Kate V carving it up at Somerville
Somerville has always been a favorite race of mine – there is a really neat atmosphere in the town and the community really gets in behind the race. I also like the course, which is wide open and fast.
Something that stood out for me last year was the funeral home that was having a big party to celebrate the race (I was hoping it wasn’t an effort to drum up business. Hee hee), and this year it was the panting cats on leashes – we saw two people who had brought their cats to the race and had them on leashes like a dog. Only it was so hot they were also panting like their canine counterparts (or may be they were having an identity crisis?!). Not quite right, but amusing none-the-less.
We ended up hanging out to watch the men’s race after we had warmed down and stretched. It was great to take some time to enjoy the atmosphere rather than duck straight home.
Michele, Kate V, Kristy and I were the team for the day, and we meant business. I am so proud of the way we rode – super aggressively, strongly, represented in almost everything and if were weren’t, we helped bring the break back……..unfortunately our efforts were not reflected in the results due to events outside our control. On the 2nd last lap a crash meant Kristy had to call upon her extraordinary Kung Fu balance skills to stay upright, which included a yet-to-be-named move involving hopping down the road delicately balanced on one foot (not forgetting that cycling shoes are lumpy on the bottom!). While she impressively stayed upright, it did mean she had to stop and that means race over when the bunch is traveling at such high speed. She clipped back in and carried on to finish though, which is credit to her character as many less tenacious characters would have called it a day at that point.
In the last lap, with Kate and I in good position in the front bunch, there was another crash with 500m to go and we both had to stop and start again as the remainder of the bunch rode away to take the placings. Kate got started again quickly and chased as hard as she could to finish 21st and I was back in the 30’s somewhere. So frustrating as we really felt like we were putting it all together to come up with the goods!! However, we all stayed upright and that is the most important thing. The start of this season has been marred with crashes, and while that is an inevitable part of bike racing, it is really tough to see friends and team mates injured and I sincerely hope that when my reports mention the crashes it is not upsetting anyone too much! Risk is part of sport and the fact that we take those risks to be the best we can be reflects our love and passion for cycling and all it brings with it.
Next weekend we are in Arlington, Virginia for the Airforce Classic, Clarendon Cup. This is an important race for the team and we are amped!!
In the meantime, stay tuned for a Kiwi translations article during the week!!!
Something that stood out for me last year was the funeral home that was having a big party to celebrate the race (I was hoping it wasn’t an effort to drum up business. Hee hee), and this year it was the panting cats on leashes – we saw two people who had brought their cats to the race and had them on leashes like a dog. Only it was so hot they were also panting like their canine counterparts (or may be they were having an identity crisis?!). Not quite right, but amusing none-the-less.
We ended up hanging out to watch the men’s race after we had warmed down and stretched. It was great to take some time to enjoy the atmosphere rather than duck straight home.
Michele, Kate V, Kristy and I were the team for the day, and we meant business. I am so proud of the way we rode – super aggressively, strongly, represented in almost everything and if were weren’t, we helped bring the break back……..unfortunately our efforts were not reflected in the results due to events outside our control. On the 2nd last lap a crash meant Kristy had to call upon her extraordinary Kung Fu balance skills to stay upright, which included a yet-to-be-named move involving hopping down the road delicately balanced on one foot (not forgetting that cycling shoes are lumpy on the bottom!). While she impressively stayed upright, it did mean she had to stop and that means race over when the bunch is traveling at such high speed. She clipped back in and carried on to finish though, which is credit to her character as many less tenacious characters would have called it a day at that point.
In the last lap, with Kate and I in good position in the front bunch, there was another crash with 500m to go and we both had to stop and start again as the remainder of the bunch rode away to take the placings. Kate got started again quickly and chased as hard as she could to finish 21st and I was back in the 30’s somewhere. So frustrating as we really felt like we were putting it all together to come up with the goods!! However, we all stayed upright and that is the most important thing. The start of this season has been marred with crashes, and while that is an inevitable part of bike racing, it is really tough to see friends and team mates injured and I sincerely hope that when my reports mention the crashes it is not upsetting anyone too much! Risk is part of sport and the fact that we take those risks to be the best we can be reflects our love and passion for cycling and all it brings with it.
Next weekend we are in Arlington, Virginia for the Airforce Classic, Clarendon Cup. This is an important race for the team and we are amped!!
In the meantime, stay tuned for a Kiwi translations article during the week!!!
As an Altarum employee in Ann Arbor, Mi - it is great to see your blogging that keeps us up-to-date with the teams activities. We're going to miss you all this year because you're not coming out to Ann Arbor, but it's great to see how well the team is doing out East. Keep up the great work - you're doing a wonderful job representing women atheletes and Altarum Institute.
ReplyDeleteLarry Cobler
Hello, and thanks Larry. I am going to miss Ann Arbor. Loved it and enjoyed meeting everyone last year. Michele
ReplyDelete