Women's Race Clinic Central Park May 30,2009

CRCA Women’s Clinic 2009

On May 30, Radical Media hosted the 2009 CRCA Women’s Introduction to Racing Clinic, a 3-lap simulated race around Central Park. Many of CRCA’s female racers got their start at this clinic, an annual event, including Radical Media’s own Evelyn Stevens, who, in one lone season, is already making her name known on the national circuit -- go, Evie!

Women’s cycling has been growing and growing and growing -- USA Cycling reported the highest number of licenses issued to female riders for the 2009 season. The turnout of 32 eager women, of all ages and skill and fitness levels, at dawn on that Saturday in May is testament to this trend.

The clinic participants got their jitters queled by a pre-race instructional talk conducted by CRCA/Metro Bicycle’s Ann-Marie Miller, who probably has more racing miles under her helmet than the whole female peloton. (Well, not really, but you get the idea -- she is the ur-veteran!) A four-time USA National Masters’ Champion, Miller covered a variety of race topics and even provided some last-minute inspiration drawn from her careers in racing and as a professional coach.

Members of the Comedy Central and Teany women’s teams joined Radical’s women to ride with the peloton to provide support and encouragement and coaching. (Thanks for coming out to help!) Although the field broke up pretty quickly into several groups, there were plenty of experienced racers to keep each group together and motivated. A small group initiated a break into the second lap, but unfortunately learned “how to crash,” with one racer committing the classic rookie mistake of touching wheels, which even briefly took out Miller. But everyone survived unscathed, if a bit more schooled in the realities of bike racing than anyone intended. As we say, “That’s bike racing.”

The uphill finish started with a group of eight at the bottom of Cat’s Paw but quickly shrank to three as Shane Ferro from Columbia University led the sprint to take the win. Lindsay Jacobson and Emily Maynard, took 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

Congrats, ladies -- well done! Members of CRCA, and Radical Media’s product and bike shop sponsors generously donated prizes and other goodies to reward the newbie racers for their efforts and courage. These included a private coaching session from Nina Strika (Deutsche Bank), a massage from Beth Renaud (Comedy Central), Chomper Body Natural Muscle Butter from Teany’s Tracy Wargo, a tune-up from A-Bicycle Shop, drink mix and bottles from Fluid Recovery, a variety of products from theSportique skin care line, water bottles from Piermont Bikes and a variety of product samples from Hammer Nutrition.

As usual, it was an exhilarating experience for all -- new racers and veterans alike. The veterans left the park knowing they’d done well in initiating the next generation of women to the sport. The next generation left the park with new skills and inspiration and the added challenge of having to ride home with goody bags filled to brimming.
*Thanks to Marco Quezada (marcoquezada.com) for the photos

May 24, 2009: The Infamous Sommerville Criterium by Evie Stevens

The second criterium of the weekend, the infamous Somerville Crit.
We get to the race seamlessly, get signed in, check out the course and then get a really good warm up in. The course is 4 corners, 1.25 miles with very long back and front stretches, overall not technical. Cecelia and I are waiting for staging when Joe Brennan, the official , comes up to Cecelia and she introduces me to him. He asked me what I have won recently (I know that they are doing call ups and I know he is the official for our race...) so I told him. I see him check my number and go up to the announcers and I am thinking SWEET, please put me at the front!!! So I get a call up, which was pretty exciting.

Here is an overview of the teams at the race, Colavita, Team Type 1, Australian National Team, Laura Van Gilder & Kristen Lasasso and a bunch of other big hitters. I was definitely a tad bit nervous!

The race gets on its way and I get myself into good position in the front. I try attacking a bit, hoping that no one is going to know me or care about chasing me so that I could potentially start a break. Well none of them worked. it was a fast and nervy race, since you had so much space on each of the long stretches people were darting around everywhere. Every now and then I would float back in the pack and get this look from Cecelia that pretty much let me know, get back up there. I must say Cecelia brilliantly held her position through out the race, she was always nicely in the top half.

Going into the second to last lap I was in a nice position and then the swarm came on and you hear the awful sound of crunching and screeching, fortunately I was in the front of this crash and so was Cecelia, but you knew it was a big one.

