I’m not a bragger by nature, but what Team TIBCO accomplished at Joe Martin is worth a boast or two. We dominated the race from start to finish by winning the prologue, the first road race and today’s criterium. By virtue of winning those stages came the individual and team classifications. Claudia earned the leader’s jersey on the opening day, and we all worked together to defend it until the finish. By coming together the way we did as a team to defend the pink jersey, the team classification was just an added (and very welcome) bonus.

Claudia has primarily raced in Europe during her lengthy career, and, as a result, she doesn’t have much experience racing American-style criteriums. She’s a natural climber, and sprinting doesn’t always come easy for her, so she was a bit nervous about today’s crit. We repeatedly reassured her that we were confident in her abilities and, should anything go not quite as planned, we would be by her side to make things right.

She had heard us call the course ‘technical’, and I think that was part of the reason she was nervous. The course IS technical, but it’s mostly technical because of the descents. The field isn’t too large. The roads aren’t too narrow – even narrow roads here aren’t narrow by European standards. The corners aren’t particularly tricky. There was nothing about the course that she couldn’t handle.

(photo credit: Wil Matthews)

We developed tactics to counter-balance Ali Power’s (NOW) strength and protect Claudia’s weaknesses. Claudia started the day’s stage with a 16” advantage over Ali in second, and she remained the biggest threat to the overall win. Ali is a technically strong rider who excels on descents, so our goal was to keep the pace as fast as possible on the downhill to prevent Ali from slipping away on this part of the course. Claudia would easily be able to hold her own on the uphill sections.

After two rainy road races, we were greeted with sunshine and blue skies this afternoon. It was a welcome departure from the previous cold, wet races.

From the gun, we raced full gas. We knew we’d drop a lot of the field with this strategy, and that was our goal. We wanted to thin the field from the start to help Claudia feel more comfortable in the bunch. It was advantageous for the entire team – with fewer riders in the field, we had less people trying to attack us.

(photo credit: Wil Matthews)

I took over at the front of the peloton on descent on the backside of the course on lap one. I led as fast as I could downhill and through the first few corners at the bottom of the descent. The road kicks up ever so slightly before the turn onto the hill that leads to the finish, and Chantal came around me on the small grade to take us up the climb. My job was done, and my race was pretty much over at that point.

We stuck to the plan throughout the entire race. String things out on the descent to prevent attacks on the backside of the course, and let Claudia do her thing on the climbs. We knew she could hold her own when the road went up, so our main concern was keeping the field intact at any other point. Each and every rider had her turn on the front whether it was down the hill, up the hill or chasing down a break.

(photo credit: Wil Matthews)

It was a race of attrition, and as the front group began to take shape, we had five riders make the selection. Shelley won the small group sprint – her second stage win in four days. Claudia finished just a few places behind Shelley to easily maintain the overall.

The day went perfectly to plan. It’s rare that this happens in bike racing – rarer still that we can say that about an entire tour. I couldn’t be prouder! Everyone worked really hard today as they did all week, and we all contributed however we could. It feels really great to be leaving Fayetteville with several wins to our name. It’s been a long time since Team TIBCO has been this dominant, so it’s extra sweet to be back on top.

I fly home tonight, but I’ll be keeping a close eye on my teammates who are heading to Silver City, NM for the Tour of the Gila. I hope they can carry the momentum we’ve created here with them into our next stage race. Gila will definitely have a different feel than Joe Martin. The courses are harder and the fields are deeper. If we recover well, I know we can show that we’re on the up and up – a real force to be reckoned with this year.

After back-to-back wins at Joe Martin, we started stage three with a single goal in mind – to protect Claudia’s pink leader’s jersey. Claudia did all the work on stage one to put herself in the lead by 6” over Ali Powers (NOW). We helped her pick up four bonus seconds on stage two to start stage three with an extra cushion of 12” over Powers (a 2” gap at the finish helped extend her lead). Our objective today was to keep Claudia safe in the bunch and further extend her lead in the process.

