Master's Nationals---women's crit at Churchill Downs

Master's Nationals--part II......

The day prior to the crit, I headed over to Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby to attempt to pre-ride the course, a 0.5 mi four corner, one chicane loop through the infield of the horse track. How cool is THAT? Rain had threatened all day and the forecast for race day looked worse--80% chance of rain. I had sworn off racing rainy crits after a nasty crash in the 2006 Master's Nat's crit where the 3rd woman in the pack slid out 300m from the line, crashing out the rest of the field. I ended up bashing through a metal barricade. Coming away from a race with a torn meniscus, followed by knee surgery and three months off the bike in the prime of the season--rainy crits? No thanks!

Keeping the forecast in mind I casually rolled around the course. Not too bad--a couple tight turns, narrow road and occasional rough spot. I warmed up, preparing to do a few pre-race efforts, attack the corners with speed, practice a couple sprints and such when I spotted a couple on the course Kim Ciolli and her husband. We rolled around the infield, chatting. Turns out she was in my age group, finished 5th in the road race. Strong looking little pocket rocket of a sprinter. As we're riding around making left turn after left turn, I turn and well she doesn't. Normally this isn't that much of a problem, you just bounce off the other rider. However, my bike locks up with hers and in the process I fall HARD. Crap! Scraped up knee, hip, elbow on one leg. The other is a series of nasty bruises where the bike frame smacked me. Worse, I wasn't wearing gloves (why would I need them, I'm just doing a quick solo workout?) so both palms are abraded and heavily bruised.

Well now I don't have to worry about crashing in a rainy crit.

Kim is incredibly apologetic, especially after her husband looks over my bike and realizes I've bent my rear dérailleur and knocked out the set-pin on my front shifter/brake so the bike doesn't shift properly and who knows if the brakes will hold. Crap! With the holiday tomorrow, I only have a few hours to get the bike fixed. I wash my wounds, slap an ice bag on my knee and hightail it over to the road race course, only to discover the Shimano neutral support guys are tailing the ongoing races. Crappitty, crap! I nab some dressings from medical, load the bike in the car, and try to get to the local bike shop (LBS) before they close in an hour. The LBS takes one look at my bike, saying "I've never seen a Pinarello before". Rut roh. They get the derailleur straightened and pop the set pin back. Bike seems to work ok, though I'm a bit worried when the mechanic is scrambling to find his a 5 mm allen wrench asking "anyone seem my silver tool?" Kim takes care of the damages, apologizes. I'm not mad, just stunned.

Return to the hotel, sit on the trainer and spin out my legs. This is NOT how to do a pre-race workout! Both the bike and body seem to work ok. Mentally, I'm a bit shaken up so I call one of my friends for some emotional support.

The Fourth of July dawned rainy and (relatively) cold. I'm a bit sore, especially my hands and knee. Though I'm not racing until 11am, I get to Churchill Downs early so the Shimano mechanics can check out my bike. Bike checks through ok, but the rain is relentless. Watching the early races is too nerve racking, so I head out of the infield to the main track. I sit in the main grandstand, a wooden structure, heavy with a century of white and green paint. The rain beats a rhythm on the tine over hang, a counterpoint to the hooves on the track. The horses are running their workouts, hooves making a sloppy clop-clop on the muddy track, heavy snorts bellowing as they run out the track. Beautiful high spirited animals, sleek and shiny with sweat and rain. Some of the jockeys (men and women) fight to keep their mounts under rein. Those big chested, well-muscled animals just want to RUN.

Finally, I head over towards my car, take a second to lie down and relax. Good warm-up, then down through the muddy tunnel under the track and onto the infield. Rain has finally stopped but the course is still wet and slick. Our race is delayed due to a nasty crash at the finish of the previous race. A friend of one of my Wisconsin friends is hurt and down. Gawd! [After a trip to the ER, she checked out ok, but at the time it looked scary]

We line up. Kim asks me how I'm doing and tells me to hang on to her wheel (if I can, since she's hard to draft) for the finish. If I can draft Aimee, I can draft anything! However I plan to attack in the chicane on the backside, ~400m from the finish. It's a long sprint but MY kind of sprint. That strategy worked for the 30-35 field where the winner attacked in that section and held off second place in an exciting photo finish.

Field takes off for 40 laps (22mi). Small (11 rider) but very competitive field. From my pre-race research, the field is stacked with crit sprinters and some track racers, all accustomed to coming across the line FIRST. However, without any of the timetrialists or teams, the pace is very reasonable. I suspect everyone is also cautious due to the wet course and previous crash. I position myself on Sonja Ross (winner of the RR) who's collected 4 National jerseys already this year. There's a few attacks mostly from Kim and local rider Marilynn but I have no problem covering them (if necessary) or getting on a wheel for a free ride (preferred method). Marilynn goes solo, then Kim jumps up to her (dang, that grrrl is QUICK). With those two up the road, I jump after them, easily bridging but without bringing along the whole pack. We never get organized so the group is again together.

With 15 to go, I attack hard in the straightaway towards the finish, mostly to wake up my legs since I never had a chance to yesterday. I get a gap but peeking through my legs I can see the field coming up, I keep the pace high through the first two turns, then settle in the pack, and brace for a counterattack. Nobody's interested but the next few laps are hot, with lots of surges. Course starts drying up. Yea! I'm feeling good. No problem staying in the field though I have to assert myself to stay on Sonja's wheel.

Final lap, I attack in the chicane up the right side. Just as I'm winding it up, I hit a rough patch, kicking out my rear wheel, losing both traction and time. &#*$&#!!! As I get my wheel in contact with the road, I see Sonja attacking up the left with Kim in tow. #*$(#*&.  I can't get over to grab a wheel. No choice but to try to run 'em down. I smoke through the final two turns like it's the velodrome and drill it. I see Kim pass Sonja as she tires. I try to run her down but I'd need another 50m and it ain't there so I cross the line in 3rd, good enough for the bronze.

Despite missing the stars&stripes jersey, I'm thrilled with my race. I was definitely one of the stronger riders and I put down a good performance in a field sprint (normally my nemesis). As Kim and I hugged afterwards, I told her "next year, that jersey is MINE".

On the call-up for the podium, Dave the announcer gave a nice shout out to Priority Health, saying (as only Dave can say it) "Priority Health is one of the HUGE supporters of cycling". No other team on the podium had that name recognition. I was proud to be wearing the colors.

Laura

And for more coverage.....
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080705/SPORTS08/807050511/1002/SPORTS