Madera Stage Race: Criterium (Stage 1)
W 1,2
Teammates: Maura Kinsella
Place: Lauren – 1/34, Maura – 16/34
This is your basic, four-corner crit, true American style... about five lanes wide. There is nowhere to hide on this course. The winds have you completely at their mercy and, of course, they were gaining speed for the two hours leading up to hour crit. Somehow our warm up time flew by and I only got about 15 minutes of turning the legs over. We lined up in the pit to watch the 4s and 35+ women finish up. By this point we know that there is a pretty strong cross (slightly head) wind on the finish straight, tailwind on the second stretch, massive cross-head wind on the third side and a straight on head wind on the final bit over the railroad tracks.
Finally we are allowed to line up and are given our pre-race instructions. There would be two primes worth 5 seconds each and 20-10-5 bonus seconds for first through third places at the finish. The plan was for me to take both primes and the win with Maura’s lead-outs and hope that I could stay close enough in the time trial to make those worthwhile for a podium spot overall. Off we went.
As usual, people were pretty conservative before the time trial. There were a few attacks but nothing committed. I stayed at the front and tried to keep Maura in close distance. The bell rang for the first prime and right off the line a Touchstone rider attacked. I followed in the chase, staying out of the wind. When we hit the headwind side everyone slowed down and I ended up on the front through the last corner. Not ideal but I sprinted and took the 5 seconds.
We rolled around for the rest of the race, with a couple of attacks. At one point we got overtaken by a group of threes who had broken away from their peloton, which had started behind us. That caused all sorts of chaos and ended up causing a crash on the head wind side, which both Maura and I narrowly avoided.
We came around and saw 5 to go and still hadn’t heard the last prime bell. With three to go the announcement came over. Perfect. No one wants to sprint three laps before the real sprint. I took this one seated, trying to put out as little energy as possible. The one lap to go bell rang and some teams tried to start a lead out. There wasn’t much organization so it got a little messy on the third and fourth lengths. I came out of the last corner on the inside and farther back than I wanted. I began sprinting out the ride side of the group maybe 10 meters after the turn and held it to the line. This was kind of like a fun points race at the track. I enjoyed myself. ~Lauren
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Merco Grand Prix Race Report
Race Report: Merco Road Race
W 1,2,3
Teammates: Maura Kinsella
Place: Lauren 7th/62, Maura 58th/62
Merco is one of my favorite road races in California. The course is perfect: flat to rolling with a very interesting finish. After a short warm up I lined up next to Ina Teutenberg. After a short, goggly-eyed introduction, I tried to focus on the race.
There were several attacks on the first lap. A few things got away for a short time but nothing really stuck for long. My order of events is a little fuzzy so from here on most moments are in no particular order... Ina attacked the field and got of solo probably for about 20 minutes or so. Up until then I had been sitting in, hiding from the wind but saw the chance to open up my legs and test the field. I knew there was no way I was going to catch Ina as she was at least 20 seconds off the field (not to mention she is insanely strong). But, I decided to attack the field anyway to see if, by chance, they would let me try. No cheese. Now my legs were feeling opened up, though.
The rest of the race unfolded much like the first lap. Columbia and Tibco were making sure they knew who was where and if they knew the breaks were no threat they let them dangle for a bit. The Webcor gals had an AWESOME race. They attacked the field more than any other team and with only three riders. Unfortunately nothing stuck but they certainly kept it interesting.
The last lap came around and we were still grupo compacto. Again Webcor attacked like crazy which kept the pace up and the race safer (for the most part). I made sure to pay attention to the great sprinters in the field: Shelley Evans, Brooke Miller, Ina Teutenberg and more. I tried to hold a position in their near vicinity and most of the second half of the lap we all formed a little pocket in the sweet spot. Things got hectic as the lead-outs tried to get organized and every solo rider was fighting to join the party.
