 |
Link to each race report or just scroll down to browse:
06.24.07 Nature Valley Grand Prix Stage 6
The final stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix is the Stillwater criterium, but a criterium is to the Webcor liking with a 22% hill in it!
We started the day with Rachel listed in 2nd overall in the results with the same overall time as Colavita's Alex Wrubleski in 3rd. Since Rachel was actually .1 sec. ahead of Alex including their time trail times, we had no reason to believe the GC results were not correct. There were no time bonuses at the finish, so we thought all Rachel had to do was finish with the same time as Alex to stay ahead of her. Mara had a great ride and vaulted ahead of everyone except Kristin Armstrong on GC, so the initial GC results after the race listed Mara in 2nd and Rachel in 3rd and everyone on the Webcor team tent was very happy.
Fractions of seconds matter in short time trials, and in UCI races, they also matter in GC. However, in a little known USCF rule, fractions of seconds are truncated from stage results when calculating GC. The Colavita team manager protested the results, since by this rule, Rachel and Alex were actually tied on GC time (after 6 races!). The USCF GC tie breaker is to take the total sum of all the stage placings of each rider, and the rider with the lower sum is placed higher. This tie breaker placed Alex ahead of Rachel in 3rd and Rachel in 4th. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but sometimes that is the way racing is. Had we known beforehand, the results may well still have been the same, but we would have raced differently.
It was still a great race for Webcor with 2nd (Mara), 4th (Rachel) and 9th (Amber) on GC. We took 2nd in Team GC behind Lipton. Mara won the Best Young Rider competiton and was 3rd in the Queen of the Mountain competition. Mara also retained her overall lead in the Women's Prestige Series and Webcor maintained the series lead in the team overall classification. See these CyclingNews photos:
Mara and Kristin on the climb
Mara and Kristin on the climb
Mara on the podium
and the VeloNews version of the story.
Here is Mara's race report:
If I were to give Nature Valley a shape, it would be a ramp. Or perhaps an exponential curve – each day got better, and by the end, these 24-hour blocks were getting better by greatly increasing quantities. The Stillwater criterium, the traditional last stage of this race, is a criterium only by definition of some race promoter long ago who was potentially a little confused. It is really more of a circuit race, starting at the base of a hill which allegedly pitches up to 22% grade, and which definitely is steep enough to forcibly slow you down to conversation pace with some of the spectators if it also didn’t cause severe cardiac distress.
The plan of today was to keep Rachel’s second place on the podium (although we later learned that due to a results error and a tiebreaker technicality, she was really in third… this was a very sad revelation for all of us) and potentially try to move me up in GC by either (a) making the race hard, or (b) allowing me to escape in a group of non-dangerous individuals. After a start in which I secured a call up for myself only to ride like a nuff-nuff and get shot back to mid-pack, Webcor started strongly, with Helen policing the front of the group and making sure that everything stayed together for Rach. Opportunity came knocking when at the top of lap four Kristin Armstrong began to pull away from the group. This was a pure déjà vu of yesterday’s climb in Mankato, and was seriously unacceptable to me. I “attacked” – the definition of this being I pulled to the side of our group and moved past the other riders at a seriously laborious pace, but did indeed manage to move past them and catch up to Kristin.
Kristin and I actually worked together, with myself doing a little more of the work, largely because I was the one who had a lot to gain from the break, being that she pretty much had the race sewn up. Nonetheless, it was awesome to ride with someone who was willing to play even though it wasn’t the textbook definition of what she “had” to do. And awesome to ride off the front of the pack amassing eventually about a minute gap which vaulted me into second place overall as well as second place on the stage.
The chase group had its fair share of green too, being that we had three riders of about 16 represented in Amber, Helen, and Rachel, who accomplished her goal by staying with Alex Wrubleski… a victory in execution even if later events would take the shine off it a little bit. And major props go out to our sprinter, Laura, who monopolized lots of the radio time as we could hear Karen cheering her on in a spectacular climbing performance. Maybe Laura hasn’t been eating enough cake.
Back to the index
06.23.07 Nature Valley Grand Prix Stage 5
After four flat stages, the race finally came to the hills and the Webcor Builders team was ready! After her strong time trial, Rachel was 9th on GC, but only 22 seconds away from the podium. With 15, 10, and 6 seconds time bonuses on the line for the top three places at the finish, the Webcor Builders team knew what they had to do. At the end of the day, the team had put Rachel in 2nd place overall. See these CyclingNews photos:
Rachel on the Podium
Here is Rachel's report:
After yesterday evening's short and fast stage with corners every 20 seconds, today was pretty much the complete opposite, 77 miles of flat to rolling roads with corners every 20 miles or thereabouts, followed by four laps of a finishing circuit with a hill that made the legs hurt just to look at.
The first action of the day came at around 20 miles with the first sprint point (well I guess really the first action came 1km before that when a Tibco rider and an Aarons rider from competing lead-out trains ran into each other and crashed in a corner – the sprint competition is one of the most fiercely fought and I guess neither of them wanted to give way). I'm actually not sure who won what sprints, but at the end of the day, Aarons' Rebecca Larson was still in the Wheaties Sprinters jersey.
A bit later I did my good deed for the day and explained to one of the"24hours of Booty" riders (I don't think that's actually their team name, but it's on their shorts and I can't figure out what the real team name is) that riding at the front leading the pack by two bike lengths and then attacking was a bit of a nuff nuff move and she should attack from further back if she wanted to get any kind of a gap. She acknowledged my superior wisdom (or completely ignored me but got lucky) as not long later she was off the front with a ValueAct rider and the two of them quickly started to build up a decent gap. Back in the bunch things were a little on the dull side, but there wasn't much we could do about it, so we just made sure we had a presence at the front to cover any attacks, rested our legs for the onslaught that would hit us later and Bev got her first experience of going back to the team car for bottles (at some point in there Katheryn unfortunately got caught up in a crash but soldiering on she was soon back on her bike and straight back to patrolling at the front). The gap was hovering around 2 1/2 minutes when the final sprint of the day loomed, and the sprinters teams started ramping things up and the break was caught.
In the confusion that was the 2nd feed zone of the day, a lone rider escaped pretty much unnoticed and with the bunch putzing along she suddenly had a 3-minute gap. Given that she was only 2:50 or thereabouts down on GC this made her virtual leader on the road, and race leader Kristin Armstrong had to call her troops to action and there was soon a yellow Lipton train leading the charge, and the gap went from three minutes to no minutes in what seemed like not much more than three minutes.
As I mentioned earlier, the race finished with four laps of a circuit with a "made for Mara" hill in it. As per the plan, Laura attacked leading into the climb stringing the bunch out and the team did a fantastic job of keeping Mara and me up near the front so that when Kristin Armstrong attacked and shattered the pack we were well placed at the front. Unfortunately none of us was able to match Armstrong as she soloed off into the distance, but Mara and I made it into a select group of eight riders.
The next time up the climb, eight became five, but with noone other than Mara and I willing to work, Armstong was not getting any closer, and it became obvious our group was going for 2nd. The final time up the climb, I lost contact with the group of four, and as soon as they realized that, the two Aarons riders (who had previously refused to put even a nose in the wind) started driving hard, whilst Mara took the free ride and sat at the back watching for me. With about 1km to go the group had stopped looking for me, which suited me fine as it coincided with me realizing I was going to make contact again and I just needed to decide when. Sitting slightly off the back of the group I attacked hard into the final corner and held it to the line to take 2nd ahead of a somewhat suprised Felica Gomez of Aarons. Mara crossed the line with the biggest grin about what she deemed to be a very cool move on my part!
A great team result from a great team effort, GO GREEN :-)
Back to the index
06.22.07 Nature Valley Grand Prix Stage 4
This was a double stage day, which is always tough on riders and staff, but the Webcor Builders Team was ready to go again. See this CyclingNews photo:
Amber at the start
Here is Helen's report:
After resting from an all-out individual time trial this morning, we loaded the vehicles and headed to stage 4, an evening criterium in downtown Minneapolis. With four Webcor riders in the top 20, we wanted to race conservatively in the criterium and focus all our energy into moving up in GC in the final two stages.
This criterium had six corners on a 1.2km circuit. The corners were really technical and this made it even more fun to race as I love technical crits. In fact, my happiness was equivalent to:
- giving Mara a long steep climb and a bag of apples
- giving the Bay area riders a Peets coffee
- giving Rach chocolate, coffee, sunny weather, and telling her you like the Queen
- giving Bev a nice cup of tea
- giving Laura compression tights to wear
- telling Bernard the gears on my Orbea changed perfectly, or
- seeing how pleased Merry is to hand out cokes in the last feed zone without dropping any.
It rained hard all afternoon, so as I rested from the time trial; I plotted and planned a complete shattering of the peloton with a satisfied little Mona Lisa smirk on my face. Unfortunately, the rain stopped and everyone seemed super happy except me. My consolation prize was that luckily the course was still technical so it would remain challenging for most of peloton.
Team Lipton worked hard on the front by keeping the pace high to protect their race leader, Kristin Armstrong. Team Cheerwine also wanted to look after Catherine Cheatley (2nd in GC) from mishaps, so they also did a good share of pace making. Their strategy was perfect and enabled us to sit in for a free ride. Riding 4th or 5th wheel behind the Lipton or Cheerwine train was lovely and not at all taxing on the legs. I hardly braked and stayed out of the wind and rested. And I think the Mona Lisa smirk returned!
There were time bonus sprints every sesven minutes, so Laura and I followed the sprinters' wheels and covered the predicted counter attacks. An interesting piece of data is that sitting on the sprinters was fast, and my Polar data showed 50km/hr for each sprint! The pace was so high that there was no chance of a break succeeding and the peloton prepared itself for a bunch kick. Lipton started the lead-out with three laps to go. On bell lap, they were out of riders and as the field bunched through the start/finish line, Cheerwine and Aarons took over. Laura was sitting in 5th whee,l whilst I took Brook Miller’s (Tibco) wheel just behind. Van Gilder (Cheerwine) jumped from the final corner and took the stage, ahead of Nichole Wangsgard and Brooke Miller. Laura finished 9th whilst I took it too wide on the last corner and didn’t contest the sprint. Now its off to eat and rest which again put the Mona Lisa smirk back on my face.
Back to the index
06.22.07 Nature Valley Grand Prix Stage 3
After an opening criterium and a flat road race, the Webcor Builders team was ready for their forte: a time trial! This one was short, but sweet, with Katheryn making the podium and three Webcor riders in the top five (Katheryn – 3rd, Rachel – 4th, Amber – 5th). Here are some CyclingNews photos:
Katheryn on course
and on the podium
Rachel
Here is Katheryn's report:
Despite what many of us thought, today's course was new for this year. The race promoter felt as if the old course closed down a major road into the city and that moving it to a different location would be better.
 So when the Great Green Machine rolled into parking, many of us were thankful to have enough time to pre-ride this new TT course – consisting of a 4.5-mile out and back. We were pleasantly surprised to find an S-turn about 500 meters from the start/finish line and many of us took time to find the best line, riding that section multiple times.
