July 4^th     I was in Louisville, KY for the Masters National Criterium Championships.  Apparently someone had been doing the rain dance because it poured the entire race.  As the gun went off  I went straight to the front and drove the pace really hard for about 5 laps.  This really disappointed a lot of riders since they found themselves struggling so early in the race.  I just wanted to stay clear of going down in the rain.

As the race went on..me and one other rider (the defending champion) covered the front.  At one point we got away in a break together but the field worked and caught us again.  Eventually the rubber band broke and 3 other riders and myself made a decisive move and we got up the road fast.    We got a gap very quickly as the laps counted down.  With one lap to go, the defending champion attacked on the back stretch, but I was quickly on her. It was a perfect lead out for me. We took the last two corners at blazing speeds.  Remember, this is in the pouring rain.  As we went around the final corner we started to sprint, but I was only going half of my potential.  Not wanting to jump too early, I held back and waited to pip her on the line.  Unfortunately, I  waited  one second too long and it was too close to call.  It turned out I got 2^nd , but to me I thought I got her on the line...  Disappointed, but 2^nd is still a silver medal. Guess I will have to settle. 

After Master’s Nationals I met up with Laura in West Chester, PA for one of the stops of the USA Crit. Series, the Iron Hill Twilight Criterium (July 5^th).  After all, this is one we put on the schedule that we wanted to win. 

There was a huge crowd out to watch tonight’s race in the beautiful setting of downtown West Chester, PA.  It was estimated at 20,000 people.  As the race started there were attacks from the gun.  It was Webcor, Verducci Breakaway, Vanderkitten and Aarons trying to tear the race apart.  Laura and I stayed calmed and did what it took to keep things so that it would come down to a sprint.  We even took several premes in the process.  I got away in a small break but was only there to make sure that it didn’t go anywhere.  As the riders came through and saw one lap to go a Tibco rider (who had been sitting in the entire race) attacked with one other rider. As the peloton passed across the start/finish line, I went to the front with Laura in tow to bring back the attacking duo.   Around turn one, and then turn two, I was drilling it to try and set up Laura, our sprinter and not let that attack get away with a win.  Down the back stretch and approaching turn three Laura came around me with a vicious attack.  Out of turn 4 Laura still had some ground to make up, but was closing fast.  About 12inches before the line the Tibco rider, Sarah Caravella, went to raise her hands to celebrate her victory when a blazing Laura got her by half a wheel at the line.  Bittersweet! Even after a huge lead out, I was still able to sprint and hold on for 9^th place.

Now that was a fun race with GREAT team effort!  I love it. 

Another Fitchburg has come and gone, and I have benefited from another learning experience. This year the stage race was back on the NRC schedule, which made the race a bit harder this year. I was looking forward to the challenge. Here is how the race went stage by stage.

Stage 1: 10K TT on a bumpy and mostly uphill course. I started just slightly gently, but after a few hundred feet the hill started, and I could not contain my enthusiasm and start digging pretty hard at the hill. I may have done the first part of the race just a little too hard, but I kept pushing until the end, and ended up with the 10^th fastest time; 50 seconds off the winner. I was very happy with this performance. Our guest riding teammate, Laura Cook, rode well to get 22^nd on the TT in her first ever pro stage race.

Stage 2: 70 mile RR on a hilly 11 mile circuit with a 2 mile mountain top finish. I finish 19^th on the stage and slipped to 13^th overall. I was expecting a little more out of myself, but did not have the best legs, but I hung tough and finished up as best as I could. That day I matured a bit, and kept racing even though I was becoming very frustrated with my legs. Laura hung tough and was just behind me on the stage.

Stage 3: 35 mile circuit race on a 3.1 mile loop with a 400 meter 10% grade stair stepped climb. I expected my legs to not be that great, but they were not to bad. I was happy with how I was riding. I applied the lessons that our director, Bill, had been teaching me. I stayed up front most of the race, but at the end I could have done slightly better in positioning for the sprint. I did not loose any time, and kept 13^th overall. Laura also had good legs, and finished just a few spots behind me, and she also defended her G.C. spot.