On the downhill into the left hand turn to the Merco feed zone hill, I made my move to get to the front. From that point it was on. I did the best I could to stay in the frontish end of the field and managed to do ok with the help of Lindsay Meyers (Webcor). Crossing the bridge I heard a crash behind me and had a feeling Maura was in it. Between the final left, then right hand turns I could tell the right side of the road (where I was) was getting jammed up. Just then I hear Ally Stacher (Webcor) yell from the left side and look over to see her blocking a space for me to squeeze by. I made it over with Lindsay’s help and sprinted like hell up the final hill. I made it over on the wheel of a Colavita rider who was on the wheel of a Touchstone rider. We sprinted seated and FINALLY hit the 200 meter sign. Those had to be 200 of the longest meters EVER. I didn’t have anything left to jump around the two girls ahead of me so we rolled in for 5th, 6th, and 7th behind Ina Teutenberg, Shelley Evans, Kelly Benjamin and Brooke Miller. Not a bad day considering those four names...
Unfortunately Maura was taken out from behind by a couple of riders on the bridge and broke her new Specialized frame and took a nice chunk out of her elbow. Luckily no bones were broken, though. She had an AWESOME race patrolling the front and maintaining great position throughout the day. This is going to be a very fun year!
--Lauren
W 1,2,3
Teammates: Maura Kinsella
Place: Lauren 7th/62, Maura 58th/62
Merco is one of my favorite road races in California. The course is perfect: flat to rolling with a very interesting finish. After a short warm up I lined up next to Ina Teutenberg. After a short, goggly-eyed introduction, I tried to focus on the race.
There were several attacks on the first lap. A few things got away for a short time but nothing really stuck for long. My order of events is a little fuzzy so from here on most moments are in no particular order... Ina attacked the field and got of solo probably for about 20 minutes or so. Up until then I had been sitting in, hiding from the wind but saw the chance to open up my legs and test the field. I knew there was no way I was going to catch Ina as she was at least 20 seconds off the field (not to mention she is insanely strong). But, I decided to attack the field anyway to see if, by chance, they would let me try. No cheese. Now my legs were feeling opened up, though.
The rest of the race unfolded much like the first lap. Columbia and Tibco were making sure they knew who was where and if they knew the breaks were no threat they let them dangle for a bit. The Webcor gals had an AWESOME race. They attacked the field more than any other team and with only three riders. Unfortunately nothing stuck but they certainly kept it interesting.
The last lap came around and we were still grupo compacto. Again Webcor attacked like crazy which kept the pace up and the race safer (for the most part). I made sure to pay attention to the great sprinters in the field: Shelley Evans, Brooke Miller, Ina Teutenberg and more. I tried to hold a position in their near vicinity and most of the second half of the lap we all formed a little pocket in the sweet spot. Things got hectic as the lead-outs tried to get organized and every solo rider was fighting to join the party.
On the downhill into the left hand turn to the Merco feed zone hill, I made my move to get to the front. From that point it was on. I did the best I could to stay in the frontish end of the field and managed to do ok with the help of Lindsay Meyers (Webcor). Crossing the bridge I heard a crash behind me and had a feeling Maura was in it. Between the final left, then right hand turns I could tell the right side of the road (where I was) was getting jammed up. Just then I hear Ally Stacher (Webcor) yell from the left side and look over to see her blocking a space for me to squeeze by. I made it over with Lindsay’s help and sprinted like hell up the final hill. I made it over on the wheel of a Colavita rider who was on the wheel of a Touchstone rider. We sprinted seated and FINALLY hit the 200 meter sign. Those had to be 200 of the longest meters EVER. I didn’t have anything left to jump around the two girls ahead of me so we rolled in for 5th, 6th, and 7th behind Ina Teutenberg, Shelley Evans, Kelly Benjamin and Brooke Miller. Not a bad day considering those four names...
Unfortunately Maura was taken out from behind by a couple of riders on the bridge and broke her new Specialized frame and took a nice chunk out of her elbow. Luckily no bones were broken, though. She had an AWESOME race patrolling the front and maintaining great position throughout the day. This is going to be a very fun year!
