Toughin' it in Tulsa

(Anne taking the win for NOW and Novartis for MS)

We had 3 days of crit racing this weekend at the Tulsa Tough. It was an exciting weekend for the team because it was our first time racing with the full squad, and some of our awesome sponsors were down at the races to watch us. Tulsa is always a welcoming venue with an amazing set up and great crowds. But the temps in the 90s sure add to the tough factor!!

Day 1 played out pretty close to plan. The team went out hard with attacks, counter attacks, and more attacks. The race was fast and fun! Eventually we got a break of 4 to go off with our sprinter in the break. Unfortunately another sprinter also got in the break and when it came down to the end she just eeked our rider out for the win. Back in the main field we had a bit of chaos -- with one teamie breaking a wheel and another sprinting a lap early, but Anne was able to pull out a top 10 along with our 2nd place. All in all a good day for our first time racing all together.

Day 2 we set our hopes higher and had a similar game plan -- make the race hard, try to get a break, and if that fails set up the sprint. We went out hard but the course did not suit a breakaway. We ended up wearing ourselves out a bit and instead of moving up the podium, we missed out on it all together. We took the race as a learning experience -- and I think the experience made us all fired up and hungry for a better race on Sunday.

Day 3 ups the "tough" factor with a brutal course. Every lap included a steep little kicker known as "crybaby" hill and the sun came out with sizzling rays. Our team was fired up and ready to go. The fans were also on top of their game with costumes and hoses and lots of energy on top of the hill! The race is one of attrition with people constantly falling off the back... but our team stayed up front and strong throughout the race. We nabbed the first prime... and then the second... and also the third and the fourth. I think we got them all. But with three and a half laps to go, Anne put the icing on the cake with a late race breakaway. She powered away from the field and nobody could follow. She secured us the win and Gokey pulled out a sprint to get a top 5 and take the omnium win for the series! It was a great team effort and a fantastic finish to the weekend.

To top things off, our awesome hosts set up a delicious and relaxing dinner for us after the race. It was the perfect ending to a great weekend.

Off to NVGP!

Phast Philly

(ready to go!)

Made a quick trip to Philly this weekend for the women's Liberty Classic. I was excited to finally race Philly for the first time, as it is a race I've been wanting to compete in for a while now. But what was even more exciting was to be racing for the first time with my new team, NOW and Novartis for MS!

Everything about Philly left me with a smile on my face. The race course and atmosphere are epic. The course starts downtown near the art museum, runs along the river, past boat house row, through old tunnels, down the main street of Manayunk before hitting "the wall" and heading back along the river with detours for Strawberry Hill and Lemon Hill and ending on a fast loop around Logan Circle before a long finish straight. But the best part is that the town comes out in full force to watch and cheer (and drink beer...). They actually know a bike race is going on and crowds are cheering all along the course (this is unusual in the US). There is a roar as you climb up the wall and lemon hill... and it only gets louder every lap. It's awesome!

The race is typically a sprinter's finish and this year was no exception. There was a 1 person break early on, but nothing threatening and everything came back together on the last lap. The final climbs were fast and the finish was even faster. Our team raced well for our first time together and we finished with our sprinter in 7th -- a top ten at a big UCI race! I'm sure things will only go up from here -- we have a strong and cohesive team and one of the best support crews out there!

My favorite part of the day was riding home to our awesome host house. The house is situated right on "the wall" so the only way home was to follow the course. Robin and I made one last trip down main street and started up the wall... since the men's race was still in action, the crowds were out in full force and we got some of the best cheers of the day, including high-fives up the wall! Robin even got a post-race recovery drink from one friendly spectator. Then a motor crew came by to take our picture... then the motos kept on coming... and we realized the men's race was upon us... we had to hammer up the wall and make a jump over the fences to get out of the way fast -- ouch -- that was a hard cooldown ride! But so much fun to be cheered like a champion on a cool down... I almost wanted to go back down the hill and do it again... but pie and ice cream awaited at the host house!!

Next up for the team -- Tulsa!!!

(heading up the wall... don't know where I'm looking)