9 vs 10...4 vs 5...

A random title, yes, but you'll understand, i swear...

The Sherman Park crit came early this year and i remembered it well from last year. it felt like a long lap, it was windy, lots of rain puddles, and i almost got hit by a duck in flight. But i also took 2nd in my cat so it was a good race in my mind. Although i pre-reg way early, i didn' t know if i would be racing in chicago or in kentucky, but as luck had it (impending storms and the potential flooding/closing of roads in Indiana, my trip was postponed til saturday evening) the pre-reg came in handy...

Sherman Park, Womens Open 60 mins
Long race...even though superweek races are longer, my last few were around 30 mins. i was definitely nervous coming into this race. as the last blog states, my season hasn't been going well and i've been shaky riding on the road...although the shakiness isn't my fault. My last training ride, i was run off the road by another cyclist (too many potholes, not enough room, but with all my 'cross races guiding me, i got back on the road with just grass stains on my tires) and later "hugged" by JP who was trying to give me a push but only made us bobble. So yeah, poor results + shaken handling skills? Not a good combination. But my friend NW from my cat 4 races returned (from Ireland, lucky girl), a few warmup laps around the course, and reminding myself that "every race is a new race", i relaxed a bit.

At the start line, 10 of the 11 registered lined up. the official began the rules speech and said "Ladies, your race is 60 mins"...meaning to only be heard by NW, i said "can it be shortened?" when heads in front turned sharply to me and FH said with a smile "we are definitely not shortening it!". Ok, oops. Oh and lined up with the xXx squad? An Olympian track athlete. Whoa.

The race started without any commotion, even the announcer started yelling to get us revvvved up. next lap, he tried something else and that was a prime...for socks. but it worked and the pace picked up. i didn't plan on going for any primes, i just wanted to hang on, but i found myself in 2nd position and thought "hey why not" but i didn't give it my all and was easily beaten by GN, the track star. Soon after, an attack allowed GN, FH, and TF to breakaway. As much as i wanted and tried to go with them, it didn't happen. As soon as i caught the end of that break, my stomach was in my throat, i felt lightheaded and like i was vibrating. i swear, i was about to throw up on my bike. I thgt "thats it, my race is over" and started soft pedalling. i was so mad as the rest of the riders gave chase...i looked back and saw the last rider coming and decided the least i could do is grab that wheel and finish. But just a bit of draft was all i needed. I still felt shaky for a few more laps but made my way back up. For the rest of the race, i didn't let anyone get away. I was still mad that i lost the winning break b/c i knew it was going to happen. The three ended up lapping us, with only GN and FH continuing to pedal away. TF kept attacking near the start/finish line and even though she had 3rd guaranteed, there were other xXx riders in the pack and i wanted the next best spot, 4th. The announcer threw out more primes to the pack, but honestly, i barely noticed. I was watching the other riders, waiting for the next attack and i even planned one out with 2 other riders. It didn't stick, but it was awesome trying. After pulling tons (along with 2 other riders) i backed off the last lap. I had found the best spot to be, coming into the finish, was on the outside, with riders to the left gave some shelter. I made sure to stay on someone's wheel for as long as possible; i was tired and i didn't know how much sprint i had left. Around the curve, everyone just went. I pulled off CS's wheel and thgt "i got 4th!" but then saw BC's sprint kicking in and i went after her. Similar to the Winfield Crit, BC and i fought for the spot all the way to the line, but this time she took it by a wheel. Get it? 9th place vs 10th place...4th place vs 5th place...the title? get it? good.

Really good race, really tough even though DH, KM, and JP weren't there and I took home my best USCF placing of the season and my first ever prime ($50! can't beat that!)