Going into the second half of the last lap, I hopped onto the wheel of the Australian woman who won Bike Jam last week and thought okay this is going to be a good wheel, she will definitely move up (we were in the middle of the pack now). So we hit the last turn and boom chaos goes down in front of me, I see the sparks from metal hitting the pavement, girls are dropping like flies. All I am thinking is oh gosh where is my out and boom there it was, the gas station! So I nicely veered off into the gas station and through the sidewalk and asked a couple to watch out so I could hop back into the race. At that point I was out of contention, so I rode hard up the last stretch, glad all my skin was on for somewhere in the high 20s. Cecelia was also behind the crash, she fortunately avoided it, but had to un-clip and put her foot down. All in all it was a fun race and a good learning experience.

Two takeaways: 1) Don't take the risk of going into the finish mid-pack, be at the front 2). Cecelia makes AMAZING homemade bread. I ate about 2 peanut butter sandwiches with it and I think she should open up a bread shop, let it become a huge success and then sponsor a professional woman's cycling team.

Evie does it again in Hartford May 24,2009

On Sunday, Cecelia and I made the trip down to Hartford and we got to the race with only moments to spare. We ran down to registration like frazzled monkeys, got ourselves signed up, jerseys pinned and chamois on.

We get to the line, there are actually about 60 women in the race, including Ann Marie, Silke and Mary Zider, so it looks like it is going to be a hard and fast race and it was from the gun.

I tried attacking a bit but nothing really stuck. I got myself into a nice position going into the last turn, as we hit the turn I slowed and moved onto Mary Zider's wheel which I thought would be a good bet since the finish was a slight incline and I know she is strong. I stayed on her wheel for a couple of seconds and then I jumped around and tried to envision myself as Marianne Vos and pull out a sprint. I could sense there were a few wpmen potentially gaining on me, but I was able to cross the line alone.

Cecelia came in 14th, partly due to the fact that she was watching my sprint finish. Haha.

A Bear of a Mountain-Bear Mountain-May 10, 2009

Erica's report from the saddle of the 3/4 race.

I always feel a special compulsion to line up as far forward in the field as possible for this race in order to be at the front on the terrifying 2 mile "neutral." So I arrive at the line plenty early, only to discover that around 60 riders in my field have already lined up in front of me. Ugh. Fortunately there are two fields to go yet before us, so every time we move up 20 feet I slide up a couple of spots, and am actually able to start on the front line after all. After failing to clip in properly for every significant race so far this year, I am also delighted to hear the satisfying click of a pedal well mounted, and am able to descend safely and peacefully behind the pace car. The race is supposed to stop, regroup, and restart after the hairpin turn at the bottom, but I guess we must have stayed together pretty well, because they didn't even make us unclip before "restarting." So I'm still on the front lines for the real start, right where I want to be, when we take off.

We set a pretty steady pace up the first hill. Fine by me. I know we'll still drop a few riders off the back. I'm riding mostly second wheel behind Kendall, who is showing amazing TT-style efficiency with her shifting and pacing on the slight undulations as we climb back up the two mile ascent of Tiorati Brook Road. I just try to stay relaxed and shift when she shifts and follow her lead and hope that no one attacks as I'm rather enjoying the pace. I move into the front to swing around the traffic circle at the end, only to almost rear-end the pace car. Disaster averted, I spend the next mile or so trying to figure out how to consistently get back off the front. Dara drops her chain right about then, a Subaru rider uses that to attack, which I thought was a bit cheeky, but we pull her back in and the pace mellows out again, and Dara catches back on. Heading back up Welch Road, two Anthem riders begin to take control of the race, attacking and counterattacking, I know they're strong because I rode to the finish with them at Battenkill, so when one goes, I cover, when the other goes, I, well, panic, but am able to grab onto the fifth wheel or so that passes me and get back with the lead group.

After a slightly more terrifying downhill to start the second lap (riders flying into the grass on the hairpin, others slamming on their brakes, me skidding sideways 3 feet miraculously avoiding both) the second hill is a little more spicy, with another rider from the Battenkill break taking issue with the pace and moving to the front to drive it, Donna M moving to the front to help push it further. Still relatively under control though, and second lap goes down much as the first. Every time I look back it seems like there are a gazillion riders still with us, so I continue with my strategy of trying to stay forward enough to respond to periodic attack attempts (which are pretty quickly covered anyway) but out of the wind.