--Lauren
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Merced Cycling Classic
Merced Cycling Classic
Crit: Women's 1/2
Place: 20th
This past weekend, my team and I went to Merced, CA for the Merced Stage Race. Ange, our token Aussie, came for support since she broke her wrist and is out for a few weekends of racing. Thankfully, the team opted out of doing the TTT on Friday due to school, work, and a very jetlagged Aus. So instead we headed out Saturday bright and early. On Saturday afternoon, we had a 6-corner, flat crit in the heart(if you can call it that) of Merced. HTC-Columbia was there, getting ready for Redlands, along with the other top dogs: TIBCO, Peanut Butter and Co, and Webcor. The race was fast, but not as excruciating as I had expected. In the 40 lap criterium, I attacked with 25 laps to go, not afraid to put my nose in the wind, and to see what kind of damage I could do. Not much. I was off the front for like half a lap and then was brought back by Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Columbia). I recovered well after that attack and so I decided to go for a prime at about lap 15. I was 2nd to the prime, outsprinted by TIBCOs Megan Guarnier. After that, I led at the front for half a lap and then slowly moved back. After this dig, it was harder to recover, feeling totally gassed. I kept good position, top third of the peloton for the rest of the time. There was massive carnage with 3 laps to go, completely stopping the field for about 15-20 minutes. We were off again, starting at 5 laps to go. It was really hard to go full gas again after stopping for so long. I wound up finishing top 20, still in the money, which was pretty cool in an 80-person field of the top women in the country and world.
Merced crit race report from Maura on the Bridge Team
Crit: Women's 1/2
Place: 20th
This past weekend, my team and I went to Merced, CA for the Merced Stage Race. Ange, our token Aussie, came for support since she broke her wrist and is out for a few weekends of racing. Thankfully, the team opted out of doing the TTT on Friday due to school, work, and a very jetlagged Aus. So instead we headed out Saturday bright and early. On Saturday afternoon, we had a 6-corner, flat crit in the heart(if you can call it that) of Merced. HTC-Columbia was there, getting ready for Redlands, along with the other top dogs: TIBCO, Peanut Butter and Co, and Webcor. The race was fast, but not as excruciating as I had expected. In the 40 lap criterium, I attacked with 25 laps to go, not afraid to put my nose in the wind, and to see what kind of damage I could do. Not much. I was off the front for like half a lap and then was brought back by Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Columbia). I recovered well after that attack and so I decided to go for a prime at about lap 15. I was 2nd to the prime, outsprinted by TIBCOs Megan Guarnier. After that, I led at the front for half a lap and then slowly moved back. After this dig, it was harder to recover, feeling totally gassed. I kept good position, top third of the peloton for the rest of the time. There was massive carnage with 3 laps to go, completely stopping the field for about 15-20 minutes. We were off again, starting at 5 laps to go. It was really hard to go full gas again after stopping for so long. I wound up finishing top 20, still in the money, which was pretty cool in an 80-person field of the top women in the country and world.
Merced crit race report from Maura on the Bridge Team
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Snelling Road Race
Race Report: Snelling Road Race
Womens 1,2
Teammates: Maura Kinsella
Place: Lauren – DNF, Maura – DNF
First road race of the season and we started in a mud pit. Literally. We started out carrying our bikes through the swamp back and forth to the road but eventually gave it up. The weather cleared up a bit for our afternoon wave but standing water remained throughout the course. Tibco brought almost their entire team, which made up a third of the preregistered women. About 45 women started for a total of 5 laps.
The neutral rollout was edgy and almost as soon as the moto took off the attacks began. Tibco had split into two “teams” and were going off the front in pairs. The field thinned out pretty quickly which left fewer places to hide. The tailwind section was very fast and was probably where most people were getting shelled. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the second lap Maura had a mechanical in this section and could not catch the group again despite her efforts.
