Joe Martin Stage Race

Stage 2 – 69 mile road race

After yesterday’s bunch kick, there were only a few seconds separating most of the peloton.  The strongest opposition for us was Team Cheerwine and Aaron’s cycling team, both with a full squad competing in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  Together, they had 18 “redly clad” (Aarons and Cheerwine) riders following us about the peloton.

However, after winning Tour of the Gila, we were really motivated to repeat the performance.

With a time trial in the afternoon, which has typically been the decider of GC, our plan was to race aggressively but not to waste unnecessary energy.  We predicted a bunch kick so we rode the final 2km during our warm up and planned our lead out.

Our director had spent the past 3 days teaching us important bike skills we needed for a successful lead out.  Not only did we need sheer horse power, but also the ability to hold a wheel, handle knocks and bumps from other riders but how to successfully steal back a team mates wheel that had been taken from us, by another rider (sprinter).  We practised this over and over in the days leading up to Joe Martin in restricted gears (in the 39×21).  This enabled us to practice the technique and skills without taxing our legs that were recovering from Gila.

So as predicted there were many attacks but all were nullified and it did come down to a bunch kick.  After racing in Europe since 2003 on small narrow roads and being 5ft 11 (many describing me as being a tall unit), I love bunch kicks.  I have come to realise how nervous the other riders get because I am so tall.  I enjoy the hussle and bussle in the final 10km and still get a kick out of smaller riders who bump me and bounce off me.

So I have to say that today’s lead out was one of the most perfectly timed one’s I’ve been involved in.  With 8km to go, there was a mass of red at the front as Cheerwine and Aaron’s marshalled their 18 riders.  Without a moment’s hesitation, Katheryn found my wheel and stuck to it like glue.  My job was to guide our green train.  Amber was on Katheryn’s wheel and Rachel was our designated sprinter, sitting an inch off Amber’s rear.

As planned, with 1.5km to go, Bev attacked as hard as she could up an overpass.  She picked the windy side of the road and drew the entire peloton to the left, exactly as discussed in our meeting the evening before.  She was our decoy and it worked to perfection.  As the peloton reached her wheel down the left side of the road, I started our lead out a little to the right.  Katheryn screamed to me that she had my wheel and I opened it up full gas!!  I did 400m all out and flapped my elbow just before I blew up.  Katheryn took over and did the next 400m.  Amber delivered Rach to the 300m mark and dropped her off to duke it out with Laura Van Gilder’s (Cheerwine).

Rach crossed the line in 3^rd place, a fantastic job against one of the top sprinters in North America.  Now its time to rest up for the time trial this afternoon.