Here's my attempt at my first race report. It's been almost 48 hours so some of the memories are already a little bit fuzzy.
Elizabeth picked me up and we listened to some happy country music on our way out into the farmland near Sacramento (don't hold it against us that we like country, ok). It was a beautiful day - clear, a light wind and 70 deg. I ate well and slept well the week before. I was very excited - nervous excited because this was my first race and I had been imagining what this day would be like for 7 weeks! When we got to the course and I saw some of the riders warming up I really started to feel the adrenaline surge through my limbs. What a rush!
During our training we discovered that I can sprint pretty well. Lorri suggested that if the race came down to a sprint I might have a good chance. My teammates on the tri-flow development team seemed psyched to try to get me up to the front - to set me up for a sprint. During the strategy talk Lorri had some ideas - most of which seemed to work out in the race! Michelle was assigned to me - to protect me, move me though the pack, chase down breaks, keep me out of the wind etc. (I am getting goose bumps again just visualizing the talk). The rest of the team would try to regroup after the hill on the 3rd lap so that whoever was left could try to set-up a lead out. So that was the plan - I was going to try to win. In my mind win was more like "place in the top 10" since I had no idea what to expect.
We warmed up and headed over to the line - we were kinda off the road on a little driveway while we heard our instructions. I was really surprised at how informal the start was. At the end of his explanations the official just said something like "OK Ladies" and then blew his whistle. We did not go out like "bats outta hell". I stuck on Michelle's wheel right away and I could hear Evan behind me say "nice job ladies". I think this was a comment about the nice warm-up pace. It was so awesome to have little moments of encouragement like that throughout the race.
The first 5 miles I'd say I was 4-5 wheels deep into the pack - about 16-20 riders ahead of me and lots behind. I remember loving the noise of all the bikes on the road - and thinking "ok, so this is a bike race". At the first climb two teams came to the front and did some attacking for KOM points - velo bella and (?). After the climb on the first lap Michelle and Evan kinda took off. I just kept thinking "I'm supposed to be on Michelle's wheel" so I tried to keep up. I had no idea what was going on. Then Anna rode up to me just as we crossed the line to tell me to let them go if they were trying to do something cause they are my team - oh right! I'm not supposed to chase my own team's break. Thanks for the reminder Anna! It was so nice to feel like I was not clueless and alone - just clueless.
After this speed at the line we regrouped. Lorri, Evan, Michelle and others made their way to the front of the pack and I think I could also see Mary and Erica ahead of me. This is where Michelle and I ran out of shoulder on the inside of the road for a little while and we did a little off-roading! Michelle is terrific - very aggressive (in a good way!) and sometimes I was unsure about following her through the pack. I didn't really think I wanted to be so close to the front! Everybody made a wall and kept the pace down - soooo nice to be able to relax in a race. I didn't expect that. I stayed out of the wind and at the second climb I was again on Michelle's wheel, near to the front. The pace wasn't so fast on the 2nd and 3rd climbs. The final lap I started seeing Anna at the front with maybe the front 10 riders. This was also really encouraging to me. Michelle kept bringing me forward but I kept doubting that I should be up that far. Then I would see Anna - if she was up there too then my position must have been pretty good.
On the last climb Michelle said "Alice Go" - I think she lost her breath (she had been working a lot harder than me!) Mary was ahead of me so I got on her wheel. At this point Mary was the 3rd wheel on the climb. I started to lose Mary's wheel and called for her to slow down - which she did. Thanks Mary! Then we were at the top of the hill. The pack was more strung out. I think there were probably 8 riders in 2 lines ahead of me. Michelle, Mary and Anna were there. Unfortunately Anna got stuck between the 2 lines - out in the wind. I was on the outside line. I think there was one rider between me and the other velo girls. I wanted to be on the inside but I couldn't get over there.
The pace was accelerating - perfect to pull me along. I shifted well before the corner to get some harder gears for the sprint, and I got down into the drops. I got pulled around the corner and then things weren't as organized. Some riders moved out to pass. There was a gap ahead of me, so I grabbed a new wheel up the 1st roller. Then at the top of the first roller I started my sprint - seated - and I pulled ahead of everybody going down and then going up I was still in the lead. At the crest of the hill I could feel my sprint decelerating but I wasn't quite across the line - I kept going but I expected to see another rider out of the corner of my eye. I crossed the line and there was still nobody else there, I was so surprised.
That was it - I actually won. My team protected me - encouraged me, advised me, coached and sacrificed themselves to pull me to the front for a win. Wow! Thank you for working so hard.
