Tulsa Tough Weekend by Sarah Crawford
May 30th -June 1st
Tulsa, Oklahoma

The journey for the weekend in Tulsa, OK started May 29th, a Thursday afternoon, around 3pm. The minivan was packed and Kirsten and I were ready to roll. We drove until we were tired, found an interesting hotel to stay for the night and were up early Friday morning for the final leg of our journey. Kirsten’s race that evening was at 7:30pm so we were on a tight time frame in order to get her there in time for registration and warm up.
The weekend in Tulsa was going to be a tough couple of races for Kirsten (in the Pro 1, 2 category) since the races were on the National Race Calendar (NRC). These races predominately draw the big cycling teams from all over the US and this weekend would be a great way to see how we stacked up against the powerhouses of the cycling community. The weekend for me (in the 3, 4 category) was by no means going to be easy either. These very powerful cycling teams have development teams with some very talented and fast young riders that would test me to my limits as well.

Friday night’s criterium called the Blue Dome crit was a fantastic course – 8 turns that run through the downtown part of the Blue Dome district. This section of downtown is known for its live music, fantastic food, and atmosphere. Picture a figure 8, streets lined with spectators, a party bus, a stage with a band, and dusk – there you have it! The big girls in the cycling world all showed up for this race and there was our lone Sorella mixing it up with the best of them. The crit was 50 minutes in length of leg pounding, chest wrenching racing. Kirsten did a fantastic job of finding good positioning throughout the 8 turns and was able to move around in the group during the race. The last lap was called and the tempo kicked up another 10 notches! The racers were strung out into a single line as they came flying around the last turn and then everyone was out of their saddle sprinting for the line. Kirsten had a great final jump and sprint and crossed the line 11th. Not bad for driving 8 hours earlier in the day.

Saturday morning’s alarm clock came a little early for us. My race that morning was at 10:45am. Luckily our hotel had a kitchenette and we were able to fix our own food. We got to the race site that morning around 9am so I could get registered and check out the new course. The course ran through the historic Brady Arts District. The course had 6 turns with a slight climb and a screaming downhill into a left hand turn on to a perfectly straight and flat road were the final sprint for the finish would take place. This course was by far one of the best I have ever ridden. Newly paved road with wide open turns – it was a dream. However, my dream was interrupted by the sudden appearance of dark clouds along with thunder and lightning. My race was postponed as the clouds unloaded rain – the streets were flooded and I do mean flooded. The wheels from the pit were floating down the street, most of the tents that were up along the course had collapsed from the weight of the water gathering on the canopy, and the curbs of the street were underwater! It rained for about 30 minutes and then the officials said the races would start in 20 minutes. I was thinking there is no way the races will start that soon – there was standing water still on the streets along with mud and rocks in the corners. However, the race organizers were on the course sweeping the turns and pushing water from the course and my race started about 30 minutes after the first announcement! Talk about a well organized event! So my race finally started and it was chaos – I got to the line late and had to weave my way through about 20 women to see the lead ladies out in front of me one the race started. I was able to catch the lead group and found out later we shelled about ¾ of the rest of the group that started. The streets were still wet and there were some slid outs in the turns and lots of bumping, however, I was lucky and did not go down. As the race went on, the sun was out in full force drying the roads and the final lap was called for my 30 minute race. The downhill with the sweeping left hand turn was ultra fast this last time around and I sprinted for the line and placed 11th.

Sunday’s crit I found out was why the weekend had the term “tough” in the name. The course had an 18% hill climb!! Yikes and ouch is all I can say. However, if you go up you must come down – yup a screaming downhill into a very tight right hand turn. This course is definitely classified as the hardest one I have ever ridden! My race was at 8:35am and I was lucky that I was so early. Even though the weather forecast for the weekend was to be sunny it ended up raining again that morning. Most of the races after mine on Sunday were cancelled so I was happy to have gone early and raced. So my race was off and the ladies were sprinting up that hill like it was nothing! The group exploded right away – the first group had 2 ladies in it, the second group had about 4, and I was in the 3rd group with about 6. That hill came over and over and each time it was harder. With about 10 minutes to go I dropped my chain on the hill and watched as my group rode away. The hill was so steep I could hardly get back on my bike. I half jogged to the top and a spectator gave me push to get going again and by now a few other racers had passed me. As my race went on I could hear the thunder getting closer and the rain started to come down slowly. My race was called about 10 minutes early because of the onset of the rain and I was not complaining as I finished 16th.

Kirsten’s race, despite all the rain and issues on the course, went off at the scheduled time of 1:10. The fire department was called to help hose all the excess dirt and debris from the road along with the electrical company because at some point during the storm a power line had fallen over the course. Again, the promoters did a fantastic job of making sure the races went on as scheduled. So Kirsten’s race was underway and it was a grueling battle up that hill every time for the 60 minute crit. The course was rerouted because of a fallen power line which added 2 additional turns on the backside. Kirsten, again, had great positioning throughout the entire race. For the final 2 laps I was down by the start/finish line and did not see Kirsten come through with the main pack. I though perhaps I missed her in the large group, but then realized I was incorrect as I saw a lone riding making the last turn onto the straight away. Kirsten was cut off going into a sharp corner on the backside of the course and ended up toppling off her bike into some grass along the course. Again, like me, Kirsten watched as the group rode away from her. However, Kirsten and her bike were ok so she hopped back on and finished the final 2 laps of the race.

The weekend in Tulsa was fun and a great learning experience. We have seen how amazing races can be run even when Mother Nature decides to throw a monkey wrench into our plans. The 12 hour car ride was definitely one to remember. We are excited for next year and hope the courses will stay the same. We hope more women racers from Georgia will travel with us next year for this great cycling event.

Kirsten Davis

Sarah Crawford