Radical Does it Again-Report By Maria

Sturbridge Road Race Pro123 4-26-08

Ashley, Erica, Elena and I represented the team in the P123 field. 45 miles, 3 laps. The new course had plenty of climbing and the finish line was at the end of a 3-4 mile climb.

The field was together on the first lap but broke up on the climb. At one point I found myself taking lots of wind up front and Erica jumped in to rescue me right when I needed saving. What a teammate! Our group was about 1/3 of the field on the second lap and included Elena, Ashley and myself. We did a fast rotating paceline to assure no stragglers joined us and maintained our tight little group until the finish line.

The pace throughout the race was challenging. I was happy I left my HR monitor in the car! I wouldn't want to know what numbers were appearing on the little screen. When we hit the final climb I waited for Anna Milkowski or Beth Miller to attack. I knew that they both were amazing climbers and one of them would be first to go. I got on a Terry Bikes girl's wheel as we approached the summit. I wanted to come around her so badly, but I kept repeating "patience, patience, patience" to myself. It was a head wind coming up the climb and Terry girl was tall and a perfect draft. Then, Anna went at around 200m, and a Terry girl followed her immediately. I came around The Terry girl as fast as I could, and made some ground toward the line, but couldn't get them. I almost pulled off 2nd since that racer's chain dropped just feet from the line, but she was far enough ahead that her placement was safe by a good wheel's length.

As a team we did awesome! No question we were the best team out there with 3 top ten finishes. Me in 3rd, Elena in 6th and Ashley in 9th!!!! Amazing team work and presence. :)

Radies on Fire! Grants Tomb Domination

GRANT'S TOMB 3/4 RACE March 15, 2008-
Through Maria's eyes

It was great to be racing with so many teammates in the field and on the sidelines. Radical Media dominated the race from start to finish. We controlled the pace much of the race, put in some beautiful attacks and had every attempted attack by others immediately covered.

On the last lap I jumped on a woman's wheel who seemed determine to win. I wasn't sure if the field was with us or not, so I just focused on staying on her wheel. After taking the final sweeping turn, I realized the pack was with us and I was second wheel. The pack was beginning to swarm around us and I feared getting blocked in, so I powered between the two women in front of me. I wanted so badly to give the team a win, so I went as hard as I could. I figured at any moment someone would nip me at the line, so I continued to give it everything I had until I was way past the line. I WON!!

It was a great win in the 3/4 field. The best part was and we got 4 top 10 places. What an amazing race

Central Park CRCA Club Race-April 12, 2008

Nice shot of Maria after a weekend of hard racing


Sunday, April 13, 2008 Central Park

It was a damp morning with slippery roads. Not the best day to have hill sprints up Harlem Hill. There were a good number of women at the start line considering the weather. Elena, Ashley, Cecelia (she's back!!) and myself represented the team.
The first lap didn't have the hill sprint, but Ann Marie took off on the hill and we all chased her down. On the descent to the second hill (the first hill sprint), there were ambulances on the right and riders and bikes on both sides of the road. Chaos! We all slowed down until the bottom of the hill and I took off early, just wanting to get away from everything and everyone. I ended up giving Sarah a great leadout by mistake! She took first in the sprint and I took 2nd. The following lap had another crash and a bike was in the middle of the road. A few of us shouted to the group about it, but a rider didn't see it and went down. I ended up taking 2nd in most of the hill sprints, Cecelia got us some points on one of the hill sprints and Elena took 3rd in the final sprint. At the line, I got 4th and Cecelia and Ashley were also in the top 10. With all of the points added up from the hills and the finish, Sarah took 1st, I took 2nd and Nancy took 3rd. As a team I believe we not only kept our lead, but also may have increased it by a few points. A scary race, but we all stayed upright and felt we raced well as a team.

Bethel CT It was Maria and Elena all the way!

Bethel, CT. April 13th -last race of the series

I warmed up on the road for a good 25 minutes and then lined up at the start. The pace was steady and the race was pretty uneventful. Lisa did a nice job of jumping to the front on the hill and increasing the pace a bit, but the field wasn't letting anything get away.