I was the first Webcor rider off as I was lowest on G.C. (fortunately I had gone from 91st after Wednesday's stage, all the way up to 66th and had many rabbits to chase! Woo Hoo!) and a bit unsure of how my legs would be feeling. Fortunately, my new Orbea Ora (awesome bike) was well equipped with lightning-fast Easton aero front wheel and disc in the rear and I felt at least that I would look good on course!
Being one of the first riders off always is a bit nerve racking if you set a fast time and as I rolled around cooling down, I was congratulated by others for my fast time, yet I knew there were many strong riders yet to go. My teammates all had great rides on this short and fast course and four of us placed in the top 10. Yee Haw!
I maintained the fastest time until Katie Mactier (Value Act Capital, and current Australian National Road Champion, former Pursuit World Champion) bested me by 8 seconds. She sat in the hot seat until current World Time Trial Champion, Kristin Armstong, set a smoking time of around 10:24.
We now prepare for a fun twilight criterium this evening in downtown Minneapolis!
Back to the index
06.21.07 Nature Valley Grand Prix Stage 2
Stage 2 of the Nature Valley Grand Prix was a relatively flat 65-mile road race. The Webcor Builders team was anxious to make the race as hard as possible and shake up the GC after the first criterium. See this CyclingNews photo:
The Webcor pre-race tent
Here is Laura's report:
At 5:30pm, an unusually late time for the start of a road race, around 100 women rolled out onto the rolling roads of Minnesota. Today’s race consisted of a 60-mile loop with 5 short criterium-like circuits to finish off the race. There were going to be three QOM climbs and two sprints. In previous years, this relatively flat road race has been known for its high crosswinds that make it much more demanding. With the anticipation of cross winds again, Webcor was hoping to increase the pace and draw out some of the stronger women.
The pace started off pretty fast with Team Lipton and Cheerwine setting the tempo at the front, positioning their riders for the first QOM, which happened at mile three. Once the first sprint was over the race settled down into a pretty steady pace. In the second QOM Mara charged to the front picking up points to add to her mountain collection. She also picked up points on the third QOM putting her in 4th overall in the Climbers competition.
Halfway through the race, Webcor found the opportune windy section we had hoped for and went to the front to drive the pace. In cycling, we call this putting people in the gutter. Except in Minnesota. I have now learned that they don’t have gutters or even shoulders for that matter. It is simply just the white line indicating the side of the road and then a slight drop off into the unforgiving gravel strip of death. This gravel pit consumed many nuff nuffs today. I have never seen so many people trying to mountain bike on their road bikes before. So we all went to the front and drastically increased the pace forcing the peloton to the edge of the road. Our efforts were successful as some riders were falling off the pace, but unfortunately, the windy section was not long enough to do sustained damage and the peloton came back together again.
Finally after an 800m gravel section, the pack was spit out onto the final circuits; only five laps to go. Team Lipton and Cheerwine went to the front again to keep the tempo fast and safe for their GC riders, Kristin Armstrong and Catherine Cheatley. With time bonuses at the finish, it was an important sprint for everyone. With one lap to go it was mostly the sprinters and GC riders left to contest the steep uphill sprint finish. In the end it was the Tibco rider Brooke Miller taking the win over Erica Allar and Catherine Cheatley for second and third respectively. Helen Kelly did and awesome job in the leadout for Laura Yoisten who finished sixth with Kelly finishing just behind her in ninth. GC remained mostly unchanged.
Back to the index
06.20.07 Nature Valley Grand Prix Stage 1
The team of seven Webcor Builders women (Katheryn, Mara, Amber, Bev, Rachel, Helen, and Laura) are in Minneapolis, MN this week for the 5-day, 6-stage Nature Valley Grand Prix. This is the 2nd race of the Women's Prestige Series where Webcor holds the lead in the individual and team GC as well as the Young Rider competition.
Our trip did not get off to a great start with Katheryn ending up in the ER for a dislocated shoulder only four hours after arriving in MN. She crashed on a bike path trying to avoid another rider suddenly coming out of a side path. Less than 24 hours later she was racing in the stage 1 criterium though. It takes more than a dislocated shoulder to stop Katheryn! See these CylingNews Photos:
Mara in her Women's Presitge Series jersey
Webcor on the front
Here is Helen's report:
The 2007 Nature Valley Grand Prix kicked off with an evening criterium in downtown St Paul. With humid conditions but no rain, 125 women fought it out in an aggressive and fast 1-hour criterium. The course was 1km in length in the shape of an L with a 300m uphill sprint finish. With a change in format from the individual time trial traditionally kicking off the tour, we thought it unlikely that a break would stick on day 1. But we were all proved wrong!
My job was to go for the intermediate sprints, occurring every 10 minutes, and to assist Mara in the 30sec sprint which was actually a Queen of the Mountain sprint. Laura was to rest her legs for the finish whilst Amber and Rach were also to assist in helping us to position near the front for the sprints and the finish.
The opening laps were amazingly fast with us completing each 1km loop in about 1min 15sec. The peloton was strung out in a long line and my heart rate went to 178 by the end of the first minute. With the first sprint occurring 10 minutes in, I had no time to waste and had to really bury myself for three laps to get to the front. I had reasonably good sprint legs and finished 4th and 3rd in the first two sprints.
Mara went down in a crash in the first 10 minutes, breaking her helmet and trying to permanently implant her radio into her lower back. Luckily, her back and radio survived the ordeal, however our team mechanic read a short service to the helmet before tossing it away. “Tough as nails Katheryn” rode conservatively to finish the stage and will be starting stage 2.
The decisive break came after eight riders contested the midway Queen of the Mountain sprint. They had a small gap after their sprint and Kristin Armstrong (Lipton) sensing the right moment, kept driving it. Most of the other major teams were represented and the gap grew to 20 seconds. It was time to shut it down and Rachel, Amber, Helen, and Laura all went to the front. However the break was well organised and their combined effort was matching Webcor’s chase and the gap was still 22 sec. at the finish.
Catherine Cheatley (Cheerwine) attacked the break on the last lap and soloed into the leader’s jersey whilst Shelley Olds (ProMan) and Theresa Moriarty (Flanders) finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Rach, Amber, Laura, Mara, and I all finished in the main peleton.
With a 15-second time bonus as well as the 22-second gap to the main field, Cheatley currently has a 37 second lead heading into the next road stage.
Stay tuned to see what Webcor unleashes over the next few days!!
Back to the index
06.10.07 Commerce Bank Liberty Classic
This Sunday was the Commerce Bank Liberty Classic in downtown Philadelphia. This is the biggest 1-day race in the country for women and draws half a million spectators. The course includes the famous "Manayunk Wall," a half-mile, 16 percent climb, but the race traditionally belongs to the sprinters. This year was no exception with Ina Teutenberg of T-Mobile taking the win for the 2nd year in a row. A German has won this race 10 out of the last 12 years and an American has never won it.
The Webcor Builders team rode a good race and tried to make a separation on the climb, but the sprinters' teams were too strong. We also had some unfortunate luck with three of our riders, including Laura, our sprinter, going down on the last lap. Mara put up a good fight for the QOM title and finished 2nd to Kristin Armstrong with help from Helen and Katheryn. See these CyclingNews photos:
Katheryn on the front
Christine in the pack
Mara
Sprinting for the QOM
Rachel at the start
Here is Mara's report:
I'm guessing that I speak for the whole Webcor crew when I say that I was a little worn down around the edges by the time that we arrived in Philly after an EARLY morning of travel on Friday. Luckily, I had a whole team of veterans of the race there to tell me what an exciting event it is, and how excited I should be for it! I was told all about it at an amazing pre-race Italian dinner with wine from Karen's friend and our feed zone expert for the weekend, Maria, where we all ate Italian, and not one person ordered pasta! Our seafood ordering tendencies also allowed Christine to prove her point that at an authentic Italian restaurant, parmesan WILL NOT be served with a sea originating dish.
We then shared take-out cheesecake and tiramisu over the pre-race meeting. The goal was to try and have Christine and I race for the QOM points, offered each of four laps on the Manayunk Wall and Lemon Hill, and to have Laura go for the finishing sprint (note her impressive solo 5th at the earlier Reading race!), with Kathryn, Rachel, and Helen patrolling the front, and making sure I didn't forget to hang out at the front of the pack.
The race started off fast – a big part of doing well on this course is being in the right position at the right time, so anticipating the first Manayunk climb, all the riders were antsy to get to test their climbing legs without being held up by any nuff-nuffs! Kristen Armstrong drilled the first climb, and I was able to capture 2nd for QOM points. The pace was so strong on this first ascent that we actually managed to get a small split from the pack of just seven riders. Unfortunately, not everyone was quite satisfied with the composition of the group, and so it was pulled back. Rachel and Kathryn did a superb job of keeping some green on the heavily Lipton-dominated front, and Helen climbed like a regular mountain goat and made sure that I had a wheel to the front if I ever found myself "flushed out" of the, to use Amber's words, "pointy end of the race." I managed to continue my streak of seconds to Kristen on Manayunk for QOM points, as well as add a third on Lemon.
Unfortunately as we turned toward the climb the last lap, a curious cone came speeding toward Rachel's wheel to check out her fancy Easton Tempests! A crash ensued (or had already been ensuing) which also held up Laura and I, although I hit lightly and was able to catch back on by the end of the climb. The remaining Webcor riders stormed to the front on the run up to the finish, with Christine taking a flyer with just a few kilometers to go. She was our top finisher, strongly holding onto a 25th place. Helen, Kathryn, and I were held up by a large crash on the right side of the course in the last kilometer, but still finished
in the front group.
Our brave Laura and Rachel came pedaling in together, bloodied but not beaten after a tough, but WELL RIDDEN by all, race in Philly!
Back to the index
06.07.07 Grand Tour of Montreal Stage 5
The final stage of the Grand Tour of Montreal finally had a few hills to separate the field a little bit. With only T-Mobile and Nurnburger riders ahead of Christine, Webcor got to be 3rd car in the race caravan, a welcome change from our 21st car position on the first day!
With T-Mobile sprinters holding 3 of the top 5 GC spots, including the overall lead, we knew it would be tough to get a group away, but the Webcor Builders team kept on racing to the very end. Katheryn had a great race and made the only significant break of the day that gained a maximun of 2 minutes before being mowed down by the T-Mobile train around the midpoint of the race.
Christine made the front group at the finish and moved up to 5th place on GC behind 3 T-Mobile riders and Nurnberger's Trixi Worrack. Here are some photos from CyclingNews:
Katheryn in the break 1
Katheryn in the break 2
Katheryn in the pack
Here is Katheryn's report:
Mont Saint-Hilaire would be the site of the final stage of the Tour of Montreal and despite weather.com's indicating only a 20% chance of rain, as the great green machine pulled into the parking lot, drops of rain began to hit the windscreen. Hmm… spirits seemed to be a bit down until our team photographer, Rachel, began to shoot candid "glam" shots of the staff and riders. Before we knew it, she had brought her own style of sunshine and we were all giggling, ready to race.