In our pre-race meeting we discussed various scenarios that would allow us to accomplish the task at hand. We knew that we would want to be attentive, but if one or two people got up the road, we wouldn’t necessarily want to bring the move back right away – or at all. We’d look to control the race and keep any gaps that opened at a reasonable distance. In the finish, we’d position Claudia for the sprint if bonus seconds were up for grabs and ideally secure additional seconds for her or, minimally, prevent Ali from gaining any time. Essentially, this is how the race played out.

The rain soaked course was an out and back with two circuit laps in the middle. We rode 11 miles out to the circuit, rode around the circuit twice and then headed back to the start/finish. After rolling slowly for about nine miles, NOW launched their first missive – and then another and another. We calmly shut each attack down until Alexis Ryan escaped just before the climb we call ‘The Wall’ early on in the first lap. We were unbothered by the solo move, so we let her go and kept her pegged at 30”. Had we brought her back, the attacks would have started all over again, so allowing Alexis to stay up the road actually made the race a bit easier for us to control.

The first time up the climb was pretty mellow as Alexis set the pace up front. After ‘The Wall’, we hit a series of rollers on our way to the first intermediate sprint. With bonus seconds on the line, people got a little fired up for the sprint, so the attacks began again. The injection in pace brought Alexis back to the group.

There were a few counter-attacks once Alexis had been caught, none of which had any impact. Finally, at the end of the first lap, Katie Donovan (NOW) and Amber Jackson (Optum) slipped away from the bunch. Rushlee went with the move. They opened up a decent sized gap fairly quickly, extending their lead to more than a minute inside the start of the second lap. We came to the front to control the advantage before we hit ‘The Wall’ for the second time. Over the top of the climb, Rushlee was called back to the bunch to help keep the duo at a more comfortable distance.

Seven miles from the finish, race radio reported a car accident on the course that blocked the road to the finish. Directors were warned that the finish line might be moved to a point ahead of the accident if the roads did not clear quickly. Upon hearing this news, Manel had Chantal go to the front and shut the break down. She drilled it and managed to bring back one minute in one mile (which is super quick!). In the end, the road was clear, and the race continued all the way to the finish.

We were back together five miles from the finish, and the last ditch effort attacks came fast and furious. We did a great job marking and following, keeping the race together for a sprint. With Shelley as her lead out, Claudia was third fastest on the stage behind Joelle Numainville (Optum) and Mia Loquai (ISCorp). With the four bonus seconds Claudia earned for the third on the stage, she starts the final stage criterium 16” ahead of Ali.

The team did a fair amount of work out there today, but everything went according to plan, and we never felt like our lead was under real danger. We accomplished our objective – we kept Claudia safe and helped her get more time over her nearest competition. It was another perfect day from a team perspective.

We have one major obstacle left. Tomorrow’s criterium is no walk in the park. In fact, it’s reminiscent of Stillwater for those of you that are familiar with the beast of a race that closes out Nature Valley Grand Prix each year. The circuit is fairly technical with a major climb on the front side of the course and a flying descent on the course’s backside. I expect we have our work cut out for us tomorrow, but we all feel very confident that we can keep Claudia’s jersey. Wish us luck!

(photo credit: Wil Matthews)

Team TIBCO is in Fayetteville, Arkansas for the Joe Martin Stage Race. We’re here with a strong team of eight riders: Claudia Hausler, Shelley Olds, Rushlee Buchanan, Amanda Miller, Jasmin Glaesser, Jo Kiesanowski, Chantal Blaak and me. We’re targeting both stage wins and the overall victory, and we got off to a solid start in the opening stage yesterday.

Last year, Amanda Miller won the uphill time trial, and we headed into stage two with the jersey. We’re in the same boat this year. Claudia covered the 2.5 mile effort in 9:27, six seconds quicker than Ali Powers (NOW), to take the win. We have six riders in the top 20, all within one minute of Claudia’s time, so we have a lot of cards to play tomorrow.

