2008 marks the FIRST TIME EVER that the University of Arizona cycling team has sent a full team of 4 women - myself, Chloe Forsman, Kathy Rakel, and Judy Jenkins - to Collegiate Road Bike Nationals.  FIRST TIME EVER.  I really should have stayed in Tucson and focused on the last week of school after missing a week to go to Gila, but would not have been any fun.  For those of you who don’t know, Collegiate Road Nats was in Ft. Collins last weekend.  We also sent a full team of 4 men - Kyle Colavito, Brian Meyer, David Glick and Matt Jones - so it was another first to have two full squads at Nationals.  Not too shabby for a “getting-better-established” collegiate team.

DAY 1 - TTT:

I rode my beautiful new TT bike hand-built here in Tucson by Andy Gilmour for the first time the day before the race.

The first time the four of us ladies rode together all at the same time was also the day before the TTT.  But practice-smactice, we got 3rd.  Smokin’.  Our men’s team came in at 10th.  We ALL had matching TT helmets provided by Giro.  So pro.

 DAY 2 - Road Race:

I think the apocalypse was coming at the start of our race at 8 in the freakin’ morning, because it was really cold and really, really windy.  The race starts out up a super steep climb, and it happened to be right into a fierce headwind.  A break of 8 riders formed immediately with me and Chloe, two Ft. Lewis riders, one Lees McRae, one Stanford, one CSU, and one school I didn’t figure out.  The girl from the mystery school soon fell off the group as we set a hard pace up the climbs and down the windy, winding descents.  Our teammate Judy said that up the first climb, it was so windy that girls were falling off their bikes and walking.  I’d like to think it’s because Chloe and I rode up the climb so fast people couldn’t even ride their bikes anymore…but whatever.

Well, there was one lady in the break who didn’t do her fair share of work all day.  Her coach at Lees McRae kept shouting at her to sit on through the feed zone, but the freakin’ peloton was barreling down on us all day, so we had to do something.  Anyways, this particular non-worker chick happened to win.  I guess that’s road racing for ya.  You can read my opinions about it in Velo News.  Thanks for making me sound like an ass, Fred.

Anyhow, I got 4th, Chloe got 2nd, which equals UA had more riders on the podium than any other school…and they are both MOUNTAIN BIKERS!  Take that Road Nationals.

The men’s race got cut short, but our boys hung in strong and Kyle and David finished with the main chase group.  Brian came in not long after, and Matt said screw-it the last time through the feed zone.

DAY 3- Crit (Sketchy-Fest):

Chloe and I kinda blew it.  We were sitting 2nd and 4th in the overall omnium, and somehow, after the end of the crit, neither of us were in the top 5 any more.   Chloe ended up 6th and I was 10th.  I attribute this to spending all day at the front fearing for my life further back in the pack.  Sketchy wheel here, sketchy wheel there, what’s a gal to do?  Sit at the front all day, that’s what a gal should do…or not.  I tried so hard to start a break, but no one let me get away or obviously Chloe, for that matter.  Then, two girls did happen to get away - since the group let them, because we all thought they were non-contenders for the overall - and they ended up taking like 3rd and 4th or something in the overall in addition to 1st and 2nd for the race.  Arghh#^%^&%&*!.

Despite sitting at the front all day pulling the pack around in circles, I did not finish at the front, nor did Chloe - although she did way better than me in the pack sprint.  There were three crashes on the last lap on each of the three finals turns, and I basically was glad to finish with my skin intact.  I got one point in a sprint prime, but other than that, I was an idiot. Oh well, live and learn.  That’s road racing for ya.

I should mention that our teammates Judy and Kathy who have done no more than 2 crits each in their lives both did great!  Kathy beat me in the pack sprint, and Judy had a blast.  They were both incredible out there.  The men’s race was also a sketchy fest, and Kyle went down in the crash that warranted the officials stopping the entire race and having to restart.  Yikes.  Kyle was totally fine - thankfully, since I couldn’t handle any more road rash on him after the gnarly Bisbee crash he went down in - and the boys all managed to stay upright for the rest of the race.  None of the buggers finished in the top 50 though, so we didn’t get any points for the overall team omnium.  Despite that, UA finished 6th!!!!!! in the overall omnium against the big established cycling schools.  Not too shabby for a first time with a full squad.  Look out next year.

A big thanks also to Neil Stewart who served as our race director, mechanic, van-driver, bike-builder, sponsorship getter, and just about everything else.  We really appreciate all of your help, Neil!!

We celebrated our just-off-the-podium overall finish with cinnamon rolls.