The course would be the first non-flat stage (yes, the "QOM climb" on stage 2 definitely did qualify as a hill) of the week and we were all excited. The race was 114k, so 5 laps of the 23.5k loop. There was a QOM on each lap so the plan was for Mara to go for the QOM the first two laps and then we were given the green light to attack and force a break. There were a few small attacks the first lap and various teams were leading out the GC people for the sprint/time bonus on the first lap. As the peloton hit the climb, Kristin Armstrong went to the front and drilled it up/over the QOM, stringing out the field and causing a bit of panic as T-Mobile and Nurnberger both lost valuable workhorses in the split. Christine, Helen, and Katheryn were represented in the group, while Mara and Rachel capitalized on the other teams to be brought back to the main group. The fast, flat section after the climb and descent saw the peloton reform and soon after, Helen covered an attack that resulted in a small break, yet T-Mobile was not happy and it was brought back. Katheryn launched a solo attack and Kristin Armstrong chased her down, bringing things back to status quo.
Soon after, Chrissy Ruiter sprung off the front and there was no response from the peloton. Teams seemed to be waiting for their domestiques to catch back on before chasing her down. Meredith Miller was the first to launch and Katheryn was quick to cover her. They soon had a gap, with the peloton content to let them go. Carla Ryan (Australian National Team) soon joined the dynamic duo and the trio worked well together to catch Chrissy. It was not until the second time up the climb that three became four.
T-Mobile was content to give the break, which was working very well together, just under two minutes before they put two of their riders on the front. Nurnberger joined in a bit later to add more horsepower to the chase. The third time up the climb, Carla attacked and Katheryn was immediately on her wheel and the surge caused Meredith and then Chrissy to be dropped.
Carla and Katheryn continued to drive it up over the hill even though the motorbike informed the escaped duo the peloton was only five seconds behind. They were not willing to give up that easily. They hung out there for about 5k more until the main group drove it to bring them back. Katheryn took about 20 breaths before attacking again, yet the group did not give her much space this time and were right on her.
The pace stayed high for the remainder of the race as T-Mobile and Nurnberger wanted to keep things together for the last sprint on the final lap. A huge crash with about 6k to go caused a bit of a ripple in the peloton and Katheryn was caught behind it (thankfully for her skin and bike, she did not go down!) Rachel did a great job of drifting back to help her back on.
As the sprint and finish were close together, the pace was very high and Helen did a great job of helping Christine maintain her position at the front. Mara and Rachel were a bit further back and attacked the final climb with all they had left. Katheryn was a wee bit tired after her day in the break and found herself amongst the nuff nuffs and was content to roll in at her own pace.
In the end, Christine was Webcor's top GC finisher in 5th place.
Back to the index
06.06.07 Grand Tour of Montreal Stages 3 and 4
Day 3 of the Grand Tour of Montreal was a double stage day. The 3rd stage was a 3.2km time trial. The Webcor Builders team had a solid performance with Christine in 10th and everyone on the team in the top 25 of this international field.
Stage 4 was a was a 50km criterium in downtown Montreal. Helen showed her return to form after her off season injury and made a promising break with heavy hitters from all the main teams early in the race. The break was finally brought back by Lipton, who missed the move, with about 15 laps to go. In the finish, Christine finished in a smaller group of about 20 riders with a small gap on the rest of the field, moving her up the GC ladder a few spots to 6th. Here are some photos from CyclingNews:
Christine in the time trial
Christine in the Crit
Mara in the Crit
Here is Christine's report:
Stage 3 – 3.2km ITT on bike path
This stage has been used as a prologue in many previous editions of the Tour. The last time was in 2005 when Christine just edged out Genevieve Jeanson for the win. This year it was restricted to no equipment that would not otherwise be used in a road race (aka "Merckx" style, or no aero equipment). Generally, this neutralizes the benefit for TT specialist vs. sprinter speedsters, and essentially that is what happened. The course rolls out about 500m before a left/right chicane and then straight into a headwind for the next 1km before turning a relatively tight 180 and returning with a raging tailwind.
Team Webcor had a good showing with all 5 riders in the top 25, separated by only a few seconds. Strong woman, Judit Ardnt (T-Mobile) won at 4:06, Dotsie Bausch (Colavita) had a good ride for 2nd also at 4:06, and Trixi Worrack (Nurnberger) just nudged Kristin Armstrong (Lipton) for the final podium spot. Christine was at 4 seconds back along with a few other women, and Katheryn and Rachel, Helen and Mara all very close behind.
We put our feet up for a few hours and got quick rubs from our stellar soigneur, Merry, and headed to "little Italy" for the evening criterium.
Stage 4 – 50km criterium
 |
Mara in the crit at Montreal
photo: www.MarcusUrban.com
click to enlarge |
Before this stage, there is now a 4-lap Staff rendition, and our own Karen Brems lined up against the big boys of the staff peloton. The past two years, this was quite the entertaining affair, with staffers agreeing to no riding clothes or shoes, but this year it seemed rather comptetitive. Team TIBCO's mechanic, Roger Bennet (a top NorCal master's racer) took the honors with a strong leadout from Webcor men's elite team member Jono working as TIBCO soigneur for this race. Thomas, Lipton's Director Sportif (a TdF veteran) put in a hard attack with 1 lap to go. Karen finished safely ahead of the only other two women in the field (including T-Mobile's Anna Wilson, former World RR silver medalist).
Next, the racers lined up for 50 laps on a fast, 4-corner bumpy criterium course. The pace started predictably fast with all the race jerseys lined up on the start line. Also predictably, our own Helen covered the first attack inside of the first 5 laps and stayed off for over 20 laps, including the first time bonus sprint where she claimed the final 1sec bonus. The top GC rider in that group was Judith Ardnt, who collected an additional 2 sec bonus. Team Lipton eventually brought the break back as they were not represented. The next 15 laps resulted in several counters where Christine found herself trading attacks with Allison Powers (Colavita) or Meshy Holt (Expresscopy) or Judith Ardnt. Christine managed to snag 2nd in the last time bonus, collecting 2 seconds herself.
 |
Rachel in the crit at Montreal
photo: www.MarcusUrban.com
click to enlarge |
With the peloton all together inside of 5 laps, the riders got a little jittery, and a big crash occurred with just under 3 laps to go, splitting the field. Christine was the only Webcor lucky enough to miss this as it happened directly to her left. The top GC riders were all upright and forged ahead for the final sprint which was taken by an in-form Oenone Wood (T-Mobile), followed by Giorgia Bronzini (Safi Pasta) and Trixi Worrack (Nurnberger). Oenone extends her GC lead heading into the final stage today. Webcor was all upright and healthy by the end, proving to be nuff nuff among the sprinters field.
Fortunately, none of the riders who went down were seriously hurt, including former Webcor rider Betina Hold, who gave us all quite a scare with her early crash into the barriers.
We enjoyed a tasty Italian dinner at 10pm after the late race and are ready for the final show-down!
Back to the index
06.05.07 Grand Tour of Montreal Stage 2
Yesterday was the 2nd stage of the Grand Tour of Montreal. Even though there was a categorized QOM sprint (which was actually judged on the wrong laps according to both the race bible and the race bible addendum), it was not much more than an overpass and it was another day for the sprinters. Mother Nature also did not look favorably on this stage with a deluge of rain in the first half of the race. See these CyclingNews photos:
Katheryn going through a bottom-bracket-deep puddle
Helen leading the group through the wet turns
Here is Christine's report:
Entering Tuesday night's stage we were all at sitting at 10 seconds behind last night's winner, who gained her 10sec bonus for the win. As our race started rather late, we got to see the weather develop over the course of the day, which unfortunately meant we saw the skies getting darker and darker. Clearly, we are destined for the true Montreal experience this week!
Amber wisely chose to pull herself out of this week's event after struggling with a lot of fatigue from her recent string a excellent races and poor sleep from a bout of California's lovely poison oak.
This stage consisted of 11 laps of a 10km flat, nearly retangular circuit. They added a QOM competition on one 50m hill for two of the laps and two more mid-race sprints for points and time. By lap two, buckets of rain began pouring on us and thunder and lightening alarmed many of us who understand electricity. Anna Milkowski slipped away within the 1st lap but was reeled in by the T-Mobile train before the first time bonus sprint.
Mara and Rachel were to go for the QOM points, and they did a fabulous job on laps 4 and 6, taking points both times. Race radio did not acknowledge these successes, but instead claimed points were gained by Christine on lap 5 when she was in one of the short-lived breaks with Trixi (Nurnberger) and Oenone (T-Mobile) after the 1st time bonus sprint where Christine was 4th just outside the bonuses. There were a few more individual attacks, mostly by the Russian national team, but nothing was going to stay away on these wide, wet roads with time bonuses to be had by the larger teams with fast sprinters. Helen, Rachel, and Katheryn did a fine job policing everything near the front. Helen helped Christine keep position for the 2nd time bonus sprint on lap 7, but again the T-Mobiles and Trixi from Nurnberger took to top 3 placings.
Our misfortune for the evening came on lap 7 when a Russian National and Italian Menikini rider started literally fighting (arms swinging) each other, which caused a radical swing of the peloton. Mara slid along the ground with a few riders coming down with her and Katheryn nearly hitting asphalt as well. Mara was scraped and bruised but chased back on within a lap despite a poorly functioning rear derailleur which forced our young starlette to spin faster than she prefers. Apparently, Mara did not please the good luck gods as on the next lap, her rear tire went flat. Bernard made the change as quickly as possible and she was on her way to chase again, but severely restricted by the lack of gears bigger than the 16 tooth. With her pure strength and persistence, she reached the peloton again before the final 2 laps.
The finish was a fast affair on a very wide road with Nurnberger's Regina Schleicher (former World Champ) taking the win from Oenone Wood (T-Mobile) and Georgia Bronzini (Safi Pasta, Italy). The Webcor gals all came across the line with the same time as the winner again, so the top places are held by those riders who have secured time bonuses either mid-race or at the finish. Regina (Nurnberger) is leading, Oenone (T-Mobile) is 2nd 3 seconds back and Trixi Worrack (Nurnberger) and Kate Bates (T-Mobile) are tied for 3rd at 11 seconds back.
Today we tackle the very short (3.2km) time trial on a bike path in the morning – but restricted to road bikes without aero equipment – and a 50km blazing fast 4-corner criterium in the evening. Wish us better luck with the weather…
Back to the index
06.04.07 Grand Tour of Montreal Stage 1
Yesterday was the start of the 5-stage, 4-day Grand Tour of Montreal. All but two of the teams from the World Cup stayed on in Canada to do this race. With relatively flatter courses and the time trial cut to only 3.5km and more than a minute's worth of time bonus sprints throughout the tour up for grabs, the Webcor Builders team knew we would have our work cut out for us to defend Christine's title from last year. The team is racing hard and agressively and the higher speeds of the international field will definitely wear down the weaker teams by the end of the tour, so we have high hopes for the later stages.
Stage 1 was a flat, technical race and the plan was for the team to try to help Christine pick up some time bonus seconds and also try to get in a breakaway off if possible. The results were not quite what we had hoped, but the team put in a good effort.
Some these photos from CyclingNews:
Helen enjoying the European-style racing
Amber in a corner
Here is Helen's report:
Today we raced stage 1 of Le Grande Tour du Montreal. The course was a new addition to the tour and after studying the circuit in the race bible, I knew we were in for a hard race.