Third lap starts out much less eventfully, one rider had attacked into the downhill and now found herself about 100 yards ahead of the group, but the pack was unconcerned, and she went backwards within the first quarter mile of the hill. Sarah Krysiack attacked at the last steep incline before the lake, and for the second time in the race, I got concerned, my legs were suddenly lead, much to my surprise since I'd been feeling good. This is exactly where the same rider had managed to drop me in 2007. Ugh. Fortunately for me the effort stopped at the top of the hill, so I was able to move back up and recover.

The last chance for anything to happen was to be going up Lake Welch for the third and final time. There were some minor attacks, and some pressure on the rollers, but nothing too threatening (though we shed a surprising amount of riders there too, I didn't realize that until later though, as far as I knew we still had a field of sixty). I wanted to go into the sprint really early. I was in the second row, right behind Fabienne, who'd won two out of three of her past two races in a sprint, aiming to come around her at the end. We went through the feed zone at a leisurely pace. I'm so boxed in now it's not even funny. "Go" I yell to the front line. Yet they wait. "Come on, we're AT the finish, GO!" I now yell. Nothing! Finally probably already at the 200m line, the field opens up just enough for me to spring around them (did they EVER sprint? I guess so, Fabienne got 6th, but man!). Anyway, with that ignominious start to the sprint, and Deb and Meredith already ahead of me by that time, I had no chance, and rolled in for 4th, with Dara blowing by me at the line to take the podium for an amazing 3rd place.

Jiminy Peak May 2nd- Evie takes the win for Radical

Ashley, Cecelia, Dara, Maria and I represented the lovely ladies from Radical. It was a pretty big field; I believe 75 women had signed up. Anyway there was a full Anthem squad and two Canadian teams.

The first lap was pretty uneventful; there were a few attacks, but nothing that stuck. As we were nearing the first climb, I was getting sucked back into the pack, when Ann Marie Miller says, "Evie, come on and stay with me." She lets me hop on her wheels and proceeds to maneuver us over to the left and then brings us up to the front so we could shoot up the first climb!! It was really cool of her, since I had no idea the climb was coming. Anyway I tried to go hard up the hill, although I was just not feeling that hot during the race, every effort seemed pretty trying.

We got over the first hill and I think we got a selection of about 30 or 40 girls now, although I am not positive. At this point, I was set on trying to conserve energy for the final climb, pretty sure that it would be hard to get away before. The Canadians decided to throw down a bunch of attacks, which was fun since it made the race a bit more eventful. Maria did a lovely job of helping pull back in some of the breaks, which was a very nice treat, since my desire to go hard was definitely lacking. Then Ashley threw down the perfect attack before the climb. It made Audrey from Anthem get to the front and set a nice tempo and string it out some. We picked up Ashley after a bit. Audrey just kept setting a nice tempo. I was third wheel behind Ann Marie Miller. I knew that I wanted to be the first one through the turn leading up to the hill. Then a big girl from the Specialized Canadian team attacked again, which was perfect because it gave me the momentum to jump up and get to the turn first. Once I hit the hill, I just started to go hard and once I hit the 1K sign I decided to go all out (hoping that I could hold it harder for longer and then avoid a sprint finish). I looked back and realized that I had created a gap. So I decided to keep going hard, although my body felt like it wanted to explode. Anyway, I was able to hold the gap and cross the line first. I believe Maria finished in the top 15 (after using up a ton of energy to help me!) and I believe Ashley, Cecelia and Dara were in the top half.

I think this race was just another example of how well Radical races as a team. It was awesome how much everyone helped me conserve energy, by chasing down attacks, blocking me from the wind and throwing down attacks that helped make the field tired. Ashley, correct me if I am wrong, but I believe Anna Milkowski complimented us on well we rode as a team. I think that is pretty sweet and seems to be a trend in what people say after each race! It was awesome to see us knock down three pretty strong teams (and those teams definitely had race strategies they were trying to execute!).

Quabbin Road Race April 26, 2009

APRIL 26th Sunday Quabbin Road Race as Ashley raced it

Open womens- 62 miles- Ashley, Cecelia, Dara representing for radical.