The first three laps were all the same. Tibco attacked and kept the pace high. A few breaks formed but were caught and several times single riders got off for a few minutes. There were very few moments of real rest. On the first leg of the fourth lap the peloton kind of took a breather and then the fun really started. I was on the right side of the peloton on the edge of the road. The last thing I saw was a girl come from the middle of the pack straight out to the right. Next thing I new I was face down sliding through a big, dirty puddle (ok, really it was a pond). Luckily I escaped unbroken with some scrapes and golf ball for an elbow. The things I was probably most upset about were losing my glasses to the pond and tearing up my brand new arm warmers. Needless to say my race was over. While the day did not go quite as planned, it was good to get out racing again.
Womens 1,2
Teammates: Maura Kinsella
Place: Lauren – DNF, Maura – DNF
First road race of the season and we started in a mud pit. Literally. We started out carrying our bikes through the swamp back and forth to the road but eventually gave it up. The weather cleared up a bit for our afternoon wave but standing water remained throughout the course. Tibco brought almost their entire team, which made up a third of the preregistered women. About 45 women started for a total of 5 laps.
The neutral rollout was edgy and almost as soon as the moto took off the attacks began. Tibco had split into two “teams” and were going off the front in pairs. The field thinned out pretty quickly which left fewer places to hide. The tailwind section was very fast and was probably where most people were getting shelled. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the second lap Maura had a mechanical in this section and could not catch the group again despite her efforts.
The first three laps were all the same. Tibco attacked and kept the pace high. A few breaks formed but were caught and several times single riders got off for a few minutes. There were very few moments of real rest. On the first leg of the fourth lap the peloton kind of took a breather and then the fun really started. I was on the right side of the peloton on the edge of the road. The last thing I saw was a girl come from the middle of the pack straight out to the right. Next thing I new I was face down sliding through a big, dirty puddle (ok, really it was a pond). Luckily I escaped unbroken with some scrapes and golf ball for an elbow. The things I was probably most upset about were losing my glasses to the pond and tearing up my brand new arm warmers. Needless to say my race was over. While the day did not go quite as planned, it was good to get out racing again.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Berkeley Hills TTT Race Report
Berkeley Hills TTT Race Report
Place: 3rd, Women's 1/2
Lauren and I ventured to Berkeley to compete in our first real TTT together. Unfortunately, neither of us was feeling too hot after a long, brutal Training Camp. While warming up, I could tell that I wasn’t going to be able to bring much to the table with a perceived exertion much higher than normal and legs feeling like concrete-jello.
Before the start, we kept telling ourselves that we were going to push really hard only on the second half. But… I was on my new, beautiful Leopard TT bike and got excited, jumping ahead, and completely throwing off any rhythm. Throughout the race, we quickly realized that as little legs as I had, Lauren had even less (which never happens).
We wound up finishing third out of four teams in the Women’s 1,2… which was clearly all due to our huge disadvantage of not wearing TT helmets!
Next time we’ll have our rhythm so BEWARE.
Tata,
Maura
Place: 3rd, Women's 1/2
Lauren and I ventured to Berkeley to compete in our first real TTT together. Unfortunately, neither of us was feeling too hot after a long, brutal Training Camp. While warming up, I could tell that I wasn’t going to be able to bring much to the table with a perceived exertion much higher than normal and legs feeling like concrete-jello.
Before the start, we kept telling ourselves that we were going to push really hard only on the second half. But… I was on my new, beautiful Leopard TT bike and got excited, jumping ahead, and completely throwing off any rhythm. Throughout the race, we quickly realized that as little legs as I had, Lauren had even less (which never happens).
We wound up finishing third out of four teams in the Women’s 1,2… which was clearly all due to our huge disadvantage of not wearing TT helmets!
Next time we’ll have our rhythm so BEWARE.
Tata,
Maura
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Cherry Pie 2/7
Race Report: Cherry Pie Criterium
2/7/10 2:10pm
Women’s Pro 1,2,3/35+
Teammates: Maura Kinsella, Lindsay Meyers (Webcor Builders)
Place: Lauren – 2/35, Maura – 11/35, Lindsay - 9/35
It was like the weather knew this was the first race of the year. We had a bright, sunny day with temperatures in the high 50’s. Perfect racing conditions. There was a slight head wind on the second half of the course. We arrived VERY early and watched Coach Dan kick butt in the 45+ Masters race. We warmed up in the sunshine and then headed to the start, leg-warmerless and arm-warmerless, showing off our winter white legs.
