Sunny King Criterium/ Anniston, AL 05/03/08
Race report for Women’s Cat ¾ by Nancy Jones

Sarah and I headed out to AL on Saturday for an adventure.  We were not sure if the weather was going clear up before our race but decided to make the drive.  We drove through the rain and by the time our race started everything had cleared out and dried up for the most part.  This was going to be a race we will never forget.  It was a nice size field with both Cat 3 and 4 racing together.  Amy Lang was also participating in the race and was recognized for her work in women’s cycling. Yippee.  Amy owns The Sweet Project (www.thesweetproject.com) and she is a sponsor of the SEW series.  The race was underway and in the 2nd lap Sarah got a flat and had to sprint to the wheel pit in her carbon soled shoes that seemed to slow her down more than help her.  She was able to get a wheel change and was put back into the race.  With in a few minutes of Sarah getting back into the race, the first crash happened right in front of her. The pack scattered and the pace picked up quickly.  I felt like my heart was going to explode at times, probably due to the prems they keep calling out on the uphill finish line.  With a mere 3 laps to go the second crash happened!  Luckily no one from our team was hurt in any of the crashes, but the pace quickened and a gap between riders formed.  We had to play catch up to front riders who were not involved in the crash.  I found myself all alone chasing down the front pack in no mans land  and with 1 lap to go, the pack was in site and I had very little left in my legs to do any sprinting.  I had one rider on me who would not work so I had to push through and sprint her out for 6 th place. 

 

Roswell Criterium/ Roswell, GA 05/04/08
Race report for Women’s Cat 3/4 by Nancy Jones

Sarah and I were happy to come out of yesterday’s races unscathed.  We were hoping for a safer race today.  This was another race were they grouped the Cat 3 girls with the Cat 4 girls.  This course had a little bit of a rise on the back side of the course with a 3% grade.  It was the perfect place for strong climbers to attack.  Fortunately for me there were not too many of those in this race.  We were off to a brisk start and everyone would take it easy on the back hill.  It is when a prem was announced that the pace would pick up.  Once the front runner got her prem she would let off the gas and the pack would catch her.  I saw my chance for a $20 prem and took it. With my jump for the prem I had a good gap going, but did not keep working hard enough to stay away - bummer.  Sarah chased down anyone that attacked off the front giving me a chance to draft her to stay on the front of the pack.  It came down to the final field sprint.  My positioning was not great and my gas tank was on low.  I hammered it out and was not able stand for the sprint.  I took 8 th and Sarah took 11 th.  It was fun having Sarah, my teammate out there to race with.  I look forward to more exciting and fun filled race weekends.