The course was mostly flat around the region of Châteauguay to the south of Montreal. We raced eight laps of a 13km circuit which contained 32 corners per lap. To best describe the course would be to imagine a toddler trying to draw a circle for the first time with a big crayon. It wiggled and weaved in every direction. Also, the pavement was badly cracked and there were metal circular man holes strategically placed on most corners. The final ingredient in today’s race was the rain. The weather man predicted a 30% chance of rain which meant that it definitely rained. It drizzled several times and for most of the race, the course was wet, muddy and slippery.
Knowing that the course would be fast as soon as the race started, I put my Orbea in the 53x12 and drilled it to the very front. I have learned that it is better to do this than to fight for two laps to get to the front later. I settled in on the front and got the legs warmed up. My legs felt amazingly fresh and I have to say I love racing in these conditions. When the course is technical and it is raining and windy, I feel like a pig in mud. I know it really helps that I completely trust our mechanic, Bernard, for preparing our bikes for us. Also the Easton deep-dish carbon wheels are fantastic to race on and I love them in all conditions.
Contrary to my happiness was the look of discontent on Rach’s face. I asked her after about four laps how she was going and the expression on her face was priceless. She looked like an American tasting vegemite for the first time!!
At the end of the 3rd and 5th lap at the finish line, there were intermediate sprints for bonus seconds and points. There was an unbelievable battle amongst teams T-Mobile, Expresscopy, Colavita, Nurnberger, Safi Pasta, and Webcor for these bonus seconds on offer. Christine maintained great position in the top 20 and it was my job to help lead her out for these sprints. With many top international sprinters in the field, Christine fought well and finished 5th in both sprints, but the points were scooped up by T-Mobile and Nurnberg.
The peloton was completely strung out for most of the race. Katheryn, Rach, and I followed countless attacks and also initiated a few attacks but it was quickly evident that nothing was going to escape today. Christine rode a smart race and followed a dangerous attack by former world champion Judith Arndt (T-Mobile). I took the next corner like a complete nuff-nuff to help open a gap to her. I was hoping a break would develop but too many teams were not represented and it was soon groupo compacto (all together).
I was curious to see what my Polar data showed after the race. Although the average speed was only 39km/hr due to the number of corners, most sections of the course were raced at 50-55km/hr. During a big effort to follow a threatening attack in the first lap, I hit 61km/hr! And to Merry, our soigneur, she continues to do an amazing job with her 100% water bottle delivery success rate, in a fast flat feed zone. She stands 5ft tall but she doesn’t even flinch when we come in for a bottle at 50km/hr.
After having great legs for most of the race, I wish I could say that Webcor achieved a result today but it wasn’t to be. I narrowly missed going down with 3km to go as the battle for the sprint commenced. Each team fought to get their sprinter into position at any cost. With 1km to go I was way too far back and knew we had no chance of a result. In the dash for the line and the tour leader’s yellow jersey, Regina Schleicher (Nürnberger) edged out Oenone Wood (T-Mobile), with Giorgia Bronzini (Safi - Pasta Zara Manhattan) finishing 3rd.
We all finished safely in the main peloton. So our plan now is to head back to the University of Montreal for some rest and to prepare for stage 2. And with more rain forecast, I know Rach will be up early doing an anti-rain dance. Stay tuned for tomorrow's results.
Back to the index
06.02.07 Montreal World Cup
The 6th round of the UCI Women's World Cup was Saturday in Montreal, Canada. This is the only North American World Cup race (for men or women) and most people agree it is the hardest course of the World Cup circuit. 141 of the best women cyclists in the world lined up at the start including reigning World Champion Marianne Vos, current World Number One in UCI points Nicole Cooke, and defending champion Judith Arndt.
Hard racing is what the Webcor Builders team likes best. The team achieved another stellar result with Mara on the podium in 2nd place in her first international race.
VeloNews Story
CyclingNews Story
Mara and Italian National Champ, Luperini
A Happy Mara on the podium
Rachel on the climb
Webcor at the front of the field
Mara at the finish
Here is Mara Abbott's report:
Yesterday was the Montreal World Cup—and its elevated international status seemed not to matter in the high quality riding of this team! The race was a 10km circuit featuring about a mile climb up Mt. Royal, and a hairpin turn going into the finish, during which we rode on the wrong side of the road. We hoped that the expertise of Helen and Rachel could help us in that section.
 Everyone claimed that this was a race of attrition—that on the tenth or eleventh time up Mt. Royal, it might not be the same players who were there on the first. We would see. We lined up on the start line… or actually pretty far behind the start line, nearly at the back of the pack. We didn't know where Helen was. Finally, we spotted her. She was on the front row—kudos to Helen—word is that she was also stretching up there while waiting for the start. The team plan was to take it easy for the first six or so laps, and cover any dangerous attacks. Helen, Rachel, Amber, and Katheryn were on patrol through these laps. This they did to perfection, Helen even having a chance to chat to me in her promising Spanish (she can say “how are you?”. In French, I can say “I'm hungry.") Rachel took advantage of her pack moving skills to sneak up behind me and yell at me to get out of the wind. As I didn't know it was my teammate yelling at me, this was an effective intimidation technique.
As we came into lap eight, Katheryn attacked at the base of the climb, taking with her about five riders. As others started to bridge up to her, I grabbed a wheel and took a free ride, at which point I saw a rider in suspiciously Italian looking colors (I was later informed that this was because she was Fabiana Luperini, who might perhaps be the Italian national champ) a little way off the front of the group. This was obviously an unacceptable situation, so I chased onto her wheel. At the top of the hill, there was a group of three of us. We worked through the first descent together, and as we got to the second climb (or the ninth, depending on how you are counting), I decided to go to the front of our trio and drill it up the climb—I knew that I was anonymous to many riders in the main pack, and I wanted to exploit that opportunity to get a gap while I had a chance. By the top of the climb, only Luperini and I were left, and we had a gap of 1:26, which I was rather stoked with.
 Behind me, Christine remained in the ever-dwindling main pack, which was now down to about 10 or 15 riders, covering the attacks of the usual suspects quite well. Luperini and I began to work together more smoothly after getting word about this large gap, although after trying to adapt her elbow-twitch “move-through” signal, I determined that in my excitement, I was executing the maneuver far too enthusiastically and was going to severely damage my shoulder if I continued. We maintained about the same gap to the last lap, where I attacked several times in an effort to escape from my companion, but to no avail. She snuck to the outside corner going into the finishing straight and I found myself in front. Shoot. I tried to make the best of my situation by taking the last 180 degree corner fast and hopefully holding it to the line, but despite the peerless cheering of Amber on the sidelines, this was not to be, and I finished second on the day.
Christine was close behind, just narrowly snuck around by for 10th place, holding onto 11th. Despite a crash on the final corner, Katheryn “rubber side down” Curi roared across the line with Rachel for 45 and 46. Apparently, Montreal isn’t such a bad place. If I stay here long enough, I might even add “Where is the bathroom?” to my language repertoire.
Back to the index
05.20.07 Tri-Peaks Challenge Stage 5
Through flawless teamwork, the Webcor Builders team successfully defended Amber Rais' lead in the Tri-Peaks stage race and gained yet another podium stage finish. Check out this CyclingNews photo:
Amber Rais (Webcor) took the overall pro women victory
Here is Katheryn Curi's report:
The final day of the Tri-Peaks Challenge, "Cardiac Arrest," was a 59-mile point to point race, with a medium sized climb up Petit Jean 18 miles in, and a final climb of 2.5 miles up Mt. Nebo (also referred to by the locals as Mt. Knee Blow!).
It was another early start for the Green Machine and with a strong cup of coffee coursing through our bodies, we rolled off just before 8am to tackle the final and hardest stage. Amber's lead was a comfortable 40 seconds over 2nd placed rider, Chrissy Ruiter (Cheerwine) and the plan for the day was to maintain her lead and try and move Rachel and/or Katheryn up. With Cheerwine riders Leigh Hobson, Betina Hold, and Brooke Ourada climbing well, we knew that we had to keep a close eye on them to ensure one of them did not get up the road without either Rachel or Katheryn. Alex Wrubleski (Colavita) was also coming into form and her strong result at Joe Martin proved that she was another rider we needed to keep on a short leash.
Minikini wasted no time in launching the attacks and Rachel and Katheryn kept busy making sure that the team was represented in any threatening breaks. Nothing stuck and Tiffany (Colavita) set a strong tempo up Petit Jean, stringing things out a bit, but a steady descent off the back side allowed the peloton to regroup. Just after the descent, Rochelle Gilmore attacked and Katheryn followed Betina's wheel. Jane Ziegler and Rochelle drove to establish the break and they were soon joined by Heather Sborz. Tiffany also made the selection and she, Betina, and Katheryn just sat on as they had no incentive to work. Heather and Jane did the majority of the work and Rochelle would roll through once in a while, but seemed more frustrated that the other three were not working.
Back in the main group, Cheerwine seemed comfortable with the break for a little while, but then they began to panic and put riders on the front to keep the break in check. The Webcor team was content to swap GC spots if the opportunity arose, and with only three riders in the race, they knew that they could not ride tempo without sacrificing what they already had.
 The break hit the base of the final climb with about a 2 1/2 minute gap. Katheryn, Betina, and Tiffany soon dropped Heather, Jane, and Rochelle. Betina and Katheryn kept a close eye on each other and soon Tiffany could not keep contact with them and popped just before the section of nine (yes, nine!) switchbacks. Having pre-driven the course, the Gals in Green knew what to expect from this finish climb and Katheryn made some strong surges to try and drop Betina, but she hung on. A flat section about 1k from the finish provided a bit of respite before the final 500m push to the summit, and when the road kicked up again, Katheryn tried to attack but her legs did not seem to respond as desired. Betina attacked with 150m to go and Katheryn had nothing.
The chasing group was whittled down quickly as they hit the climb and Rachel and Amber did a great job keeping close tabs on Leigh, Chrissy, and Alex. They caught all of the breakaway riders except for Tiffany, Betina, and Katheryn. Alex rolled in a few seconds ahead of Amber, who was followed by Rachel.
Amber secured her 1st in GC, and Katheryn ended up 4th, with Rachel in 5th. Amber looked splendid in her first ever yellow jersey and the Webcor Women were happy to join her on the podium to celebrate how well the team had ridden over the last several days!
Back to the index
05.19.07 Tri-Peaks Challenge Stage 4
Today was a 5.5-mile flat time trial and Amber Rais continued her domination of this stage race by winning yet another stage! Check out this photo from CyclingNews:
Amber Rais (Webcor) turns in a respectable performance in the TT on her way to the overall victory
Here is Amber's report:
Being unsupported at this race, we have largely relied on the kindness of strangers. From the beginning, we've been overwhelmingly well cared for by everyone here in Arkansas. On day one, we were fed and supported by Jim Williams of Colavita during the race, as we had no team car in the caravan. Later we were rescued by the folks who helped us get into the locked car that contained our car keys. On day two, a very kind fellow, David Rendon, offered to drive our rental minivan in the caravan for us. Despite inexperience, he was a phenomenal help and managed to feed us and take clothes like a seasoned professional. He also drove us home from the race finish in the middle of nowhere. We were extremely grateful! Today, the race organizers were quick to offer us a ride home following Katheryn's crash, as we had ridden to the race that morning (the tough cookie she is, she insisted on riding home anyway). David from Team Rubicon loaned us a wheel so Katheryn could ride her bike home as well. We've also had a lot of help from Andy Stone and the guys at Shimano, as well as the Toyota United fellows for miscellaneous mechanical projects (including pumping our disk wheels – no small task!). So the term "unsupported" doesn't necessarily apply – despite lack of a team car (Bernard, you would be car number one again!) and official staff!