We started with about 35 women (plus some masters). The first lap was relatively uneventful as everyone checked out the course. Then the fun started. Tibco came with four riders and spent most of the race attacking the field, trying to get off in pairs. While there were several groups that could have put some time into the field, nothing stuck. I made every effort to follow all attacks that included Tibco or any other rider that I knew could hold off the field. A little over half-way through the race, a Specialized rider made a great attack and immediately gapped the field considerably. Tibco let her dangle out there but I knew if anyone could stay out in the wind it was her so Lindsay and I tried to jump start a chase. Several times, Tibco tried to bridge but either myself or another rider were all over it. Eventually the attacks were enough to close the gap and we brought her back. Then there was 5 to go and I was sure there would be a bunch kick for the finish.
Tibco set up on the front with three to go and I was close behind. A crash around the 180 turn at the top of the hill with one to go put a small gap in the field. I crossed it and got back into position with Lindsay’s help. We made the last two turns and the final leg of the lead-out took off. I watched Brooke and as soon as she launched I did as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t maintain as good a position as I should have and had to sprint around the lead-out rider. Brooked maintained a 5 bike length gap on me and took first. I crossed in second the sound of the announcer saying, “...some Webcor jersey”. Even though I was gassed I let out a laugh. That’s my secret code name from now on... “some Webcor jersey”. It was a fun race (with an even more fun prize) and great to see fellow women in green (and Sport Velo red). I’m looking forward to a great season!
2/7/10 2:10pm
Women’s Pro 1,2,3/35+
Teammates: Maura Kinsella, Lindsay Meyers (Webcor Builders)
Place: Lauren – 2/35, Maura – 11/35, Lindsay - 9/35
It was like the weather knew this was the first race of the year. We had a bright, sunny day with temperatures in the high 50’s. Perfect racing conditions. There was a slight head wind on the second half of the course. We arrived VERY early and watched Coach Dan kick butt in the 45+ Masters race. We warmed up in the sunshine and then headed to the start, leg-warmerless and arm-warmerless, showing off our winter white legs.
We started with about 35 women (plus some masters). The first lap was relatively uneventful as everyone checked out the course. Then the fun started. Tibco came with four riders and spent most of the race attacking the field, trying to get off in pairs. While there were several groups that could have put some time into the field, nothing stuck. I made every effort to follow all attacks that included Tibco or any other rider that I knew could hold off the field. A little over half-way through the race, a Specialized rider made a great attack and immediately gapped the field considerably. Tibco let her dangle out there but I knew if anyone could stay out in the wind it was her so Lindsay and I tried to jump start a chase. Several times, Tibco tried to bridge but either myself or another rider were all over it. Eventually the attacks were enough to close the gap and we brought her back. Then there was 5 to go and I was sure there would be a bunch kick for the finish.
Tibco set up on the front with three to go and I was close behind. A crash around the 180 turn at the top of the hill with one to go put a small gap in the field. I crossed it and got back into position with Lindsay’s help. We made the last two turns and the final leg of the lead-out took off. I watched Brooke and as soon as she launched I did as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t maintain as good a position as I should have and had to sprint around the lead-out rider. Brooked maintained a 5 bike length gap on me and took first. I crossed in second the sound of the announcer saying, “...some Webcor jersey”. Even though I was gassed I let out a laugh. That’s my secret code name from now on... “some Webcor jersey”. It was a fun race (with an even more fun prize) and great to see fellow women in green (and Sport Velo red). I’m looking forward to a great season!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
2010 Webcor Alto Velo Bridge Team p/b SportVelo
In its drive to support elite level women’s racing, the Alto Velo Racing Club is proud to present the Webcor Alto Velo Bridge Team presented by SportVelo for the second straight year. The “Bridge Team”, as it is called by those close to the program, was set up to help young women riders interested in progressing from regional-level races to races on the US National Racing Calendar (NRC.)
