The third and final USA Cycling National Championship title is up for grabs tomorrow in the 120 kilometer road race. Team Captain Meredith Miller will lead a seven-rider Team TIBCO squad on its quest for victory.
“I think tomorrow will be a race of attrition if it’s raced hard,” said Miller. “Those climbs will take their toll on our legs. The course is hard enough, and with the heat on top of the terrain, people will feel an impact.”
Temperatures have soared in the mid- to high-90s with high humidity in Augusta, GA. Even during the relatively short time trial, weather was a factor.
“The course is wide open and exposed, and the sun will be barring down on us,” explained Miller. “We have to stay focused on hydration and nutrition much more than usual. We can ruin our chances before we even get to the start if we’re not well-hydrated.”
The women’s field will contest five-laps of a single 24 kilometer loop.
“The course is one big circle,” Miller explained. “We don’t make any actual turns. There is one or two soft turns, but other than that it’s just following the loop. The first 11-12K is rolling with no flat road between. We’ll either being going up or down. The last half of the course is flatter and faster until we get to the last climb up to the finish. The final climb begins about one kilometer from the line and then flattens out for maybe the last 300 meters or so.”
Miller calls the course a “power riders course” and suspects that it won’t necessarily favor the climbers or the sprinters.
“The person who wins tomorrow will be somebody who can go the distance,” noted Miller. “I really think that could be any rider on our team. We have a lot of different cards to play tomorrow, and we’re excited to use them all.”
Miller joked that the Team TIBCO juniors who collected six medals, including four golds, at Nationals have set a high standard for the elite team.
“It’s been awesome watching the juniors race, and it’s been cool to see the younger sisters [Alexis Ryan and Skylar Schneider] of both our teammates [Kendall Ryan and Sam Schneider] win two races each,” Miller said. “We keep joking that they’re putting the pressure on us. Alexis’ win in the road race sends her to Junior Worlds, and that’s a big deal. We’re stoked for her and excited to have her join us in the elite race tomorrow.”
Miller, the Ryan sisters and Sam Schneider will be joined by Megan Guarnier, Carmen Small and Jennifer Wheeler in tomorrow’s road race.