I rode on Ann Marie's wheel most of the race and took quite a bit of wind. The goal today was to work hard and have fun. On the last lap I fought other riders for AMM's wheel and on the last climb up to the line managed to stay right behind her. Then Andrea unexpectedly flew by us. I jumped to catch her and almost got AMM at the line. Andrea took the win, AMM took 2nd and I took 3rd. Elena took 6th.

When I went to confirm my placing the promoter told me to stick around for the overall series podium photos. Somehow with my 2nd place last week and my 3rd place this week, I managed to get 3rd overall in the series. It was a pleasant surprise for me. Nice. A trophy and $! Elena got 4th overall in the series and took home some cash as well. A good day for Radical Media in CT!

Battenkill April 19 2008 Maria our champ!

Battenkill.....2008

I got to the start line early to make sure I was in the front row. Elena and Erica soon joined me. Erica was going to see how she felt after the first 7 miles (since it looped back into town) and decide from there whether or not to continue. I whispered to Elena on the line that I planned to attack at the first set of hills at 8 miles and that she should come with me so that we could get away. (Ashley told me that this is where she got away last year and I remember the 123 coming apart there last year as well, so I thought it sounded like a good plan).

In order to make sure I had good position going into the first climb, I took lots of wind up front setting the pace. It was fine, I felt good and wasn't going very fast. We hit the first climb and Elena and I were right where we needed to be. The dirt was really dry and it was difficult to keep the bike steady, but I pushed the pace up the climb the best that I could. After descending I was surprised to find only one woman with me. We rode for a couple minutes and then about 6 other women joined us. I organized everyone to take 30 sec pulls. We worked together pretty well for the most part and soon there was no field or chase group in sight behind us.

At around mile 24 we hit the second set of significant climbs. Again there was quite a bit of sand and it didn't help that the pace car slowed down and was kicking it in our faces. We organized ourselves and within about a minute, the chase group behind us was out of sight!

At about mile 40-45 the heat really started to get to me. It was about 84 degrees out and very sunny. I had already drank 2 water bottles and had one left. I had eaten my whole gel flask mixture and only had one remaining gel. My thighs were screaming in pain, my head was pounding but I knew I could do it if I just focused. Only 10 miles or so to go. I knew I had another 10 miles in me somewhere. I took the last gel and some water and promised myself that I would destroy myself going for the win.

Mile 50 was the last set of climbs. These were especially sandy and treacherous. There were riders that had been dropped from other fields all over the place. I studied who was sliding and who seemed solid on their bikes and chose my line very carefully. When we finished the climb, there were just 3 of us! Andrea, Amy and myself. I didn't know if they could sprint, so I knew I had to conserve the best I could and play it smart. I knew that as long as I stayed upright and didn't have any mechanicals that I would podium, but somehow at this point that wasn't enough. I looked for the 1k or the 200m sign, but never saw either. We then came to the railroad tracks that we had ridden over earlier at the start, so I just went for it and sprinted. I wasn't sure if it was too early, but I didn't care. I gave it everything I had left and was determined to continue sprinting like a mad woman until I crossed the line.

After I crossed the finish line, I spent the next few minutes trying to catch my breath while I rode to the car for painkillers to ease the cramps. It wasn't until I was riding back to the start line to confirm my place that it hit me, I had just won. :)

I received a lovely cowbell as a trophy and a stuffed cow that matched the Radical Media kit perfectly!

It was 2 hours and 44 minutes of intense racing. I can honestly say this was hardest I have ever worked in a race.

Elena was awesome and despite her mishap in the sand finished in 5th place!

Elena and Ashley at Bethel March 9, 2008

Elena had another strong finish at Bethel.

