Lehigh Valley Winery Crit

When: Saturday, August 30th
# of Racers: 15
# of Sturdies: 2 - Sally and me

Course: This has to be one of the toughest crit courses in our area. It's not technical, there are NO corners, it is just a round loop. BUT, there are two major hills on the course. And, I mean, MAJOR hills. It is common to see everyone in the field shifting down into the little ring on both climbs, and it is the ONLY crit I know in which you can hit 44 mph on one section and 10 or 11 mph on another. And the loop is only just over a mile!

Race: The field was stacked - Kate Veronneau, Jackie Paull, Nonnie Howard, Lorraine Lipfert and Jill Wagget were the top names. Also on tap were last years PA Bar Champ Colleen Hayduk and Colleen Gulick. It was destined to be a tough course.

There were attacks from the beginning, with Colleen Hayduk shooting off the line. Kate launched a few attacks, as did I and Sally. Eventually, on a prime lap, Kate took off and Betty followed. Uh-oh! I chased. Unfortunately, when I asked the person behind me to chase, she essentially refused and wanted to let them go. I was not content racing for third, so I went off on my own. I realized after a few laps that I was not getting any closer to Kate and Betty and not getting any further away from the pack. Keeping the Marlton race in mind, I let myself get swallowed back up by the group. I knew that if I sat in, I could potentially pull my legs back under me and do well in the sprint.

It worked...thank goodness. I pushed it up the final hill (I should have worked it a bit harder, but oh well!) and sprinted to the line. Colleen Gulick got me at the line, so I ended up 4th on the day...3rd in my Category. Sally was 10th after working really hard to slow the pack and cathing up to me and trying to make a chasing break stick. It was a good day for us. We worked well together (as usual) and had a lot of fun!

What I learned:
- some riders simply WILL NOT race. The best thing you can do is try to get yourself with those who will.
- don't wait for others to do your work for you. When Betty jumped, I was expecting other riders to chase her. They didn't and it cost - big time.
- be patient and trust your instincts!