It looks like we’re in for a cold wet day for the first road stage. The middle of the 64-mile road race features a fairly significantly climb followed by a lengthy descent. Typically, the climb splits up the peloton, and we regroup on the descent. I suspect the wet roads may change this. People won’t want to take as many risks in the rain, and this could work in our favor.  If it’s dry, then it will really depend on how hard the peloton races and we want hard!

The finish of today’s stage is tricky and hard. Riders will need to be in good position going into the last couple km. And those riders with big power will do well at the finish. We’ll have our work cut for us to keep Claudia in the right position at all times today so she doesn’t get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. With only six seconds separating her and Powers, we will have to put her in the perfect position for the finish to prevent Powers from gaining valuable seconds on the line. Claudia is riding super strong right now though, so we are in good shape to keep the jersey.

After following along yesterday morning with Trofeo Alfredo Binda as my teammates toiled away in the bone-chilling rain of Northern Italy for the second round of the World Cup, I felt extra lucky to race under blue skies and sunshine in my short sleeve kit this afternoon. We were hoping to race aggressively in our bid to bring home the win or, minimally, another podium finish on the third and final day of racing at San Dimas. Although we ultimately ended up sixth in yesterday’s criterium, I think we were all happy enough with the way we raced.

Our goal was to attack from the start. We were looking to get up the road or force the extra weight out the back for a smaller group finish. It became clear quickly that other teams had alternate strategies in mind. Most moves were quickly neutralized and the pack stayed together as single unit until after the first points sprint. Then the attacks started to heat up as the teams were ready to start racing.

Thirty minutes into the race, a six rider move went up the road. Most of the big teams were represented, but we had somehow missed out. We each took turns jumping from the peloton in hope of bridging across. We’d gain a bit of a distance, but the gap was too big. Eventually, Jo just went to the front and drilled it. Her pace brought the break back to within closing distance. I took over from there to make the catch. I suspect that would have been the race winning move had we not been so insistent on being part of it.

After that, there were several more attacks – all insignificant. When we saw five laps to go, we knew were probably setting things up for a field sprint. My teammates and I focused on staying near the front to catch any late race moves. We were all pretty tired at that point, and we were lucky that nothing went away that would have forced us to respond. I’m still getting my race legs under me at this point, so I probably wasn’t in the best possible position, but I did keep an eye on Jo to make sure she was safely tucked towards the front.

With one lap remaining, I started to move up on the little steady uphill grade on the back side of the course. I saw Jo ahead in the perfect position, and although I wanted to help her if I could, I thought the best thing to do would be to stay put. I didn’t want to come around her and risk bringing too many people up with me. It could have had a swarming effect.

Honestly, I didn’t really have it, either. I didn’t have enough legs to keep the high speed Jo would have needed, so it also made sense in that regard to let her do her thing. The steady grade on the back side of the course is followed by two right hand turns in quick succession and then a fast downhill ahead of the finish. I’ve been told that Optum had been on the front and started to fade, and Gillian Carelton (Specialized-lululemon) used that as her opportunity to jump the field.

Gillian opened up a gap before the final turn before the finish. There was a little reshuffling before the line. Gillian held onto her ever so slim gap, and Jo took fifth in the sprint behind, good for sixth place. With a few more races in my legs, I know that I’ll be there for Jo in the end to help her get a better result that she deserves.

With the exception of missing the mid-race move, we rode pretty well today. Personally, I was happy to see how I handled the first bit of intensity of my season. This weekend was the perfect opportunity to slowly build into this type of effort instead of throwing myself into the deep end and drowning.

From a team perspective, it’s always a little bit disappointing to miss out on a better result. Still, we’re able to keep this weekend in perspective. Jo clearly has fitness that Amanda and I are still building, and Melanie is very green at these types of races. She’s new to criterium style racing, and she’s got a lot to learn – which is great. She has a huge engine, and it’s clear that once she figures things out, she’s going to be amazing. She just needs to be patient with herself as she learns the ropes and have faith that she’ll eventually be able to contribute.