After the crit, we headed back to our lovely home for the week to rest and recover. After some snacking and napping and general lazing about, we packed up and headed out to the races!
We warmed up on trainers borrowed from our wonderful hosts, then strapped on our astronaut helmets, climbed on our TT bikes (except for Katheryn, who rode a super-modified road bike), and rode circles out in the road before our starts. A fellow in a plain jersey rode by me, saying, "What is all this? I just live here and like to ride. I had no idea there was a race today!" He looked completely befuddled, and I joked that this was probably the largest and most chaotic group ride he'd see out on this lonely country road!
At the start, the official asked me how I viewed time-trialing, or how I approached them mentally. I answered something to the effect of "Time trials are easy. You just go as hard as you can!" This made a few people laugh. I then quoted a friend who explained TT pacing as follows: Just ride so hard that you puke, then ease off just slightly. That's the pace you should ride.
The brief laughter helped my spirits for the TT, and I was off. Less than thirty seconds into the ride, I was totally in the pain box. I picked out landmarks to break up the long stretch of road in my mind, riding harder and harder for each point, finally passing a Minikini rider about 1k to the finish, then ramping up into as much of a seated sprint as I had left for the last few hundred meters.
My teammates had waited for me at the finish, and being the last rider to go, we didn't have to wait long for results. I had won by 12 seconds over Leigh Hobson, while Rachel had come in third only 1 second back from Leigh. Katheryn had a very strong ride, finshing 9th, despite a tough crash in the morning and riding a road bike!
Our gracious hosts Sherri and Jeff Harrison made us a lovely dinner this evening, and treated us to a celebration of wine and chocolate (in the form of homemade brownies)!
Another good day at the office…. one more to go!
Back to the index
05.19.07 Tri-Peaks Challenge Stage 3
Day 3 at the Tri-Peaks stage race was a double day with a criterium in the morning and a time trial in the evening. The Webcor team continued their success in the crit with another podium spot for Amber Rais.
Here is Amber's report:
 With a double day facing us and without the advantage of numbers, we decided to play our cards rather conservatively in the race. Cheerwine raced aggressively today, which made the racing a lot of fun. Katheryn and Rachel controlled the field in dominating fashion. Minikini obviously wanted the group to stay together for Rochelle Gillmore, so they were our allies in covering Cheerwine. The group stayed together despite a few short-lived breaks, so with one lap to go, Katheryn, Rachel, and I set up our leadout and jockeyed for position near the front. Through the third of eight corners on the last lap, a sudden swing in the group caused Katheryn to go down and broke Rachel's wheel. I had – somewhat thankfully – been taken extremely wide on that corner, so was extricating myself from the right gutter when the crash happened on the far left. I jumped back into the fray and worked to move up through the last corners. Catherine Cheatly (Cheerwine) was leading out Crissy again, and my hesitation after the crash left me a little too far back through the last corner. I jumped from behind Catherine and sprinted for the line. Catherine and I drilled it in a drag race for 3rd. I managed to squeak ahead with a bike throw at the line, earning another podium and five more bonus seconds. Rochelle won the race, and Alex Wrubleski sprinted in for 2nd place.
Thankfully, Katheryn was okay after her crash, and she even rode her bike back home with us after the race. If anything, it has only served to fire her up even more for the upcoming time trial and road race.
Back to the index
05.18.07 Tri-Peaks Challenge Stage 2
The Webcor Builders team continues to dominate the Tri-Peaks stage race with their 2nd stage win in as many days!
Here is Amber's report:
Course description: 67-mile road race; one climb with mostly flat-to-rolling terrain
Result: Amber Rais 1st, Rochelle Gillmore (Minikini) 2nd
Today's stage is called EPIC – perhaps named for the incredibly beautiful landscape. Arkansas boasts some breathtaking views up here in the Ozarks, and we were quite impressed with our views from the window on the way to our start.
I got a better warm-up than I had anticipated, as two dogs decided I was riding too slowly and chased me into a dead sprint down their street. I had to get back by them to reach the start, so this time thought better of sprinting and just yelled "HEY!" at the top of my lungs. Our host in Little Rock – Russell Oaks – had demonstrated the proper technique for this on one of our training rides, so I was well-prepared and bellowed enough that the dogs turned tail and fled.
Then we started, and Rachel "the killing machine" Heal had apparently forgotten her mercy pants and instead had her "wreck everyone" pants on. She got to the front and proceeded to drop everyone. Katheryn and I hung on for dear life as our teammate systematically thinned the field with each surge and around each hairpin. She'd occasionally jaunt back through the group to check in with us, even singing a little tune for me once, and would then rocket off the front again, leaving the group smaller and in more pain each time. It was beautiful. When Rachel wasn't ripping legs off, Katheryn was making sure no one had time to recover from the burn in their legs by setting an intimidating tempo at the front, keeping the pressure on between attacks. By the top of the climb, we had only about 11 of us left. Rachel wins the "does not play well with others" award for today, as she clearly did not want company on the climb!
Cheerwine covered a smoking attack by Rachel over the top of the climb, but sat up when they reached her. The next 50 or so miles of the course were rolling and winding along a wide open highway. No one seemed to want to play. Katheryn, Rachel, and I attacked a few times, but Cheerwine always covered or chased and didn't seem interested in countering or working with any one of us. We were all getting quite antsy, but without large numbers, there was only so much we could do. Sure enough, the sprinters we had dropped on the climb came back to us, the group ballooned. With about 10 miles to go, Katheryn attacked and got a sizeable gap on the field. I wished we'd had radios at the moment, so I could have yelled "Go go go!" Alas, Cheerwine brought her back and promptly sat up again.
Despite several attacks by those of us in green and Colavita all day, nothing got away, and with five miles to go, we prepared ourselves for a field sprint. At 5k to go, Sue Haywood (Trek/Volkswagon) attacked and got a good gap on the group, which hesitated slightly before Minikini and CPT Colnago decided to bridge/chase. Katheryn was right onto this move, as Rachel and I moved into better position. We had a loose plan for a leadout, but with 1k to go, Katharine Cheetly (Cheerwine) attacked with Chrissy Ruitter (Cheerwine) on her wheel. I jumped onto this move, knowing I couldn't let Chrissy get a time bonus over me. Despite having me as passenger, they continued to drill it for another 300m or so when the group began to swarm a bit. Feeling another wave coming up my left, I jumped on instinct from second row and hammered toward the line. No one came around me. Holy smokes.
Behind me, Rochelle Gillmore (Minikini) had jumped after me and finished second, followed by the bunch. The first thing I heard when I caught my breath was my teammates cheering – what a way to finish the day! We celebrated by eating PB&J sandwiches and stretching in our new 2XU compression tights – so hot right now.
Epilogue
Continuing our streak of bad luck with cars (see Addendum), we discovered our front tire was quite low on the way to the coffee shop after the race. We went to a gas station to fill the silly thing (go green!), only to discover a pesky slice through the tread, which was leaking profusely. A friendly, yet scary-looking man with a knife helped us find the leak. We proceeded to the nearest service station, a few blocks away. Encouraging Rachel to lay on the accent nice and thick, we were quickly helped with a patch-job on the tire in question. In less than 15 minutes, we were on our way again. Phew!
Addendum
Our car troubles began at the finish of Stage 1, when the keys were locked in the rental van. (Yes, I used the passive on purpose; the responsible party already feels bad enough!) First, security tried using one of their special keys to jimmy the electronic lock system into opening. This did not work. Soon, we had a large crowd gathered around the van, and a few coat-hangers wedged into each window and door. Spectators and well-wishers looked on, offered encouragement, and lots of direction. Finally, one of the security guards triggered the unlock button. After profuse thanks to our rescuers, we quickly got changed and headed back home. Free of the evil chamois at last! Our heroes!
Back to the index
05.17.07 Tri-Peaks Challenge Stage 1
While half the Webcor Builders team returned home for some R & R after Joe Martin, the trio of Amber Rais, Katheryn Curi, and Rachel Heal just couldn't stop racing and stayed on in Arkansas for the Tri-Peaks Challenge stage race. This is a 4-day, 5-stage race in the Ozark mountains. Racing against other teams of 6-10 riders, the team showed quality and smart racing count over quantity, and won the first stage today! This was Amber's first NRC victory of 2007.
Here is Amber's report:
Today's stage was a 68-mile loop, starting at the top of Mt. Magazine, looping down and around and back to the top again. This meant one fast descent, a lot of flat and rolling terrain, and a 9-mile finishing climb. The view from the lodge at Mt. Magazine was absolutely breathtaking; according to the race promoter, we could see a quarter of Arkansas from there. The mountain offered endless trails, dramatic rock outcroppings made for rock climbers, and of course, a sweet climb for us roadies.
The descent was fast, fun, and safe, and the group embarked on the long flattish section of the course all together. Cheerwine set tempo at the front, and the rest of the group seemed content to follow. We had planned to race conservatively until the climb as we were quite outnumbered, so Katheryn, Rachel, and I covered Cheerwine attacks here and there. Just after Katheryn covered one attack, the counter caught us slightly off-guard. I quickly bridged solo before the gap went up too high. The break had already organized by the time I got there: Chrissy Ruitter (Cheerwine), Jane Zeigler (Velo Bella), CPT Colnago, Sue Haywood (Volkswagon/Trek), Tiffany Cromwell (Colavita - guest rider). As we were happier having the group hit the climb together, I sat on the break, and it soon came back.
After a lull in attacks, Cheerwine turned up the heat again. Katheryn covered one in a series of attacks and ended up off the front of the group with Alex Wrubleski (Colavita) and Beth Frye (Cheerwine). Katheryn and Alex drove the break as Beth sat in, but CPT Colnago didn't seem to like this bunch and chased them down.
Chrissy Ruiter counterd this move, and I quickly covered her. She asked if I would work. I said no. She and I both sat up, only to be passed by an attacking Elodie Touffet (Minikini). We quickly reacted, finding ourselves in another break, this time with Elodie, Moriah MacGregor (CPT Colnago), and Andrea Dvorak (Colavita). The four began rotating through to drive the break. As I had stated earlier, I sat on again. The group seemed okay with this particular combination, so the gap quickly rose to over a minute.
As we headed through the rollers near the base of the final climb, Jim Williams (Colavita Director) came up to the break. He had very kindly agreed to feed us unsupported Webcor riders from his car. Thank you Jim! I went back for bottles and got cokes for both Andrea and me. We hit a couple of climbs shortly after, and I helped set tempo on the climbs and pulled through on a couple of descents.
On the final climb, I followed wheels for a while, then surged through a couple of corners, just enough to drop the break except for Chrissy. I kept the tempo high and surged a few more times, but Chrissy remained undeterred. A headwind picked up through the last few miles, so I decided not to fry myself in the wind, knowing Chrissy would be getting a nice draft behind me.
