Winters Road Race

So, it came... and it went! It was my first road race ever, and after the preparation and all the nervousness I had about the race, I'm glad I signed up.

My class was the very last group to start. One of my Team Revs teammates, Pam, was in my class, too, so I at least had a familiar face in the group. The closer I got to the start line, the more nervous I got. A lot of the ladies in my group had a couple to three years of experience, and they were EXTREMELY nice and helpful. I chatted with them a bit, joked, got some tips from them (and from Heather Nielson, a CAT 2 friend of mine. Thank you!)I think that the cold weather got 20 degrees warmer once I was about to start. We got a brief about rules, some mentoring, and the whistle blew.

Off we went into a neutral start for half a mile. We actually got stopped at the intersection were the race starts because the pro men were passing by. We then kept going. I was usually within the first 5 women. Pulled once. Kept having to protect my front wheel because some of the less experienced girls were all over the place, but that was alright, I just kept my cool and didn't do any sudden moves.

The rollers started, and some turns. On one of the turns, a girl pushed another one into the other lane... with a truck coming. Lots of "shits" were being thrown out there. Another one hit another's wheel. More yelling and some "talking to." The feed station came and a girl (an experienced one) cut me off and nearly hit my front wheel, to where a "what the hell?!" was yelled by me.

The climb. Well, I stayed with the group for a while. Then I got dropped like a rock. Pam and I were pretty close, so I just kept her pace. The descent was fine, too. Easier than I remember, but I'm also comfortable with my descending skills.

Pam and I then worked together for the rest of the race. We made quite a good team, even though the winds were, simply put, a bitch out there. The fact that we had each other was good to give our legs a break and we were able to encourage and talk to each other. We had big groups and small groups pass us, some of which were scary because damn! I've NEVER been in the middle of a group that huge before!

The second lap was good as well. Harsher winds but again, we were able to get a break because Pam and I were working together the whole time. By the time that the last kilometer came, Pam said that she didn't have the legs for a sprint, so if I could have it if I wanted it. We decided to just cross the line together so we could show the Team Revs men that the women can join up and work as a team, too ;)

I learned a lot at this race:

- Riding in a group with unknown riders is scary, but I'm glad I finally "felt" what it's like to be in a group like that in a race setting.

- Protect your front wheel and handlebars at all times.

- Talk and communicate, even if you don't know these people.

- Work with someone if you can.

- Always take your registration confirmation.

As far as results, Pam and I got the same time and 10th and 11th place, respectively. 2:39 hours and a hell of a good time. Now that I got my first race under my belt, I'm very excited for my next race, which is Cyclebration.