All things considered, it was a good weekend. We all stayed safe. We communicated well. We snagged a podium. We’ve come out of the race with more fitness than we had coming into it.

Now, onto team camp in Carpinteria where we will finally join our teammates who have been in Europe racing all spring. After reading report after report of the dismal race conditions that they were subjected to, I know they will be incredibly happy to see sunshine and the beach! And I am excited to meet a few new faces for the first time and to reconnect with former teammates and new teammates who I know but have never raced with prior to this year.

See my Strava file here.

(photo credit: Brian Hodes / VeloImages)

We landed on the podium. My legs felt happy albeit not quite as fit as I might wish they were. There were (too many) crashes, but no one was seriously injured. I think I’ll call it a good day at San Dimas.

I described the course yesterday. I neglected to mention that I’m not a huge fan of the circuit. There’s a section where we can use only half the road. Our lane is sectioned off by cones, and there’s traffic on the other side. We had 77 starters, which is a decent sized field. Everyone is fighting for a spot on the front. Racing in one lane between cones and the curb makes things super sketchy – especially on the first few laps when the entire peloton is together. It can get a little too tense for my liking.

After this part of the course, we make a right hand turn and hit the hills. It’s sort of rolling for awhile. After the rollers, we hit a section that has been the scene of crashes every time I’ve raced San Dimas. There are bumps from roots growing up through the pavement on the right hand side of the road. The bumps aren’t visible from a distance, and they certainly stay hidden when the entire peloton is together. We were going through this section really fast on the first lap. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I wasn’t super surprised when I started to hear noises indicating riders were going down.

It was one of the crashes where it seemed to have ended and then more people go down. I was on the left side of the road, and the crash started domino’ing in my direction. I was thinking: “No. No. No. NO!” Luckily I managed to avoid hitting the deck.

I found Jo and Melanie pretty quickly as I surveyed the damage done to the peloton, but I didn’t see Amanda. I started freaking out a little bit, and I dropped to the back as I looked for her. That’s when I realized that Mara Abbott [Exergy Twenty16] was missing. You might remember from yesterday that she was the race leader heading into today’s stage.

Exergy was at the back of the bunch trying to get information, too. The peloton had gone up the road a little bit while were attempting to figure out what had happened. It soon became clear that Mara had definitely gone down, so I helped Exergy neutralize the peloton. The yellow jersey had gone down and cycling etiquette dictates that we wait for her to rejoin us – or at least until we knew what had happened to her.

We weren’t getting much information out of the commisaires, so it was a bit of a cluster for awhile. Exergy didn’t know what had happened to Mara. I dropped back to the moto commisaire and the SRAM guys on motos asking ‘Where’s Mara?’ and ‘Did Mara get up and start riding again?’

Finally, more than one lap after the crash, we were finally told that Mara was part of a group chasing one minute down. Her teammates dropped back to bring her back up, and two miles later, she had rejoined the peloton. Halfway through lap three, racing was on again.

There were attacks, but nothing got away. When it was an individual rider, the peloton would let her go, but she’d be back quickly.

After lap three, a four rider break went up the road. I don’t remember everybody that was in the move, but it was perfect. Amanda was in it, and every team except for Exergy was represented. I was a little surprised to see one of the Vanderkitten riders bring back the move. The work should have been left to Exergy. They missed the move, and they had the most to lose.

After the break was brought back, Katie Donovan (NOW/Novartis for MS) attacked. She built up a decent gap and stayed away alone until we caught her just before the main climb on the last lap.

Prior to Katie’s catch, the peloton was pretty content to let Exergy do the work. Lauren Tamayo and Ali Tetrick were on the front setting a steady tempo. They weren’t killing themselves, but they were doing decent work. Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies pitched in on the last lap because they were looking for the stage win. We were able to sit in for the most part.