At 5k to go, we began cat-and-mousing a bit, and I was in the unfortunate position of being on the front. At 3k to go, Chrissy attacked hard (I think she mistook the sign for the 1k to go). I covered her and was now in the better position of being on her wheel. More cat-and-mousing. She attacked again at 1k to go. I covered her and sprinted around her at the line. Woohoo!
Meanwhile, Katheryn and Rachel were wreaking havoc on the climb. Cheerwine had been setting tempo to rein in the break, with some help from Minikini. Rachel attacked which dropped some of the group, but the rest managed to get back to her wheel. Katheryn countered, but was also covered. The two alternately attacked the group, stringing out the bunch, but the thin red line behind persisted. With 2k to go, Katheryn Cheetly (Cheerwine) attacked and got a gap. Rachel went to the front to bring her back in the last kilometer when the finish suddenly appeared. Rachel and Katheryn finished with the second group, and we are now in a good position for the rest of the week!
More action packed reports to come!
Back to the index
05.13.07 Joe Martin Stage Race Stage 4
The final stage of the race was a criterium in downtown Fayetteville. This crit is harder than most, with a short but significant hill every lap that saps the energy of already tired legs. The Webcor Builders team successfully defended Katheryn's podium GC spot as well as taking the overall Team GC title. Webcor has won Team GC in every single stage race they entered so far in 2007!!
Here is Amber Rais' report:
 After a blistering performance in the time trial, Katheryn was positioned 3rd on GC behind Kat Carroll (Aaron's) and Alex Wrubleski (Colavita), with only a few seconds separating the top few. Knowing that Katheryn wouldn't likely lose her position, but that we had a shot at improving upon it, we took an aggressive approach to the race. Helen attacked on the first lap initiating a break that lasted most of the next lap. As soon as it came back, Laura shot off the front, stringing it out again. Thus began a slew of attacks by Webcor and Cheerwine. I covered one attack by Kelly Benjamin (Cheerwine) and managed to get away with Kelly, Nikki Waansgard (Vitesse), and Carmen McNellis (Aaron's). Kelly and Carmen sat on as Nikki and I drove the break for a few laps. I pulled on the hills, and Nikki pulled through the descents. The gap went up briefly, but Aaron's was not happy with me being off the front. I sat up as I saw the group closing in on us and readied myself for the next onslaught.
Rachel covered a move by Cheerwine that resulted in another break, which kept a gap for about a lap before being overtaken by the chasing field. The green machine covered a flurry of attacks through the next laps, and just when everything was going swimmingly, Katheryn went down through a fast downhill corner, landing hard and dislocating her shoulder. Typical of Katheryn, this did not phase her one bit. She got to the pit, popped her shoulder back into place, and jumped back into the field as though nothing had happened, that is until she realized her derailleur was rubbing spokes as she shifted. So, after one lap back in the race, she was back to the pit for a bike change. With the new racing steed ready to go, she jumped back into the fray. Seeing her rejoin the peloton with such poise and determination energized us even further.
By now, we knew the race would stay together, so we covered attacks and conserved for the finish. Around six laps to go, Chrissy Ruiter (Cheerwine) got away solo and stayed away for a few laps. She remained in sight, but no one seemed to want to bring her back. With one lap to go, I took a gamble and attacked up the hill, hoping to catch Chrissy and possibly get away with a gap by taking the field by surprise. Aarons covered my move, however, so I jumped back into the field near the front to prepare for the field sprint.
Rounding the final lap, I listened intently for teammates coming up on my wheel but heard no familiar shouts. I focused on staying near the front through the final corners, and blasted through the final corner in a full sprint. The attack on the previous lap had taken its toll however, and I exploded about halfway up the hill, wrestling my bike through the last meters and hanging on for a fourth place finish.
In the final analysis, we won the Team GC (we've won every Team GC on offer so far this season!), Katheryn took 3rd in GC, Rachel 7th, and me 6th. This week once again showcased our strengths as a team, and we continue to improve with every race we do. Great job this week everyone, and congratulations on another successful block of racing!
Back to the index
05.12.07 Joe Martin Stage Race Stage 3
Stage 3 of the Joe Martin Stage race was an uphill time trial. The team had been looking forward to this stage all race as a chance to separate themselves from the sprinters. Katheryn put in a great ride and only missed the win by one second! The team placed three riders in the top 10.
Here is Katheryn Curi's report:
Double days are always challenging as there tends to not be a lot of time between the morning and the afternoon races. So after returning to
our respective host houses, grabbing some food, showering, taking a quick nap, and getting a speedy rub down from Merry, it was back into the cars and off to the races!
We had pre-driven the Devils Den time trail course before arriving into Fayetteville. Originally we had planned on riding it, but the sky opened up and poured on us when we arrived; thus the decision to view the course from the car seemed like a very good one. The course was a 2.5-mile climb with a short section of flat before climbing steadily 680 ft to the finish. The average grade was 6.8%, with most of the climb at about 10%.
Usually start times are determined by setting riders off based on their GC standings, yet for this race, they did it based on our race number, so all us Webcor riders went off right after each other. I was actually the first rider off for the women. At least I would get it over and done with quickly.
Bernard, Merry, and Bob quickly put up the tent and got us set up on the trainers so we could get a good warm-up for the short intense effort. Rachel had provided me with her top secret time trial warm-up, so armed with that and my time trial warm-up mix, I was ready to rock and roll by the time that my start time arrived.
Starting with a flat section before the hill always challenges the rider not to go out too hard once the road kicks up, the legs may be a bit spent. I did my best to have a controlled explosion out of the start. I knew the effort would be around 10 minutes, so I did my best to settle in quickly to what effort I felt that I could sustain for the duration of the climb. Despite having my SRM, I did not want to focus on the power number, but more go off of perceived exertion. As the time trial fell on the third stage of the race, I knew that my numbers would be a bit compromised due to the fatigue in my legs and did not want to get discouraged to see low numbers.
I was a bit bummed to go off first as I had no "rabbits" to chase and did my best to stay focused on keeping my leg speed up and taking the
shortest line on the road. No need to ride a 2.7 mile race! With about 500 meters to go, my legs were screaming at me to stop, but I pushed over the finish line to promptly stop pedaling and regain my breath. I had clocked a time of 10:01 according to my SRM. The rest of the green machine soon rolled in, and after rolling around the top a bit, descended down, back to our car. I think we were all grateful to have the effort over as we passed riders who were still battling the hill.
We knew that it would take them a while to get results and all of us were anxious to get home. I had talked with Carmen at the top of the hill and knew that I had a good time, but not all of the riders had finished yet.
The results are as follows for the top ten and the rest of the Green Team:
1. |
|
Alex Wrubleski (Can) |
Colavita/ Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light |
10.00 |
2. |
|
Katheryn Curi (USA) |
Webcor Builders |
0.01 |
3. |
|
Brooke Ourada (USA) |
Cheerwine |
0.04 |
4. |
|
Katharine Carroll (USA) |
Aaron's Pro Cycling Team |
st |
5. |
|
Felicia Gomez (USA) |
Aaron's Pro Cycling Team |
0.11 |
6. |
|
Amber Rais (USA) |
Webcor Builders |
0.14 |
7. |
|
Leigh Hobson (USA) |
Cheerwine |
0.15 |
8. |
|
Rachel Heal (GBr) |
Webcor Builders |
0.17 |
9. |
|
Betina Hold (USA) |
Cheerwine |
0.29 |
10. |
|
Chrissy Ruiter (USA) |
Cheerwine |
0.33 |
|
|
|
|
|
14. |
|
Beverley Harper (USA) |
Webcor Builders |
0.55 |
20. |
|
Helen Kelly (USA) |
Webcor Builders |
1.15 |
42. |
|
Laura Yoisten (Can) |
Webcor Builders |
1.57 |
I moved into 3rd in GC with Rachel in 6th, Amber in 8th, Bev in 19th, Helen in 22nd, and Laura 55th. I really wanted to win this stage and was bummed to only loose by 1 second. That's bike racing though.
Back to the index
05.12.07 Joe Martin Stage Race Stage 2
Day 2 of the Joe Martin Stage Race was a double stage day with a 69-mile road race in the morning and an uphill time trialin the evening. The ladies in green were ready to fight for the win. The team didn't get the win this time, but did place a rider on the podium and in a major team accomplishment, executed a perfect lead out for Rachel, derailing the other teams' trains in the process.
See this report from CyclingNews.
Here is Helen Kelly's report:
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” 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 three 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, and know how to successfully steal back a teammate's wheel that had been taken from us by another rider (sprinter). We practiced this over and over in the days leading up to Joe Martin in restricted gears (in the 39x21). This enabled us to practice the technique and skills without taxing our legs that were recovering from Gila.
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 11in (many describing me as being a tall unit), I love bunch kicks. I have come to realize how nervous the other riders get because I am so tall. I enjoy the hustle and bustle 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 ones I’ve been involved in. With 8km to go, there was a mass of red at the front as Cheerwine and Aaron’s marshaled 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 (Cheerwine). Rach crossed the line in 3rd place, a fantastic job against one of the top sprinters in North America. Now it's time to rest up for the time trial this afternoon.
Back to the index
05.11.07 Joe Martin Stage Race Stage 1
After spending some quality time at the Orbea factory in Little Rock, AR, the Webcor Builders team headed down to Fayetteville, AR for the 3-day Joe Martin Stage Race. Katheryn Curi joined the team here, fresh off a month of racing in Europe with the US national team. She replaced Mara Abbott, who went on to Kansas to successfully defend her national collegiate title.
Here is Rachel Heal's report:
Stage 1 was a 61-mile point-to-point road race over rolling roads with a 10-mile climb at about half distance, finishing in Fayetteville. Our plan for the race, if nothing had happened before we hit the climb, was to drive the pace hard up the climb, with the aim of splitting the field and getting a small group away.
During the first 25 miles we endured hot and humid conditions, pouring rain, dodgy corners, riders crashing for no apparent reason, and numerous attacks, none of which were allowed any room by the bunch, so as we hit the climb we put "operation shatter the field" into play. Helen started things off, setting a hard pace and starting to line things out, and then Amber, Katheryn, and I took it in turns to keep the pace high. Although we got things down to a bunch of about 25 riders, our plan was foiled to some degree by a strong headwind. We realized that it was too easy for others to sit on and get towed along by our hard work, so we stopped with that plan, and started attacking instead. Unfortunately, every time a member of the green machine attacked, there was a cloud of red dust on the back of it (Cheerwine and Aaron's, both with red kits, had 18 riders between them, so Bob frequently referred to the red dust) but when Minikini rider Elodie Touffet attacked, they sat there and watched her ride off up the road.
Touffet was allowed to build up a maximum gap of just under two minutes before the bunch decided she needed to be brought back, so with representatives from us and the red gang chasing, the gap soon fell, and with about 15 miles to go it was gruppo compacto.