The inaugural year was extremely successful by any program’s standards, with outstanding performances from all riders. The team capped a successful season with several end-of-season wins, including the Berkeley Criterium, Colavita Criterium, Spring Hill Road Race, and a third place podium spot at the U23 National Criterium Championships. In addition to strong individual performances, the “Bridge Team” was 5th overall in the NCNCA Women’s Elite 1/2 Best Area Team competition.
For 2010 the team has a mix of new and returning riders on the roster. Lauren Hecht (23 Menlo Park, Ca) is returning in her 4th year on Webcor Alto Velo. Lauren will be riding in Europe this spring and return to the US to improve upon her 3rd place Criterium finish at the 2009 U23 Nationals.
Santa Clara Freshman Maura Kinsella (19 Webster, MO) is joining the team to race her first year in the senior ranks. Maura is an accomplished junior with outstanding results from 2009 US Junior National Championship which include a 3rd in the criterium, 5th in the time trial, and 6th in the road race. In addition to her strong performance at nationals, Maura had several wins and podiums in the Elite 3/4 and junior ranks while racing in Missouri.
Ange McClure (19, Adelaide, AUS) will be joining the team in the spring from Australia where she is an aspiring pro cyclist and full time student. The Bridge Team is excited for Ange to join the team as the first “international” member to participate in the program. Ange is finishing up the summer racing season in Australia and turned in an impressive performance at Australian U23 nationals 5th place finish in the RR
The “Bridge” program is funded by Webcor Alto Velo and SportVelo, which are committed to helping women riders of all abilities develop their racing skills. A major focus of the Bridge Team is to enable riders advancing through USA Cycling categories to participate, race and train with the Bridge Team once they upgrade to Elite 3 racing category. This program is open to all women club members, who are encouraged to contact the Team Director (Dan Smith - dan@sportvelo.com ) to learn more about coaching and racing opportunities. The Bridge Team continues to recruit Elite level riders interested in joining a focused program that offers race and travel subsidies to qualified team members.
The inaugural year was extremely successful by any program’s standards, with outstanding performances from all riders. The team capped a successful season with several end-of-season wins, including the Berkeley Criterium, Colavita Criterium, Spring Hill Road Race, and a third place podium spot at the U23 National Criterium Championships. In addition to strong individual performances, the “Bridge Team” was 5th overall in the NCNCA Women’s Elite 1/2 Best Area Team competition.
For 2010 the team has a mix of new and returning riders on the roster. Lauren Hecht (23 Menlo Park, Ca) is returning in her 4th year on Webcor Alto Velo. Lauren will be riding in Europe this spring and return to the US to improve upon her 3rd place Criterium finish at the 2009 U23 Nationals.
Santa Clara Freshman Maura Kinsella (19 Webster, MO) is joining the team to race her first year in the senior ranks. Maura is an accomplished junior with outstanding results from 2009 US Junior National Championship which include a 3rd in the criterium, 5th in the time trial, and 6th in the road race. In addition to her strong performance at nationals, Maura had several wins and podiums in the Elite 3/4 and junior ranks while racing in Missouri.
Ange McClure (19, Adelaide, AUS) will be joining the team in the spring from Australia where she is an aspiring pro cyclist and full time student. The Bridge Team is excited for Ange to join the team as the first “international” member to participate in the program. Ange is finishing up the summer racing season in Australia and turned in an impressive performance at Australian U23 nationals 5th place finish in the RR
The “Bridge” program is funded by Webcor Alto Velo and SportVelo, which are committed to helping women riders of all abilities develop their racing skills. A major focus of the Bridge Team is to enable riders advancing through USA Cycling categories to participate, race and train with the Bridge Team once they upgrade to Elite 3 racing category. This program is open to all women club members, who are encouraged to contact the Team Director (Dan Smith - dan@sportvelo.com ) to learn more about coaching and racing opportunities. The Bridge Team continues to recruit Elite level riders interested in joining a focused program that offers race and travel subsidies to qualified team members.
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