The peloton wasn’t racing too hard. We’d always splinter slightly on the climb and then come back together at the bottom. Leading into the last time up the climb, after Katie had been caught, we were all lined up single file. Jo and I were fifth and sixth wheel. I knew if the peloton went really hard, I wouldn’t have the legs to stay with them, so just as things started heating up, I sat up and allowed a gap to open. It gave Jo and the other riders in front of me an ever so slight advantage.

Jo later reported that things reshuffled slightly over the top, and that’s when Brianne Walle (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) attacked. Jo and Taylor Wiles (Specialized-lululemon) were the only ones able to follow. The trio worked together although it doesn’t sound like they were trading equal pulls.

Bri pulled really hard at one point and opened up a gap. Jo had been third wheel, so Taylor was left to close the gap, but she couldn’t. Amber Neben [The Dare to Be Project] flew up on the right side, and Jo jumped onto Amber’s wheel. She said it was a full on drag race to the finish. Bri won. Amber outkicked Jo to the line.

We’re happy with how the race went for the team. Jo is happy. She gave everything she had in the end. It was a team effort during the race as we covered moves and looked to get up the road, but at the finish, it was all Jo.

I was reminded again today that while I might feel good, I’m not as fit as I normally would be at this point in the season and that I’m okay with that. After such a roller coaster of a ride during my ‘cross season, I’m able to take a step back and recognize the value in good legs and the importance of remaining patient as I use the good legs to build maximum fitness.

Strava file for today’s race.

(photo credit: Brian Hodes / VeloImages)

First day of road racing for 2013 is in the books. The last time I raced San Dimas was three years ago. The race followed a similar format then as it does now – opening time trial, stage two circuit race and a criterium to close out the weekend. I join returning Team TIBCO riders Amanda Miller and Jo Kiesanowski along with new teammate Melanie Spath in Southern California for a little bit of racing ahead of team camp.

Today’s time trial was a 4.2 mile uphill effort. The length of the time trial has varied over the last couple years, but it’s always held up steep Glendora road. Mara Abbott (Exergy Twenty16) won in decisive fashion ahead of Amber Neben (The Dare To Be Project) and Taylor Wiles (Specialized-lululemon). Melanie was our best place finisher, slotting into 13^th place at 1’49”.

As for me, I felt good on our training ride yesterday and good warming up today. I had to tell myself that I’m not my most fit at the moment – that I felt good within my level of fitness but  that I wasn’t going to go out and post a smokin’ fast time or anything like that. I didn’t want to set myself up with too high of expectations, so I reminded myself that it was my first race and when I came across the finish line, I should be happy with good legs regardless of the result.

I started behind Lauren Tamayo (Exergy Twenty16) and caught her during the final kilometre. I knew I wasn’t going super slow, so that made me feel good – although I don’t think Lauren was going all-out either. I managed 32^nd place, 2:51 down on Mara.

These time spreads probably sound huge for a 4.2 mile effort. That’s because they ARE huge! Mara killed it. She put 16” into Amber and 33” into Taylor. Everyone beyond fourth place has already lost a minute to Mara.

That’s not to say Exergy can just sit on their laurels these next two days. There are a ton of bonus seconds up for grabs during both the circuit race and the criterium.

The circuit race tomorrow is a rolling circuit around a local park. We race eight laps over the 7.15 mile course, and each lap includes one significant hill. It’s not the sort of climb that is going to tear apart the race, but it is one that will stretch out the field. On the last lap, it’s important to be on the front over the climb – the finish isn’t far from the top. Although this race typically comes down to a field sprint, I won solo here in 2010, which put me in yellow and helped me win the overall.

All in all, it was a good day. I wouldn’t call it a stellar result on my part, but I’m very happy to have the first race in my legs, and I’m looking forward to the action tomorrow.