In the last 15 miles, there were several attacks, but nothing was allowed any room at all, and with 5km to go, the front of the bunch was chaos to say the least. With what seemed like 400 red riders up at the front, the team did a great job of keeping me up at the front and delivering me to Laura Van Guilder's wheel (a pretty decent place to be in any sprint me thinks). Coming into the final corner I decided to take a chance and jumped early, getting a slight gap around the corner, but the finish line was a long way from the corner! With about 100m to go, I was passed by a speeding Kat Carroll & Co. Aaron's Carroll took the stage from Cheerwines' LVG and Leigh Hobson. I finished in 7th, with Amber and Katheryn in 10th and 21st, all on the same time. Bev, Helen, and Laura all finished safely too, so now it's on to day two…
Back to the index
05.12.07 Abbott Wins 3rd Straight Collegiate National Title
Webcor Builders rider Mara Abbott won her 3rd straight national collegiate road race championship. Mara, riding for Whitman College, won the Division II road race as well as the individual omnium title and led her team to a first place in the team time trial. She placed 3rd in the criterium. See this press coverage for all the details and photos:
CyclingNews Team Time Trial Report
VeloNews Road Race Report
CyclingNews Photo – Victory Salute (yes, Mara has now learned to ride without hands!)
Cycling News Photo – Happy Mara after her road race win
VeloNews Photo Gallery
Back to the index
 The team finished off the Tour of the Gila with tremendous success: 1st (Mara), 2nd (Rachel), and 4th (Amber) overall, two stage wins and three 2nd place stage finishes (on the podium on every stage!) and won the overall team GC (by over 9 minutes!). They are now in Arkansas (where the internet connection was spotty, hence the delay on this report) preparing for the 3-day Joe Martin Stage Race starting Friday. See these CyclingNews photos for the action:
The main peleton on the climb
Mara on the podium
Webcor Builders wins Team GC (again!)
Final GC Podium
Here is Amber Rais' report on the 5th and final stage:
Stage 5: Amber 2nd, Rachel and Mara 5th and 6th
The lean green machine came out in force for the infamous final stage of the Tour of the Gila (an adorable little course affectionately called the Gila Monster). We had started the Tour with roaring momentum, and we weren't about to let up on the last day!
Ten miles into the race, we came up on the first time-bonus sprint. I moved ahead of Rachel and ramped up the pace for the lead-out with about a mile to the line; we briefly gapped the field, but Anne Samplonius (Expresscopy) bridged to Rachel's wheel with the field strung out behind. I pushed the pace again just before the sprint, and Rachel jumped around me. Anne jumped as well, but Rachel took the sprint. We were now running a 100% success rate on intermediate sprints for the Tour. Go Rachel!
A few miles later Sarah Tillotson (Colavita) attacked over one of the rollers on the first main climb. I covered her as three TIBCO riders, two Cheerwine riders and an Expresscopy rider bridged. The group balked through a couple of pulls, but with a few surges by Marisa Asplund (TIBCO) and myself, a sizeable gap formed, which seemed to satisfy the group enough to get a rotation started. I rolled through for a while, and the gap shot up over two minutes, at which point I was instructed not to work. I joined Melissa Holt (Expresscopy) and Sarah Tillotson (Colavita) at the back of the break, where the three of us sat on as TIBCO drove the pace with help from Betina Hold (Cheerwine) and occasional pulls by her teammate Brooke Ourada.
The gap grew as large as four minutes at one point, so my Webcor teammates Helen, Bev, and Laura began setting tempo at the front of the main group to bring the gap back down. Soon, they had help from Colavita's Alex Wrubleski and Andrea Dvorak. Both groups shared a common interest of protecting their top GC riders, who were in the main group.
As the break approached the second and final intermediate time bonus sprint, Bob asked me over the radio whether I wanted to go for it. I thought, "Are you kidding?!" but said only, "Yes." TIBCO started a lead-out, then pulled off, leaving Sarah Tillotson and I ramping up the pace in a bit of a drag race. We both chuckled briefly at ourselves as we half-wheeled one another, then she jumped. I followed suit and came around her on the right to take the sprint, earning 10 seconds, and sealing our 100% success rate on intermediate sprints. That's right: we won every bonus sprint of the Tour!
With a lot of work by Betina Hold (Cheerwine), Stacy Marple (TIBCO), and Victora Bastide (TIBCO), the break hit the climb with a gap of 2:40. Brooke Ourada immediately set the pace on the climb, as she had the most to gain on the stage. If she gained enough time, she could move onto the GC podium that day, and she had been climbing exceptionally well. I was now ahead of her by 24 seconds on GC, so my job was to mark her to the finish.
Marisa Asplund (TIBCO) attacked out of the break early on the climb. Since she was 7 minutes down on GC, I continued to mark Brooke, as Marisa headed up the road, staying away to take the final stage win with a strong and courageous performance. I marked Brooke to the finish, where Sarah Tillotson jumped in a gutsy early move for the finish with 500 meters to go. I followed her wheel; then Melissa Holt came around me ramping the pace up further. I jumped across the road from behind her and sprinted, opening a sizeable gap by the time I crossed the line for second place on the stage. Later I would discover that I'd moved up into 4 th place overall on GC (only 20 seconds behind Dotsie Bausch of Colavita in 3rd).
Meanwhile, Laura, Helen, and Bev had motored for over 40 grueling miles, bringing the gap down and delivering our GC leaders to the base of the climb in commanding style. Mara and Rachel hit the final climb with a group including Dotsie (sitting 3rd on GC) and Anne Samplonius (Expresscopy – sitting 4th on GC), which began closing the gap to the break ahead. With seven miles to go, Rachel attacked the group and got away through a technical section of the course. Mara marked Dotsie as she responded to Rachel's attack, but Rachel got away. Once Rachel had a sizeable gap and was sure to stay away, Mara attacked the group and bridged solo to Rachel. The two team-time-trialed to the finish, nearly catching the remnants of the break at 200m to go. They clasped hands in a victory salute as they crossed the finish line together, sealing 1st and 2nd place on the final GC.
Just when I thought the week couldn't end any better, our hostess, Sue Schiowitz, greeted us at the podium with a freshly-baked batch of homemade brownies. Bike racing and brownies – heaven on earth!
Congratulations to the whole team and staff on a phenomenal show of teamwork all week long. Our accomplishments here at the Tour of the Gila directly reflect our collective dedication to excellence and our commitment to one another as a team. Rock on Webcor!
Back to the index
05.05.07 Tour of the Gila Stage 4
The team continued their awesome performance at the Tour of the Gila with another podium appearance in both the criterium and the final road stage.
See the action in these CyclingNews photos:
Webcor at the start
Helen in the winning break
Mara solidly in pink
Rachel in 2nd overall
Final Sprint
Here is Helen Kelly's criterium report:
Webcor’s overall position in Tour of the Gila was dominating as we lined up for the 26-mile criterium in downtown Silver City. Mara Abbott was wearing the pink leader’s jersey, Rachel Heal was 2nd in GC, Amber Rais 5th, whilst Bev Harper, Laura Yoisten, and I were all looking strong and working hard to protect our team leaders.
 The 1-mile course was located on Boullard St. in Silver City, New Mexico. The finishing straight was lined with many art galleries, popular cafes, and ice cream shops. The weather was rather cool with really strong gusty winds, however, the finishing straight was lined with many local spectators. The course had a 200m kicker (US translation: 600ft climb) on the back straight, as well as a super fast descent into the home straight. There was a rowdy party on the hill with people drinking, ringing bells, and generally having a blast. Our plan in the criterium was to rest Mara and Rach as much as possible so they would be fresh for the final “Gila Monster" stage the next day. Their job was to sit in and not hit the wind at all. Meanwhile, Amber, Bev, Laura, and I were given the green light to cover moves early, get aggressive in the second half, and go for a stage win.
Everyone warmed up well on trainers prior to the start which helped the heavy leg feeling we all had from three days of racing at altitude. As we had been on the podium every day so far, Amber jokingly asked “whose turn is it to podium today?" I pulled on my Lake shoe covers, smiled cheekily, and said “Oh ok, I will." On the 2nd lap, I covered an attack by Meshy Holt (Expresscopy). Three other riders followed – Jill McLauglin (Touchstone), Victoria Bastide (Tibco), and Andrea Dovorak (Colavita). The peloton didn’t react and soon the break had a 20-second gap on the field. With no GC riders in the break to threaten our overall position, I was given the go-ahead to work in the break.
The wind made the course difficult and the short sharp climb hurt everyone’s legs. The group worked well together and with 10 laps to go, the time gap had extended to 1min 50sec. Back in the peloton, team Cheerwine had missed the break and tried several times to bridge, however they were quickly re-absorbed.
Meshy Holt and I stopped working with three laps remaining, eyeing the other. We were nervous about a late solo attempt. With over two minutes on the field with one lap to go, the cat and mouse game started. The pace of the break slowed and all five riders started maneuvering about, watching each other. I quickly moved to the side of the street so I could watch for the attacks from one side only. This would make it easier to chase if someone attacked. Meshy Holt (Expresscopy) tried first, attacking in the head wind section after the 1st corner. I jumped hard and got to her wheel before the 2nd corner. Meshy sat up and Bastide (Tibcor) attacked hard up the climb, getting a 10m gap. Jill McLauglin (Touchstone) chased with me on her wheel.
The break reached the final corner doing 50km/hr (30 miles/hr). Jill passed Victoria on the outside and had so much speed through the corner that she opened a 10m gap as she entered the finishing straight. Jill immediately started sprinting with me desperately trying to close the gap. With 50m to go, I drew level with Jill and the two of us drag raced to the finish. After two days of working hard, my legs couldn’t match McLauglin, who took the win by a wheel length. I was pleased with my return to form and was delighted to be back on the podium. Victoria Bastide (Tibco) rounded out the podium in 3rd. Webcor was now poised to successfully defend 1st and 2nd in GC the next day. Stay tuned to hear what happens.
Back to the index
05.05.07 Cat's Hill Criterium
From Team Director, Karen Brems:
While the rest of the team is tearing up the roads in New Mexico, and Katheryn and Christine are racing in Europe with the national team, I decided to race our local SugarCRM Cat's Hill Criterium. This is one of the classic local races and draws good crowds in downtown Los Gatos. Christine won this race the past two years and I have won it seven times in the past 13 years, so I was keen to try to keep the title in the Webcor family!
 The course is a 1-mile circuit with a 1-block long, 20%+ grade hill, followed by another block of false flat (which can seem harder than the steep part of the hill if the pace is kept high!). Then there is a relatively flat back stretch, and then a fast downhill into a right turn and 200m to the finish. Plenty of potholes and rough pavement add to the challenge. The hill also comes out of a turn, so carrying momentum and timing your shifting are critical. Someone always drops their chain on the climb so you never want to be too far back!
I was feeling a bit lonely on the start line as the only Webcor rider against six Proman riders including former Webcor soigneur Rachel Lloyd; Shelly Olds, who has been getting some NRC results recently; and the Drumm sisters. Proman even raced with radios and former Saturn director Gianna Roberge on the other end of their earpieces. Value-Act had Taite Saito, Courtney Brown, and Martina Patella. TIBCO also had five riders.
