Joe Martin has come and gone. It was not a great race for me but the hospitality of Arkansas is one of the best. I stayed with two different host familes during the weekend a both treated the team and me super well. Big thanks to Steve Friedman and his wife Deb and 3 kids for making sure I arrived safely to Walmartville and that i had a group ride to stretch my legs out with when i got there. The Lisle's took us in during the race and kept us constantly entertained and fed. Steve and Chris have two great kids Jack and Lucy Kate which made me stickers and drawings to cover my jersey and refridgerator when i got home.
The race was less exciting than our host housing. I got caught in a crash 2 miles before the base of a 9 mile climb on the first day. The peloton went through a rain storm and i made sure i was either on the front and near the front during that time. No reason to waste all the effort to go down in a crash in the rain. A few minutes after the rain, I went to middle of the pack to rest up and grab a bite when all the sudden i rounded a corner and found myself running over another rider. She had gone down right in front of me and i had no where to go but over her. I jumped up and went for my bike. No major damage. Chain had come off and some minor scratches and scrapes. I jumped back on and tried to play catch.
When a crash like this occurs, your chances of saving a GC spot is slim. I time trialed 10 minutes to the base and still didn't catch the group. The 9 mile climb was miserable. I kept catching riders but these riders weren't going to make it back to the main field for the finish. My finish was a disapointing 65th for the day. The rest of the race I would work for my teammates and try to salvage the weekend by gaining some fitness for the upcoming races.
Joe Martin is a hard stage race. 4 stages in 48 hours is always physically and mentally tough. This was the first race that my full team has raced together. We are still learning each other's racing style and communication skills. It was fun but at the same time it shows we have a long way to go if we want to get on the top of the podium. Saturday's circuit race was an impressive day for our team. Although we did not get on the podium, we freaking lit that race up like a fire cracker. Our director, Greg Wolf, had us attacking the race non-stop. We had Leigh Valletti in a solo break for a long time. Every rider played an important part. Cheerwine and Aarons were working their butts off to bring back attack after attack. It was fun and it was the way women's cycling should be. Too many times we race negative and wait for other teams to make it exciting. Not that day. Now we just need to do this everyday in a stage race. Our time will come. The season believe it or not is still new. So much more racing to go.
I am happy to be home for two weeks and really looking forward to visiting my family in Nashville on Memorial Day weekend. The 2nd Annual Edgar Soto Memorial Day Stage Race is taking place and it is a great weekend for all racers. Check it out and come take your chances on this race. I doubt you will be disappointed. Last year this was a classy amateur stage race and the prizes were worth it so I am sure they will try to outdo themselves again this year.
Stay tuned for more race recaps and adventures. Thanks for reading. At the top, you see a pic from the tough crit at Joe Martin and here is a team pic at Joe Martin with our Host family.
Stay tuned for the introduction of the Targetraining Women's Pro Cycling podcast that will soon be available for your listening pleasure. These are some of the lovely personalities that you will get a chance to hear. So if you don't recognize the nostrils, that's Mandy Lozano and you have to say it like the announcer Dave Towle in a loud voice while she is on the front of a crit, and the ever so popular and very fast Leigh Valletti.
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