2010 Blogs
The Amgen Tour of California attracts a plethora of fans and spectators as the best male riders from the US and Europe trickle into sunny California. When we heard there was to be a women's crit in cahoots with the big cycling circus we were quick to try and get our noses in it. Katerina spear-headed the operation with help and support from Eric Walle. Together we got our crit team assembled of Katka, Tyler and myself.
We woke to a sunny day in Sacramento and found our way to the Clif Bar set-up where the Clif Bar men's team were getting ready to play in their criterium. When they were racing Eric helped us out and we took over their trainers. After a few espresso shots, sampling the new Clif gels, and warming our legs up for 60-minutes of throttling racing, our train of Luna blue rolled to the start.
Most races have a race within themselves - the race for good positioning on the start line. When we rolled up 5 minutes prior to our start the herd of riders were all tightly assembled and we realized our poor timing. I felt extremely lucky to get a call-up to the front row, and before the first lap was finished Katerina and Tyler had done a masterful job of positioning themselves at the front of the race. There were a handful of powerhouse teams with their sprinters biding their time for the final moments. With the stronger teams wanting the race to end in a sprint finale, any attacks and breaks were quickly muted. The Luna chix did a good job of being attentive at the front, ensuring that when an attack did go, one blueberry would be in it. But the 4-corner crit was untechnical, the wind was present, and straightaways stifled all these attempts. $100-$200 primes throughout the 60-minutes kept the pace hot and encouraged aggressive riding. Before we knew it there were 5 laps to go and the pace grew hotter and faster.
In the end, Katerina placed herself well in the final laps but the powerhouse team's leadout trains were polished. Katerina finished an impressive 8th place and Tyler and I finished somewhere with the field. It was a great day of racing and the Luna Chix represented well in the roadie world.
We woke to a sunny day in Sacramento and found our way to the Clif Bar set-up where the Clif Bar men's team were getting ready to play in their criterium. When they were racing Eric helped us out and we took over their trainers. After a few espresso shots, sampling the new Clif gels, and warming our legs up for 60-minutes of throttling racing, our train of Luna blue rolled to the start.
Most races have a race within themselves - the race for good positioning on the start line. When we rolled up 5 minutes prior to our start the herd of riders were all tightly assembled and we realized our poor timing. I felt extremely lucky to get a call-up to the front row, and before the first lap was finished Katerina and Tyler had done a masterful job of positioning themselves at the front of the race. There were a handful of powerhouse teams with their sprinters biding their time for the final moments. With the stronger teams wanting the race to end in a sprint finale, any attacks and breaks were quickly muted. The Luna chix did a good job of being attentive at the front, ensuring that when an attack did go, one blueberry would be in it. But the 4-corner crit was untechnical, the wind was present, and straightaways stifled all these attempts. $100-$200 primes throughout the 60-minutes kept the pace hot and encouraged aggressive riding. Before we knew it there were 5 laps to go and the pace grew hotter and faster.
In the end, Katerina placed herself well in the final laps but the powerhouse team's leadout trains were polished. Katerina finished an impressive 8th place and Tyler and I finished somewhere with the field. It was a great day of racing and the Luna Chix represented well in the roadie world.