It was really cold with heavy winds in Bethel this morning. About 15-20 womenshowed up. Ashley and I represented Radical. Anne Marie Miller , two Kenda girls, and Kathleen Billington were there as well.
On about the 3rd lap, Ashley, AMM, and a Kenda sailed up the hill and opened up a small gap. I sat on the front for a couple of seconds to see if Ashley was going to be able to get away. The other Kenda rider and Kathleen bridged up and I went with them. With the 30 mph winds up there in Bethel, it was tough to stay out of the wind. At some point, Ashley must have been caught in the wind because all of a sudden I didn’t see her anymore.

The 5 of us started working together and we were able to lap the rest of the field. AMM was really drilling it and she took the sprint (again), with Andrea (Kenda) second, Rebecca (Kenda) third, me fourth, and Kathleen (fifth). All in all, a good clean race for all.

March 8, 2008 Central Park Season Opener and Radical finishes 1st and 2nd!

Maria telling it like she saw it from the saddle in Central Park!

A good part of the first lap was pretty uneventful. A few attacks that were quickly chased until Maggie attacked near the carousel. Martha jumped on her wheel and since I was right there, I jumped on Martha's wheel and Cindy was not far behind. Lucky for Maggie and I, Erica was near the front of the field, so we knew she would help keep the field back anyway she could. The 4 of us rotated with Maggie and I doing most of the work. Our plan was to work with the Metro girls until the last time up Harlem hill and drop them at the top. It was obvious Cindy and Martha were getting tired since our pace kept slowing when they pulled through.
At the end of the third lap, near the carousel, Maggie gave me the sign and I attacked. Cindy tried to chase us down, but she couldn't answer the attack. Maggie bridged up to me and we increased our pace and we were out of sight in less than a minute. We rotated the last lap until the sprint.
I came across the line first with Maggie right beside me. Maggie had an another race in the afternoon that she decided to save her legs for that one. Thanks Maggie!!
A great finish with a Radical taking 1st and 2nd.

Great job Maggie and Erica. It wouldn't have been a Raddie 1, 2 finish today without the great team work.

2008 Racing Season Opens at Bethel March 1

Elena Leznik and Ashley Prine represented Radical Media in the first race of the season at Bethel on March 1st 2008.

It was really cold and for most of us. The high that day was in the 30's with a little snow in the afternoon. Ann Marie Miller was there, as was Anna Milkowski and a couple of girls from formerly of Target Training now Kenda Tire.

Ashley and I lined up with about 20 other girls. I was just trying to be among the first up that hill each time around and to catch a break. The pace was pretty high from the start and Ann Marie Miller looked really good. Ashely and I got caught out of position about 1/2 way through the race and missed a 3 gal break (Anna M., Ann Marie Miller, and a Kenda Tire girl) that stayed away for a couple of laps. The field worked together pretty well and we brought them back after a few laps. The field stayed together after that until the sprint which Ann Marie won, Anna M taking second, a Kenda Tire in 3rd, and me in 4th. Ashley got caught behind a small crush and finished a couple of spots behind me. A good, safe, and fun race.

Radical Media Cycling 2007 Top 10's!!!