I really and truly I was excited to race as the temps were in the 80's and I knew I would be able to breath :)- so my first real race of the year (one I could race!)

I was not sure how selective the course would be- I read the course description and knew there was a hill at mile 10 and mile 20 that I had to pay attention on- but it is MA, and the hills are hard to predict.

Anthem showed up in numbers ( Beth miller and Elena being the contenders to watch) and I was happy to see the red-white and blue on Ann Marie Miller show up- along with Anna Milkowski and a Colavita lady ( I never know how strong they will be...). Since Ann Marie Miller showed up and I know she is a safe and dependable wheel- I told Dara to watch her and try to stay on her wheel- if she goes- you go too- which is exactly what she did- nice job Dara.

So when did it go? Mile 10 on the first climb, Beth Miller jumps out of the right hand side of the pack- with one girl on her wheel- I am on the left side having a terrible slow motion moment- my legs would not go- they were screaming at me " I'm not ready yet" they did not have a choice- the first person to jump out of the pack to chase that was Elena then I see AMM and Dara, ( who bridged up effortlessly from my perspective- I was very jealous!) I am going- doing the best I can to get on the end of the bridging girls with Cecelia yelling at me " get up there Ashley!!!!" ( thanks Cecelia this really helped!) The girls up the road were going for it and I knew this was the race moment- so I talked my legs into moving for me and actually sprinted onto the back of the break- that was a great feeling ( Anna Milkowski and I were I think the last scramblers)... I had made it!

So right away we started drilling it and pacelining- we had to stay away and there was a fast downhill- we all worked together pretty well- I would guess the group was about 12-14 girls- fantastic a bike race! this is why I came :) but we still had 50 miles left- yikes~!

At mile 20 there was a long stepped climb ( kinda like hill towns but not as hard of a climb- but it was one hill on top of another- you thought you were at the top and then it went up again) AMM and Anthem were setting a really high pace up the whole climb- my legs were feeling great but the rest of me was suffering quite a lot- about 2/3rds up the climb I see Dara going backwards- yes this climb is hard- no joke! And we shed a few girls on that climb- Colavita was really nice to me saying to me hang in there- we are almost to the top- I guess my suffering was apparent!!

I made the selection- yeah!! Crap this is hard- I try to eat and drink a lot- knowing this it taking a lot out of me with my race fitness being behind- We worked together the paceline went pretty smoothly except for when Elena came to the front she would not pull through or would just sit up- I don't get it.

We continue on- the course levels out a bit- lots of fast down hills! We were working the whole time but had not had a climb in a while and at mile 40 there was a short power climb- they hit it - I did not- my legs were stiff and un-moving- I could not persuade them as I got unhitched from the front group :( Crap!!!!!!!

I thought now I have to keep my place. Head down- legs wake up and I push through the last 20 miles by myself without being caught- I achieved that at least along with my first real race fitness of the year!

Ann Marie Miller won- 9th (ashley), 12th (Cecelia) 18th (Dara)/ 39 finishers
It was fun!

Tour de Ephrata April 25th & 26 -Evie Does it Again for the win

Day 1 40-mile road race:

The race was amazing but most importantly we got a big dose of Amish culture right away on the drive to the race, buggies and Amish people all over the place. Goal #1 was accomplished.

About 70 women started this race. The Raddies did nicely get ourselves to the front of the race quickly. I was thinking it might be good to try out some new strategies at this race, but then decided a women's open field with 70 riders on a narrow, windy and gravelly roads might not be the best idea. Instead I did what I know best, and sat on or towards the front the majority of the race.

The Raddies made our presence known by being at the front and protecting each other from the wind (more like Erica and Maria coming up and sitting in front of me, so awesome!!). I got a nice lead-out from Andrea Luebbe the 2nd lap near the hill and launched an attack, I got a away for about a mini minute, then I got caught by a few, tried to attack that group a few more times, but was really a big fat snickers bar dangling in front of them on the open Amish roads. I think we dropped about half the field (unfortunately Maria suffered another flat, I think it was the 2nd or 1st lap, yuck, hopefully you have fulfilled your flat quota for the season!). About 35 of us went into the finish. I somehow got myself stuck in the swarm of the pack going into it, when we hit the 200-meter mark the girl from BMW (Lauren Shirock) jumps. I decided I should mark her wheel and then I just tried to sprint and not get in the way of anyone else. I managed to pull off 3rd and Erica was right there at about 20th.

