BC Cup Numero Uno

Objective: To win.

In lieu of the Monument that is Paris-Roubaix, over 40 women set out for 10 laps of the 7km loop consisting of 6 corners and ~3km of hard-packed gravel. Our goal was the stay near the front at all times and be aggressive. Right from the gun, the team set a high, hard pace for the first lap. There were several attacks from the Team Giant/Whistler Canadians. None of them staying away for long. One of the attacks unfortunately ended with a woman down in corner 3, but put in a valiant effort to chase back on (we all wish Jessica Hannah a quick rebound!). With 5 laps to go, our very own Viking (a.k.a. Stephanie Roorda) put in a spicy attack in the gravel section. No other riders in the main pack were willing to put out the effort needed to chase her down. Steph, with her head down and legs turning, she pulled away from the pack and the gap only grew: 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 1 minute. As she was hammering away at the course solo, the rest of us girls were patrolling the front and covering any dangerous chase-attempts. She won with almost a minute and HALF on the main group! Plenty of time to revel in a well-deserved win. Stay tuned for some sweet winning salute pictures. The rest of us set up for the sprint finish in hopes to round out the top 5. Dr. Lisa Howard sprinted hard to the line for 4th place. With our lungs burning and legs cramping, we were all smiles. A job well done!

Mission Accomplished.