Wintercross Cyclo-Cross, open: 1st (Cecelia Pleva)
Wintercross Cyclo-Cross, open: 1st (Cecelia)
Sturbridge Road Race, Cat. _: 1st (Maria Quiroga)
Lou Maltese Road Race, Cat. _: 1st (Cecelia)
Giro del Cielo Road Race, Cat. 3: 1st (Cecelia)
Wintercross Cyclo-Cross, open: 2nd (Cecelia)
Colt’s Neck Road Race, Cat. 4: 2nd (Erica Adelberg)
Lou Maltese Road Race, Cat. _: 2nd (Erica)
Housatonic Hills Road Race, Cat. 4: 2nd (Ashley Prine)
Empire State Games Team TT, open: 2nd (Maria)
Summer Cyclocross at the Fair, open: 2nd (Cecelia)
Palmer Road Race, Cat. _: 3rd (Maria)
Battenkill-Roubaix Road Race, Cat. 4: 3rd (Ashley)
Union Grove Road Race, Cat. _: 3rd (Cecelia)
Big Apple Bicycle Classic, open: 3rd (Jenny La Plante)
Empire State Games Qualifier, open: 3rd (Cecelia)
Giro del Cielo GC, Cat. 3: 3rd (Cecelia)
Empire State Games ITT, open: 3rd (Maria)
Silvermine ITT, Cat. 1,2,3: 3rd (Maria)
Palmer Library Road Race, Cat. _: 4th (Ashley)
Tour of High Bridge Road Race, open: 4th (Cecelia)
Bear Mountain Spring Classic, Cat. 4: 4th (Erica)
Lou Maltese Road Race, Cat. _: 4th (Elena Leznik)
Fitchburg ITT, Cat. _: 4th (Maria)
Fitchburg Road Race, Cat. _: 4th (Cecelia)
Fitchburg Road Race, Cat. _: 4th (Maria)
Fitchburg GC, Cat. _: 4th (Maria)
Giro de Cielo ITT, Cat. 3: 4th (Maria)
Giro del Cielo Criterium, Cat. 3: 4th (Cecelia)
Giro del Cielo Road Race, Cat. 4: 4th (Erica)
Empire State Games Road Race, open: 4th (Maria)
Rocky Hill Cycling Classic Road Race, open: 4th (Ashley)
Silvermine ITT, Cat. 4: 4th (Erica)
Green Mountain Stage Race Prologue, Cat. _: 4th (Ashley)
Great Neck Criterium, open: 5th (Cecelia)
Union Grove Road Race, Cat. _: 5th (Ashley)
Bear Mountain Spring Classic Road Race, Cat. 4: 5th (Ashley)
Watermelon Crit, open: 5th (Jenny)
Green Mountain Prologue, Cat. 3/4: 5th (Maria)
Fitchburg ITT, Cat. 3/4: 6th (Cecelia)
Fitchburg Road Race, Cat. 3/4: 6th (Cecelia)
Fitchburg GC, Cat. 3/4: 6th (Cecelia)
Lou Maltese Memorial Road Race, Cat. 3/4: 6th (Ashley)
Tokeneke Classic Road Race, open: 6th (Elena)
Green Mountain Road Race, Cat. 3/4: 6th (Ashley)
Green Mountain GC, Cat. 3/4: 6th (Ashley)
Mengoni Grand Prix Road Race, Cat. 1,2,3: 6th (Cecelia)
Giro del Cielo GC, Cat. 3: 7th (Maria)
Giro del Cielo Criterium, Cat. 4: 7th (Erica)
Giro del Cielo GC, Cat. 4: 7th (Erica)
Union Grove Road Race, Cat. 3/4: 7th (Erica)
Capital Region Road Race, Cat. 4: 7th (Erica)
Green Mountain Road Race, Cat. 1,2,3: 7th (Cecelia)
Green Mountain GC, Cat. 3/4: 7th (Maria)
Van Dessel Hole Shot Cross Cyclocross, open: 7th (Cecelia)
Balloon Festival Classic Road Race, open: 8th (Cecelia)
Fitchburg Road Race , Cat. 3/4: 8th (Elena)
Criterium de Bethel Road Race, open: 8th (Ashley)
Tokeneke Classic Road Race, open: 8th (Ashley)
Owasco Stage Race Road Race, Cat. 1,2,3: 8th (Elena)
Green Mountain Road Race, Cat. 3/4: 8th (Maria)
Ronde de Bethel Road Race, open: 9th (Elena)
Giro del Cielo ITT, Cat. 3: 9th (Cecelia)
Giro del Cielo Criterium, Cat. 3: 9th (Maria)
Giro del Cielo Circuit Race, Cat. 3: 9th (Maria)
Unionvale Road Race, Cat. 1,2,3: 9th (Maria)
Empire State Games Criterium, open: 9th (Maria)
Tour of Hilltowns, Cat. 4: 9th (Erica)
Mengoni Grand Prix Road Race, open: 9th (Ashley)
Colt’s Neck Road Race, Cat. 1,2,3: 10th (Jenny)
Fitchburg GC, Cat. 3/4: 10th (Elena)
Balloon Festival Classic Road Race, open: 10th (Ashley)
Giro del Cielo ITT, Cat. 4: 10th (Erica)
Giro del Cielo Circuit Race, Cat. 1,2,3: 10th (Maria)
Bethel CDP Gold Race Road Race, open: 10th (Ashley)
Poughkeepsie Criterium, open: 10th (Cecelia)

9/23 Central Park as Erica saw it....

