Tour of Walla Walla

I've been so busy since we got back into town Sunday night that it feels I haven't had time to unpack anything, let alone post....

This past weekend was the Tour of Walla Walla, my first opportunity to race with the Bob's Team women - and we rocked!!! We took first in the Team GC competition, and teammate Allison Beall ended up 3rd GC, with me 5th, and teammate Sarah Barber 6th. The rest of the girls rounded out the top spots, making us one of the teams to beat in the northwest. See all the results here.


Friday was the Kellogg Hollow Road Race, a relatively short 35 mile race that was severely impacted by 20-30 mph gusting winds. It was not a part of the overall stage for us 1/2/3 women, but several of us on the team opted in as a good training race in preparation for the upcoming Mt Hood stage race. I was a bit nervous about the conditions, and also didn't particularly want to "burn a lot of matches" in this optional race, so I went into it without expectations, knowing I could turn around and opt out at any time should it seem like the pace would fry me for the next two days' worth of events. The pace started out fast and furious, with several attacks. Finally, Sarah Barber and 5 others made a break stick, and Ally Stacher and I kept the chase group at bay, not working at all to pull anything back. We rode it in pretty casually (TOO casually, at times, it seemed!) with a group of maybe 6 of us, finishing almost 5 minutes back from Sarah's lead group.

Saturday morning brought the time trial - and nerves!!! I was incredibly nervous. Mostly because I had placed a lot of pressure on myself about this race because I was so disappointed in my performance last year. And while the ladies from Team Bobs-Bicycles.com have been nothing but supportive and low-pressure, I personally felt I needed to prove my worth as a contributing member of the team - I felt priviledged to be asked to join this great group of ladies, and I didn't want to let anyone down. Conditions were on the cold side, but the wind was not as bad as the night before. When I finished, I didn't feel too great about my performance, although it was considerably better than last year's. I was feeling doubtful about how I'd likely stacked up to the field.

My teammate/team manager Jeanne Rumps found me later that morning to let me know that I had placed one second behind teammate Allison Beall, for a solid 5th place! "No shit?!" was all I could say - I couldn't believe it! For once I was set up in a nice position going into the road race....

The 60-mile road race was later that afternoon, and I made it my focus to stay with the lead group. The course travels up a 3k hill 3 times - the first as neutral, then once in the middle of the race, then up one last time for a grueling uphill finish (which I DREAD). The second time up the hill, teammate Sarah Barber attacked, which effectively split the field. I was able to stick with it, with a good handful of us cresting the hill (along with Ally Stacher and Allison Beall - we had a good group of us Bob's girls there). Unfortunately, it didn't stick, and the pack ended up re-grouping over the backside of the course. Which meant the finish would be a killer. The 3rd and final time up the climb also saw attacks from Sarah and a couple others, but it finished in a pack sprint, with me finishing seconds (8) behind the winner. I was a bit bummed that I couldn't muster 8 seconds out of my legs, but compared to last year, I was head and shoulders above... finishing with the lead pack was awesome!

Sunday morning was the crit - notably my favorite event. I had my sights set on a top 3 placing. Mike wired all of us Bob's girls up with radios, and he and Jeanne talked us through the entire race. I did my best to mark everyone I could up front, but I lost 2 seconds to my closest competitor in the GC on a prime lap, and then ultimately finished 5th to her 3rd, which cost me a place in the GC overall. I was disappointed in my positioning going into the second-to-last corner of the last lap, but as with all race experiences, I learned valuable lessons that will just make me stronger. The team, for our first race together, showed everyone that we're a formidable opponent - taking the team GC competition by 4 seconds. Getting more time to race together should prove to make us just that much stronger as we get to know each other's strengths. I just hope I can keep contributing!

I can't wait to see what else the season brings!!! Go Team Bob's Girls!!!