Day 2 TT and Crit:

It was 4 miles flat (or more rolling) and then 4 miles uphill and this uphill hurt, I remember thinking; I might puke...puking before you cross the line is not sooo cool. I was able to clock a good time and got 1st (I think it was Maria's shoe covers she let me use), Maria, "I am going to soft pedal it” I see screaming up the hill got a strong 16th place and Erica rocked it full cannibal style for 23rd (I think it was about 60 plus women at this point).

So the crit was a classic 4 corner one, with a little uphill followed by a downhill finish. Raddies were once again able to shimmy up to the front and from the gun we went hard, my thought was maybe we should try to string it out in order to get rid of some of the riders. It was 20 laps, I tried to attack a good amount of times on the little hill, sometimes getting a gap but most people were not so itching to work with me. Maria hopped up front a few times and gave me a nice wheel, which was awesome. Erica was doing great until the last few laps when some girl crashed. I heard the crunchy bike noises...yuck! Impressively she finished the race after crashing, with a broken wheel with 7 laps to go. Wow! Maria got stuck behind the crash and was able to bridge herself back up to the pack, I think we were 3 laps to go as I drifted to the back and heard Maria go, I’m here!” Sweet! So the last lap to got up at the front, a couple of Verducci girls started to try to lead each other out from the turn of the hill, so I just decided to use brute force and go. I took the last turn at the front, knowing that I had Andrea Meyers and Mary Costelloe on my wheel, but it was too late to fix the problem, so I tried to move fast, but I wasn’t fast enough. Those 2 came around me.... yuck.... I think if it wasn’t for the crash, we would have been able to set up a better lead out, next time!!

I won the GC overall. It was a fun weekend, The Raddies really showed we were a team that works together and we were all able to work on our tans.

Battenkill 2009- Evie wins the Pro field!

BATTENKILL 2009

So the race from my perspective...(Maggie Shirley that is).

Anywho, the first 9miles or so was totally chill with radical setting a decent clip at the front to keep evie out of the wind but comfortable. Thanks Maria for your crazy draft. I needed you.

So this is where the narrative gets choppy (at mile 9) cause I went into something like reptilian survival mode in which language is condensed to grimaces and grunts...and the frontal cortex lies
unused....

So what I remember...Anna Milkowsi (who apparently knows the course)attacks into the first gravel stretch after which follows a series of turns and a narrow covered bridge with about 65 of my favorite female riders knocking around beside me. Evie and I fall to the middle of the pack immediately before the climb; our plans were foiled. Have no fear, dear reader, we scurried up the gravel on the right side of the road to find ourselves beside the likes of the gasping Anna and ahead of the middling pack following us up the climb....

Again reptilian, I remember something like Evie attacking at the bottom of the first climb, then Lynne Bessette (yes, that Lynn Bessette which we will further to refer to as winner of redlands 2007 and total Canadian badass (damn those Canadians) chased her down and then launched a pathetic counter...to which our Evie gives her the smiling grimace and lays down another. At some point, the road changes from smooth pavement to dirt...and I'm like wholly pooh this race is forreals. I'm watching all this as they, yes, climb away from me.

I'm reminding myself that these damn sprinters legs tend to go hard for me (for about 10 seconds) and then fill up with acid and send me into wheezing fits as I fly backwards on the climbs...So I try to remain within myself...hehe. No can do with Evie running the show up the climbs.

So frankly, I get dropped and as I crest the top...I can see three groups of two straggling about 10 meters apart with the field about 30 meters up the road. Ack. So my mind-set is something like, this shit ain't happening, and I slam it into my big ring and start to haul through the slight downhill gathering girls in my draft. Anyway, I get to the pack and look around for Evie...but alas no teammie. I'm like there is no way I passed her and didn't notice...and then I see the pesky Canadian chasing and realize...ah ha. She is off the front...OF COURSE.

So the pack chases for 3 miles or so...through some rollers, etc. And I get to just sit for awhile...thanks Evie.

