What would be more fun for a team whose riders are all sprinters, except for one climber and one sort of unclassified rider who has horsepower if used correctly, than to do a 80km road race with 16 significant climbs. The White Rock Road Race is the toughest hilliest course on the BC Cup Circuit. A figue 8 course loops around the spectacular water front of White Rock, each loop includes two climbs, false flats, two descents, and a very short flat section. The other unique feature is that the men's and women's fields actually get to cross paths on the same road after the men come flying down a descent into two 90 degree corners. I don't know how all the other women feel, but I personally have a moment when 80 or so men are going over 50km/hr 1 foot away from me in the opposite direction.
The team took the line ready to help Leah get into the top group. The field had some big names from Expresscopy.com and Jazz Apple (New Zealand), that included the National Champions from both Canada and New Zealand, as well as Leah Golstein Symmetrics Cycling who dominates on the climbs in any race in North America. The first climb was aggressive as the QOM points started on the first climb of each loop and continued that way for the rest of the race. The significant move went on the second lap through the feed zone and included Leah Golstein Symmetrics, Rushlee Buchanan Jazz Apple,Shelly Olds PROMAN/Paradigm, Erinne Willock and Alison Testroete Expresscopy.com, Leah narrowly missed the move and righ away Jenny and Alena (me) went to the front with Leah to chase. This was the beginning of the most painful cycling experience of my life. The Chase group gradually shed riders and somewhere around lap 3 or 4 Leah and myself were left with a group of about 10 riders who were content to let us do all the work as most of the riders had a teammate in the break. Leah drove hard the entire time frustrated because she missed the break and wanting to give it all she had to get there, I pulled through and helped her as much as physically possible, while all the other riders had a free ride and watched us suffer. About lap 5 killed me I was dropped from this group 3 times and chased back on, the whole time thinking about how much our only climber really needed a teammate and if Thomas Voeckler got dropped 8 times in the mountains of the 2005 Tour de France and chased back on so could I. At this time I had established a fan club of people who probably felt sorry for me and I had more cheers than any other bike race every before, including people in the feed zone and the guys in the follow car, thanks to all of you who helped me reach my max HR 3 times in 2 hours, I almost died. At this time Leah is still driving the pace hard and it is starting to have its effects on her, Jenny, Claire, and Stephaine all managed to chase back on with a few others and reached us on lap 7. I had recovered enough from the last effort to roll to the bottom of the first lap 7 climb and explode. I fell off the back of the group, rode sideways, almost off the road, the follow car asked if I was okay, then managed to ride switchback style up the climb at about 5 km/hr. The main group finished off the race and Jenny took 4th in the bunch sprint for 9th overall. The next two races are Crits and I can't wait!
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