Team management definitely eats into my training time, and my fitness is not where it used to be, so I knew I had to pick my battles. I've probably done 300 laps on this course in my lifetime though, so I knew all its secrets! I figured that Shelly was the strongest rider in the race and the one to watch. Value-Act was by far the most aggressive team, but I let Proman chase them down. Taite attacked on the hill a number of times and won the QOM title for her efforts. She got away early on for a while and Rachel eventually bridged up to her with Martina on her wheel. They had about 20 second. on the rest of us. I could see that Rachel was not working though, so I bided my time and eventually they came back. It soon became pretty clear to me that Proman was racing purely for Shelly and they would cover the Value-Act attacks and get a gap, but not work with them without Shelly. This meant my job became shadowing Shelly. She attacked once on the hill and bridged up to a small break, but I (and the rest of the field) followed and it seemed clear that Proman was content to wait for the final sprint. This was also fine with me.
 On the final lap, one of the Drumms (Helene, I think) started winding it up. I think Martina was 2nd and then Shelly and me. I saw Shelly accelerate going into the turn before the climb, so I knew she was going to attack there. She did, and I had to dig deep to follow. She had a couple of bike lengths on me at the top of the steep part of the climb, but I clawed my way back to her wheel by the back straight. I'm not sure if she knew if I was there or not, but she kept going hard, which gave me a chance to recover a bit on the downhill. There was nobody anywhere close behind us. I passed Shelly just before the final turn and took the sprint. Courtney won the field sprint for 3rd.
Overall it was a fun race and very well organized – I crossed the finish line, did half a lap and cut the course (I wasn't about to go up the hill again!) back to the start/finish and they were already calling us up to the awards stand for the podium presentation!
Back to the index
05.04.07 Tour of the Gila Stage 3
Friday was another hilly road race and the Webcor Builders team successfully defended their top two GC positions and added another stage podium finish.
Mara, pretty in pink and protected by her teammates
Amber and Mara at the front
Here is Amber Rais' report:
Stage Results: Dotsie Bausch (1st), Rachel (2nd), Mara (5th), Amber (6th)
GC: Mara (1st), Rachel (2nd)
Team GC: Webcor (1st) – by a LOT
Today was perhaps the most fun I've ever had racing my bicycle.
The plan for today's stage was simple: pedal for about 80 miles and 6000 ft of climbing and cross the line first, keeping 1st and 2nd in GC. The first time-bonus sprint line was only six miles into the race, after a right turn that essentially marked the start of the first chunk of climbing. Although we were sitting rather comfortably in 1st and 2nd, we were not about to give anything away. Pas de cadeaux. Helen and I ramped up the lead-out for Rachel through the corner, I peeled off, letting Helen take over to launch Rachel for the line. Glancing back, I saw – nothing, for about 200 meters. We had gapped the whole peloton! Rachel handily took the sprint bonus and kept rolling. A few attacks flew about as we began to climb. Dotsie went off the front for a bit, but was quickly contained by Pretty in Pink Mara. The pace eased up a bit, the previous attacks having shattered the group. Unfortunately, we lost Laura and Helen in the melee here, but remained vigilant with four riders up front (Bev, Rach, Mara, and me).
Alex Wrubleski (Colavita) attacked, and I covered, the two of us getting a sizeable gap. Hoping to neutralize attacks in the field, I kept rolling through to buy our girls some time. Alex and I stayed away until near the top of the next climb, where the group brought us back. Anne Samplonius (Expresscopy) immediately launched, with me on her wheel. She pushed the pace a bit and was then countered by Andrea Dvorak (Colavita), again with me on her wheel. This initiated a break including Andrea, Alex W, Melissa Holt (Expresscopy), Stacy Marple (TIBCO), and me. I sat on for a bit as Colavita drove the pace until I had the go-ahead to work.
I started rolling through to keep the pace up, and as we hit the next climb, I heard on the radio that Mara was coming up to us. I looked back and saw Mara with Dotsie. Judging by Dotsie's breathing and that she'd just made the effort to bridge (and knowing that Mara would be fine), I immediately attacked, bringing Stacy with me. The two of us hammered over the climb and the next winding descent, opening a good gap. The group chased back on by the next climbing bit. Somewhere in the mix we lost Bev to a group behind us, so we were now three in the front group.
Alex W. attacked again, and I again covered. She opened a gap, but once she realized I was on her wheel, began easing up. Again wanting to buy time for Mara and Rachel, I attacked over the next rise and went off the front, hitting the winding technical descent alone. A few riders came up to me through the base of the descent, and I again found myself in a break: Alex W., Andrea D., Anne S., and Stacy M. We were shortly joined by Rachel and Lea Hobson (Cheerwine). Anne began attacking, and I covered. Then Stacy attacked, and we let her go a bit, as she was seven minutes back. Anne attacked to bridge and brought Stacy back. Stacy attacked again and this time was let go.
Suddenly Dotsie came back to the group and immediately attacked us, with Mara right on her heels (well done!). Anne S. jumped across the gap with me on her wheel, so I attacked Dotsie's group, bringing Alex W. with me. Again looking to buy some time, I worked with Alex, caught up to Stacy and got everyone working together. We hit the second bonus sprint together, which I won in a 3-up drag race to the line for 10 seconds (and a little cash). A few miles later, we were again caught by the main group.
As we rolled into the small town of Mimbres, just before the final feedzone and climb, we heard the jubilant announcement over the radio: "Webcor is BACK. We are BACK!" Suddenly a flash of green blew up the side of the main peloton, as Laura, Bev, and Helen stormed to the front of the group. Helen turned, smiling and waving at the whole group. The sight brought tears to my eyes and I started cheering, and Mara, Rachel, and I smiled ear to ear as the front of the group turned green. (This is my new favorite memory in bike racing.)
Not only were they back, but they were ready to rock. And rock they did. As the attacks came fast and furiously, they were on everything. Nothing got away over those last climbs and rollers. Dotsie attacked over one roller, bringing three of us (Rach, Mara, and me) with her in a group of six – without Expresscopy. They chased hard to get back, and with five miles to go, the group was back together.
In flawless execution, Bev attacked like gangbusters up the right just as Expresscopy was setting up their leadout. This threw them for a bit as they chased. They didn't have long to regroup, however, as Laura threw down a blistering attack through one of the last corners. Expresscopy chased, as Mara came barreling up the side of the group to stay near the front and keep time gaps down. I tried to keep the pace high and shelter Rachel a bit, then Helen pulled through and Rach jumped on her wheel for the final leadout. Dotsie jumped with 500m to go and managed to hold her gap, while Rach charged around Gina Grain to take second.
We finished three riders in the top six, further solidified 1st and 2nd on GC, and we're now 7 minutes 55 seconds ahead of Cheerwine in Team GC. Another good day at the office.
Back to the index
05.03.07 Tour of the Gila Stage 2
The Webcor team had another great day in New Mexico with a second stage win in as many days and the team now sits in first and second overall. With a perfect setup from the team, Mara won the hilltop finish up the steep Mogollon climb by a minute over 2nd place Brook Ourada of Cheerwine. This moved her into the overall lead. Rachel finished 4th on the day, 1:33 back and held onto 2nd overall. Amber is in 5th three minutes down.
Here is Mara's Abbott's report – Gila 2 for 2:
 Today the Webcor crew started out in fairly good position – I suppose that’s what you could call three people in the top five! We started out with what was basically a long descent for the first twenty miles or so, leading into the first sprint, where the FIRST good thing happened today – Rachel won the bonus sprint; meaning that she (a) won a little green, (b) got ten seconds on then second-place Dotsie, and (c) proved that she was NOT ONLY the best time-trial rider in the crew, but that she also had this amazing sprint on her, and that she very clearly deserved that pink jersey with which she was so charmingly adorned. This was very exciting, and I was impressed.
Over the next section of the road, we had Helen, Beverley, and Laura (“the sprinter”) charging the front of the race, chasing back any and everything that dared try to escape the pink jersey radius. Then we came to the second sprint. Rachel “most versatile” Heal, took this one too, so now (d) it was no accident!
Then Jessica Phillips of Expresscopy decided to go on a recon mission. This way if there were any nice sights or places to stop for a snack, she could let us know. After she was a little ahead of us, we decided that the recon mission was maybe NOT such a good plan, and so Bob put the green armada on the front of the pack to drag ‘er back in! With the help of Amber, Helen, Beverley, and Laura, the gap was down to thirty seconds by the bottom of the Mogollon climb. Additionally during this time frame, Bernard performed a masterful wheel change when our race leader flatted (“I didn’t even have time to finish my PowerGel!” – Helen), Merry passed four of four water bottles, and I fed from the car in the first time EVER (“next time you have to LISTEN to me”– Bob).
At the base of Mogollon, we crossed the first of approximately 749 cattle guards and waited for the attacks to start… and they didn’t, so the Three Musketeers (L, H, & B) stormed back to the front and led us up the first piece of the climb. As it began to thin out, we passed Jessica Phillips, and then Rachel and I received the “green light” to attack. Green means go. I went. I cut across a switchback (as I was so aptly advised to do), and as I looked back, I saw DAYLIGHT. Excellent. I then got the radio go-ahead from co-pilot Rachel, and rode to the 1-mile sign alone. Then I rode (and this is official watch data) 1.6 miles to the finish, where Webcor NOW sat in first and second! Rachel came across the line following Dotsie like a shadow, and Amber finished 7th for our first top ten! Not a bad day out there, and it certainly wasn’t worse after a team meeting where we were treated to chocolate and wine!
See these photos from CyclingNews:
Women's pro race starts with a ride through Silver City
Rachel Heal lost her leader's jersey today
Women's field at the beginning of the last climb
Back to the index
05.02.07 Tour of the Gila Stage 1
The Webcor Builders team of Rachel, Mara, Amber, Bev, Helen, and Laura started the 5-stage Tour of The Gila today. It was a great start with Rachel winning the stage and Mara and Amber also in the top five! See these CyclingNews photos:
Rachel Heal wins the ITT
Rachel concentrates on her pace
Here is Rachel Heal's report:
 Race reports for time trials are always on the tricky side to write, or at least to write and make sound interesting. The truth is we all started, we all rode 16.5 miles as fast as we could, and we all finished. I'm guessing that's not really enough for a race report so I should try and elaborate a bit more.
The course is 16.5 miles out and back with just over 1000 ft of climbing, and pretty much no flat; it's either up or down the whole way. The course starts with a 4-mile climb followed by a wickedly fast descent, and then rolls out to the turn – a not too technical U-turn around a cone in the road. You then hit all the rollers again in reverse and back up the climb (which by this point has changed from a wicked descent to an evil climb), before flying back down the 4-mile descent to the finish. In almost all previous runnings, and when we checked out the course yesterday, it's a headwind out and tailwind back, but today the wind had changed and we had a nice tailwind out, but had to battle the wind all the way back; so it was a case of pacing the effort to make sure you had enough left in the tank for the return leg.
As a team we had a great race today. It's a sweet feeling to log onto CyclingNews and see the headline "Webcor stacks the top five." For me personally, the two weeks training we had at Reno had given me some confidence that the form was coming, and it was nice to be able to prove it with the win here. With Mara in 3rd and Amber in 4th we've set ourselves up for a great race. GO WEBCOR!!
Back to the index
Go to reports from earlier in the season |