Raddies ran an aggressive race overall, with our very own Cecelia Pleva taking a hard fought podium spot, making us look good for the photos. Thanks Cecelia. That said, I think we all contributed and rode hard overall, with some excellent teamwork and cohesive strategy. Comedy Central out rode us a bit overall this time, taking first and second, but I think we made an impression as a team to be more than reckoned with.

Kimille attacked into the rollers on the first lap. I countered that one before the group caught up to her, Kimille accelerating to get on my wheel as I came by, but then we were neutralized and caught. Once free, Raddies took turns aggressively counterattacking all down the west side. The Comedy Central team would occasionally take a turn attacking as well. There wasn't a lot of bridging going on in general, more like a field surge to close the gaps, but the attacks were definitely aggressive enough to make the race feel like a pretty constant chase from the start. I remember a commentator in Le Tour (dare I compare us) mentioning that when the field strings out that means there's tension and effort going on. Well that was our peleton for a good part of the race.

Beth from CC attacked around Tavern in the first lap. I went with her and so did Cindy Ma, but we couldn't really get organized, at least in part because Cindy would either pull off immediately or hesitate and not pull up at all, and Beth didn't seem so into working either. I thought we'd have some staying power with one of each of the three main teams represented, but either we weren't working hard enough.

Going into Cat Hill at the end of the second lap, Kimille attacked again, I countered and hammered it up the hill. I got a decent gap as I guess no one really wanted to cover up the hill if they didn't have to. Just before engineers gate the field got neutralized. At first I thought this would be just the stroke of luck I was hoping for, as I figured that even neutralized I would go faster than the peleton. Guess I didn't really realize how that works because of course the motto wouldn't let me keep going hard, even though I pleaded to him not to throw my break away. But as soon as we were free I hammered again and didn't see anyone behind me at least with a quick glance. Didn't make a lot of sense to me but on the other hand I figured they therefore couldn't see me either and that everyone was playing chicken to see who wanted to chase. For all I know they didn't have to chase at all, having peleton draft dynamics going on relative to my poor solo self, so as I crested Harlem Hill there they all were again. Drat.

End of the third lap I attacked off of another Raddie attack! Lisa Force bridged to me but the peleton was having none of that, and we didn't really have the speed to stay away for long. Caught by the beginning of the reservoir this time. We kept the peleton working for the fourth lap, but at this point nothing was going to stick. It became clearer and clearer that all Comedy Central really wanted was a field sprint with Sarah and Caryl Gale going into it as rested as possible. Ellen Moses moved up to the front of the peleton to give Sarah a ride in for the final lap. Could they be any more obvious? While I knew that attacking on the East Side into the downhill wouldn't stick, I couldn't just let that dynamic go unnoticed, so I attacked just to shift people around a bit.

Coming into the west side rollers, we Raddies started trying to organize our trains, and with the goal of getting them set up by Tavern. I was going to lead out one of trains, with Elena and Ashley, but we weren't able to really get lined up effectively. Going into Cat Hill, I found myself with no one on my wheel, but in back of Maria, who had also offered to be a lead-out. She lead me about halfway up the hill but then Jaimie Nicholson apparently came out of her pedal we all had to shift abruptly to the left off our line to avoid a crash. I found myself boxed in behind Lisa Force, who had decided she didn't feel like sprinting. As I got around her I heard Ashley telling me she was on my wheel so I started really accelerating to the top but with all the chaos that had happed in the sprint we were at the finish line before Ashley had time to pop around me so I got around 8th and with Ashley right behind.