Aug 05 2009
National Championships-Part 1
Okay, so apparently I have a lot of catching up to do on blogging about National Championships, and since I’m sitting in a Russain hotel with only a little bit of battery left on my computer I probably have to do it in parts. Thus, Part 1.
Upon arriving in Bend, Oregon, I decided that this was definately the place to live with its rolling hills and decent shops and absence of humidity. Our hotel proved to be average, except that our door took about a million tries with the card key to finally open. Though I must admit the hotel I had in Bend was a five star compared to the one I’m currently staying in in Moscow, but I’ll save that story for later. The Jr. Women’s 17/18 RR was a moderately hilly 16-mile loop that we did three times so the entire race ended up being about 57 miles. I had predicted that my enormous peloton of 15 riders would be shattered by attacks early on in the race, and I would end up in a small group of five or six riders. Instead, our group decided to take a leaisurely 40 mile ride through Bend, Oregon that made me question whether or not this really was the Junior National road race and not some club ride. It was finally on the last lap that the attack was made by Coryn Rivera up a long ascent, and the peloton suddenly woke up from their 40 mile nap to chase it down. With the pressure on, a small group of riders formed a break off the front, and I didn’t even have to look around to know that it was the usual crowd that I’ve always broken away with for the past five years in the junior national championships. I knew that unless we kept the pace high, the rest of the peloton would just roll back on our wheels, so we immediately formed a paceline and hammered it to the top (which doesn’t surprise me because we have been practicing our 5-man break every year since we were 12 at the Junior Nats). To say that the hill had a top is a bit of a false statement, actually, because it really went on for just about forver at a slight, but killer, grade of about 2-3%. When it was my turn to pull through, I gunned it (I don’t really know why, I guess I just felt good) and gapped what tiny break there was. Coryn and Jackie bridged up to me and we immediately jumped on the opportunity and worked together for the last few miles up to the finish. On one of the last steep inclines of the race, just when I felt like my legs were about to fall off from 5 miles of climbing, Coryn attacked and tore our tiny group to pieces. Jackie and I attempted to chase, but the small gap remained for the entirety of the final 3k, where I managed to outsprint Jackie for the silver medal in a fast, 300 meter downhill finish.
