front and Rachel was the first to go with an early move that had Tina Pic, Brooke Miller, and Stacy Marple. The move was probably designed to set up a counter move and so Rachel covered it perfectly. Back in the field, Helene was moving towards the front to prepare for the counter. As soon as the move was brought back, Helene attacked off the front and quickly established a big gap on the rest of the field. She stayed off and increased her lead even more.

Then all of a sudden there was a group of 8 riders off the front of the peloton with members from Tibco, Cheerwine, and Colavita in chase of Helene. PROMAN immediately responded and moved our entire squad to the front of the race. There was a moment of indecisiveness when we all tried to figure out if we should bring the move back as a whole, or have one of us go across the gap to join the break. Helene had been on her own for at least 4 laps battling the wind and the course itself. It was in our best interest to send someone else up the road.

Everyone did their part to close the gap just enough for me to jump across on the climb and catch the break on the descent. As soon as I made contact, the team shut down the field and the break was gone. Helene was still off the front and we were gaining on her slowly. Eventually, Helene dropped back to the break and we were comfortably riding the winning break with everyone back in the field resting in for a possible field sprint if the break ended up getting caught.

The break was strong and sort of steady in the beginning with Cheerwine doing most of the work. They had 3 riders out of 10 in the break and one of them was Laura Van Gilder. Helene did her share of the work in the break, even after being off the front for days, and both Tibco and Colavita used a rider to set the pace. In an effort to drop the strongest sprinter in our break, Colavita's Tiffany Cromwell, put in a huge effort on the climb and shattered the break into pieces. The first three chasers were Stacy Marple, Rachel Heal and Dotsie Bausch (who was just covering the move in case they caught her teammate Cromwell). I was not far behind with Catherine Cheatley and the rest of the break was gone, including Van Gilder, Buchanan, and Helene. Now there was a break of 5 with two Cheerwine, one Colavita, one Tibco, and myself.

I did a little work early on to bring the Colavita rider back, but our chase was highly unorganized. Colavita was there to doom the break and allow her teammate to stay off, so that left 4 of us to work. I took my turn trading pulls with the two Cheerwine girls early on until it was obvious that the move was gone and there was no real commitment from anyone in our break to bring her back. That was when I started racing smart, conserving energy, and constantly trying to position myself to cover a move should it come from the Cheerwine duo. Luckily, it never did and I was able to stick with the group of 5 until the end.

With one lap to go, Stacy Marple put in a strong effort on the climb and the break split again, but we reunited at the top of the climb just before the descent. I rolled through and hit the corkscrew first, opening a little gap from the group on the descent. I was reabsorbed on the small riser before the last left hand turn and the attack immediately came from Tibco's Rachel Heal. Marple covered and they opened a small gap on the rest of us. I moved across the gap and caught the two leaders going into the sweeping turn. The group cam back together again before the last right hand turn and we were creeping towards the finish line. Everyone was waiting for the other one to attack and I was patiently waiting for the right moment to jump. I was positioned in the back and waited until about 150m before the finish to jump.

In the field behind me was Virginia, patiently awaiting her moment to unleash her sprint for the finish. Helene and her break had been reabsorbed by the field in the last lap so the field was racing for 7th. Virginia, Kristina, Rachel, and Helene were all nicely positioned in the top 10 coming into the final straightaway and finished the day for PROMAN with 5 in the top 21 riders. The entire team finished the race, which is something to really be proud of as well.

I am really proud of the team. We were a force in the Sea Otter Circuit Race this year and held our own against the best teams in the country. Everyone did their part, we communicated well, and we made decisions on the fly and as a whole that ultimately paid off big time. It was truly a pleasure joining you all for my real first race of the season. You have really established yourselves in the women's national racing scene and I am honored to be a part of it.

Can't wait to race again.

Shelley

invitation for Q & A

After a 20 year pro cycling career including 2 overall wins in the NVGP, I'm retired from cycling and running a bike store & transport planning in Palmerston North New Zealand. If you have any questions about the NVGP or pro cycling you would like me to try and answer, please fire away. Regards, John