Stage 4: 27 mile crit race on a 9/10^th mile loop that was a long drag up on the start/finish stretch with a shallow decent on the back stretch. The course had a tight 180 degree turn at the top of the course and two sharp turns at the bottom end of the course. We had to do 28 laps. My legs still felt pretty good, and I was racing to maintain my position in the G.C, and try a break if there was an opportunity. The race for the green jersey was being hotly contested so a breakaway would be hard so I just stayed out of trouble. Laura and I finished in the same group at the same time as the winner, and she moved up to 25^th in the G.C. I stayed at 13^th.

It was a good race this year, and I am looking forward to next year. It was fun to see all the racers, hang out with our guest rider and her friend who tore it up in the women ¾ race. My coach, Aidan, who raced the pro race paid me a very nice complement to my racing by saying “I was a very rewarding person to work with”. That comment made my day, and has given me extra motivation to train to even higher levels and race hard for Juice Plus.

Hello Readers,

Today was the Reading classic, the second race of the Triple Crown. The course was 1.8 miles long with 6 turns, and very rough pavement! We had to do 14 laps (25 miles). The field, as expected, was packed with talent. Ina-Yoko Teutenberg and many other big names were there. Juice Plus was represented with Holli, Amity, Steph, and Rachel. Laura has a bit under the weather, and did not race today. Being perfectly honest, today was not our day. Our start positioning was acceptable, but as the race got going we did not position our selves well. Holli, early on, found herself too far back, and a rider a few spots infrount of her could not hold on and formed a gap. The effort that Holli had to make to close the gap was enormous, and she could not quite do it today. Amity and I were pretty much with her, and in the same boat. We were gapped off in a group just behind Holli's group. The groups we were in eventually were pulled, but it was not all a total loss. Steph finished in the main group that was just behind the breakaway. Everyone has off days from time to time. We had ours today, but there is always another race. After Reading, we went out and had a good meal. We are lifting our spirits, and prepairing for another race. The Liberty Classic is Sunday, and it is the biggest of them all.

Wish us luck,

Rachel

Well, we are here in Kutztown, Pa, staying the week for racing the Triple Crown Races.  The first one was Tuesday, June 3, in Allentown.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, however, by 11am it was already getting hot and humid for racing a criterium against the fastest women racers in the world... Ina Teutenburg and Kristen Armstrong to name a few.  We have had no team manager this week, so we have had to adjust our usual "preparation for the races", which makes it a little more stressful.  We brought on two guest riders for this week of the Triple Crown... Amity Elliot from Virginia, and Steph Roorer from Vancouver, Canada.  Gina, our other teammate, will only be racing with us for the Liberty Classic on Sunday. 

Lehigh Classic was the hardest and fastest race we have done this year.  It started from the gun... head down, pedals powering through...pushing, bumping the entire race.   Laura took on every attack that tried to get away.  She held off for a portion of the race, while Cheerwine and us tried to keep the pace slowed down to assure Laura's break would stick.  Eventually, other teams, like Colavita, who had Tina Pic in my group, were consistently chasing and attacking to bring the front group back.  That kept the race so FAST.  I felt like I was motorpacing the entire race.
Then it was two laps to go, and I forced my legs to attack to keep the pace high so Laura could stay safe in the front and not get swarmed at the last minute by other riders.  Only 33 riders finished this race out of about 90 girls.. That should tell you something about how difficult the race.  Laura finished 10th, Steph finished 20th, and I finished 19th. 

We as a team are pleased with our performance for Lehigh.  We are looking forward to Reading Classic on Thursday and one of my favorite races, Liberty Classic on Sunday. 
Until then....
Holli

I have now gotten the first races of the season under my belt! I had fun, and had a successful weekend.