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losgatosindairyland · 6 years ago

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ToAD Day 4: Waukesha

This is Haley with the race report (a few days late) from Waukesha! Here’s the course-- it’s a technical 6 corner course, with a fast and technical downhill corner into a narrowing slightly uphill finish. Close to 60 riders started on the day.

The Carl Zach Waukesha Classic.... what can I say? this was the best I’ve ever raced, I think....ever! I was giddy pre-riding the course, so much fun! I took Laurel’s advice and when the official told us to take another lap before lining up, I didn’t. I left the course and reentered later, so that I would have a good second line starting position. It worked! Because of how this course narrows and widens after the technical bits, I wanted to stay in tucked in, just on the outside, so that’s where I started.

At the gun, this race was FAST. The first 10-15 minutes were a brutal accordion, stretching and bunching as the front took us all for a ride. Many racers couldn’t match the surges, and gaps formed. At the hottest part of the beginning of the race, I was around 15th wheel, and it was single file in front of me and there were about 3 gaps ahead of me. I knew that there was firepower in the peloton behind me, so I decided to let others come around me to fill them in. They did, but I a small gap formed in front of me anyway. For about a lap, I dug deep and reattached, and my legs opened up and I felt great (I could have used slightly more intensity in my warm up, and I don’t think that gap would have been an issue). At this point, I made my way safely inside the pack, and about 10-15 riders where shed off the back, with more gaps forming.

The pace let up a bit and I figured out who my best wheels on the day were. I tucked in behind Winnie Spoors of Fast Chance, and Nat Redmond of Fearless Femme. Both of these women are also taller, and effortless move through corners. I kept them in my slights, and they kept me up in the top 1/3 of the race.

Around the halfway mark, the points prime was called and the pace blistered once again. I followed Rachel Langdon from Fast Chance through this lap, but her power was just too much and she was able to break and surge through corners, rather than float like Nat and Winnie. I knew if I was on her wheel, I would get fatigued way faster. I found other good wheels, like Minda from Butcherbox Racing. After the points prime, another prime was called and we barreled into corner 1. I figured out how far on the outside I could ride without hitting the curb and kept to it... There was a seam in the concrete that kept my eye on. This helped me stay towards the front, as some of the other racers didn’t want to go too far outside. I was able to float around the first corner on the outside and be perfectly positioned to take the inside line up left and up the hill. I could move 5-7 wheels this way with almost no effort.

Fearless Femme was drilling at the front after the primes, and efforts were being made to shatter the pack even more. I knew I had the legs, and understood the course well and was having so much fun that the intensity didn’t get to me. The pace let up a bit, and bunching happened as the road widened into the finish line. I was glad I had my seam in the road to look for coming into turn one, because I knew I could move up more before it narrowed into the turn. No one had taken that line, so I moved into the hole and reasserted my position around 15th wheel.

With about 8 to go, the pace surged coming into the technical downhill. It was a hot day, and Laurel was yelling from the sidelines for us to drink up! drink up! As I matched the surge and crested the hill, I took a big gulp and tipped my bottle at her- thanks coach ;)

This massive acceleration took the back of the pack by surprised and Eleanor Annick, and Arielle got stuck behind a gap that no one closed. They ended up in a grupetto chasing the main field with about 15 min to go.

As they say in crit racing, if you’re not moving up, you’re moving back... and I was consistently moving up to keep my position. My brain and body were totally in flow...my brain processed the information my senses took in from the race instantly, and my body moved in response. I was feeling the magic athletes search for and I relished in it.

With 3 laps to go, I saw a gap coming around the swooping technical downhill set of turns, and I filled it. I went from around 20th wheel to 7th wheel in about two pedal strokes. DANG that felt good. I found myself on the wheel of Skyler Schnieder of Boels Dolmans (omgomgomgomg fangirl moment). I had the perfect position, now to just hold here.

The turns were no problem, that far up, I could take my own lines. I held my position up the hill and into the descent to the final two turns. I was way on the outside though, and the pack had all moved left. I didn’t mind the gutter line, it was totally fine, but I didn’t realize my rear wheel was in the seam btw concrete and asphalt. As I leaned to turn, it caught a little, and caused me to take the turn way wide into the wind. I stayed upright just fine, but lost my position. I also burned a much needed match, and I was alone in the wind for a bit.

I was now back to around 20th wheel, with the sprinters already in place and their teammates protecting them, moving back up was rough. I made up a few wheels, but holding position in the most chaotic part of the pack in the most chaotic part of the race was extremely difficult. Coming into the final lap, I knew I kept trying, but the pace and the teamwork and skill of these other women was no match for me. I came around the final turns into the straightaway and tried to get in the best finish I could. I ended up 20th on the day!

Team results: Thialor (17), Haley (20), Annick (36), Eleanor (38), Arielle (39)

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