We roll a bit more through some flats and then hit another climb. (May I point out again that Evie pulled way to much the entirety of this race. I often tried to get in front of her and block some wind but then got frustrated with the stupidity of pulling around a WORLD CHAMPION and one of the nations best sprinters...so I slunk back to the pack. Hehe (got to get my jabs in where I can)...but I guess it didn't hurt Evie to much in the end anyway.)

So we climb again...and yes...surprise, surprise, Evie attacks again at the base of the climb. This time the tempo of the pack is more steady and I am able to haul my sprinter ass up and over the climb on the strung out remnants of the pack. (BTW, I wheeze....who knew).

Anyway, we descend a bit and around mile 35 with Evie presumably a bit gassed from setting tempo off the front; I attack. So I'm not sure what happened in the field at this point. Pretty sure they decided to just let me fry out there (damn them) but I was having fun. I felt pretty good and decided to try to keep my pace around 24 miles an hour (except the uphills) and lay some tempo. At some point I was told I had about 45 seconds, which was fairly cool...but as soon as I was beginning to have delusions of grandeur (or at least hoping a small group would bridge up). I guess the pack decided they didn't like my style and started to work. So after five miles of an effort I was reeled back in (boo.) and boy did Evie's counter hurt.

Some more rolling (and yes, Evie was on the front).

All that followed was dust, crazy, gravelly pain. I must say that these girls all had fairly mad handling skills cause there was several near disasters as women fishtailed down the gravel descents but we managed to finish it all rubber side down.

Anyway, so there was a roller coaster section which consisted of three gravel power climbs ( I think this was the section with 25% grade) and three gravel descents. I was totally gassed and holding on for dear life. I could see the Canadian and LVG looking frisky up front and got worried when Evie was climbing near me. No fear though...one word...like Evie get up there and she sets gravel spewing with spinning legs as she vaults to the front. I realized my folly when the pace picks up and I'm begging for pity in my own head from my teammate on the front.

It all comes down to the final climb...which I regret to say I hardly remember...except pain, pain, pain...and then Oh sh*t, LVG is falling off...I can catch her (I'd been dropped already). Evie in the meantime, attacks and managed to bring five or so with her.

The rest of Evie's story is she finally found someone as willing to work as she is in Anna Mccloon and the two of them make the made dash to the finish with several on their wheels. Evie wins in an impressive dash to the line from 300 meters away...a true (I'm a whole lot faster than these chicks) way to win.

My story....I latch onto LVG's wheel thinking...well she might pull me to the finish. She looks back (knows I'm not gonna help her in anyway) and lays down an impressive pull. We pick up audrey from anthem and several other girls (I think we finished with 6 or so). I have to say I saw altarum and anthem pulling LVG to the finish when both teams had girls up the road. I can't imagine how these girls could transgress such a cardinal sin in racing. I can only imagine that it can't possibly be as cool on other teams as ours...but whateves.

Anyway, so I am TOTALLY stoked at this point cause I GET TO TRY MY NEW SPRING AGAINST LVG and I know she is tired. hehe. I think...maybe, just maybe.

So the long and short of it is...she kicked my ass....but I did manage to keep up with her for the first third of the acceleration...which I must say was a mighty proud half a second.

Bethel- March 22- Open Women's Race. Reported by Ashley

Bethel- March, 22 Open Women's Race

Maria, Cecelia, Maggie and I, Ashley, headed back up to Bethel CT. to keep Maggie in the leaders jersey and get a nice spring training race in. The field seemed a bit smaller than the week before- I'm guessing around 30 girls. Our job was to get Maggie in a good position to sprint either from a pack finish or get her into a break.

As we hit the first hill my legs were feeling ok after pulling for the first lap through the wind I was happy- last week if I pulled through the wind I was dying on the hill but not this week- thankfully! The pace was when riders would hut the hill hard. Sometimes, Radical set the pace and sometimes other riders set it. Radical was always attentive and at the front of the race to be sure if there was a break someone got in it.

About halfway through we did have a nice attack by Maggie that resulted in a break with Maggie and Ann Marie Miller- that was caught by the next hill.

In the end the race stuck together and came down to a pack finish- coming into the sprint Maria quickly got to the front and gave Maggie a nice lead-out for a second place finish. Radical raced a good race- it was fun! Maggie won the series! Nice job team!

Radical at the Races 2009