As excited as I was to start my first UCI race I have to admit there was nothing I wanted more than for it to be over! Because the race was scheduled to start at 3:30 in front of race headquaters (the Loyalist Hotel), just down the street from our hotel - we decided we would ride over as a team and pre-ride the course.
Although far from home, the condition of the pavement made me feel very much at home - lots of cracks and filled in potholes. Half way around the course there was an S curve which would prove to be an interesting test of the group's cornering ability and a back straight that was open and windy. Then around another right hand corner with cones marking the inside, which the Cuban riders would later completely disregard and not only dive into, but cut through - and then back into town, with a fast 1 km leading into a narrow chute of barriers bringing you to the start finish. Little did I know that this would become the most dangerous part of the course.
The entire race would be about position. Constantly moving up, trying to gain ground in every corner (not to mention escape death) and get a feel for the various riding styles in the field. I think by the end of the day we each had strong opinions about the bike handling of various teams.
About half way through the race, I'm not sure if it was a sprint lap, but coming across the start finish one of the motorcycles would go down. Although I narrowly escaped it caused a huge crash behind. That was when you begin to realize the potential danger of the course and the particular way the barriers were narrowly set up to guide the riders through the finish. I am usually not one to spend too much time worrying about safety but given the speed, level of aggression, and size of the field, I was definitely mindful of the potential dangers. Unfortunately Rebecca would go down in the crash, but was also able to get right back up and chase back on. One of the Stevens riders' was not quite so lucky and would end up with bruises and road rash beneath her eye and on her chin. ("Does my Blue Cross Blue Shield plan cover plastic surgery?" I began to wonder. Yikes!)
Approximately 3/4 of the way through it started to rain, not hard per se but enough to make it messy. By the time we got to the last lap I still wasn't sure whether to be conservative or really try to take part in the sprint. Fortunately or unfortunately the wind would pick up on the last lap. As we came up the incline before the S curve the last time people were clearly fighting for position. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mary riding through someone's front lawn! Not by choice of course, but because she got forced out. "Surfing the gutter" can be good in that it gives you the ability to move up and/or bail out, but it's also dangerous in that you've got to hold your position and not allow anyone to push you out. But it was sort of strange - the entire week you would see things happen in the peloton that were "interesting" and under any other circumstances you might comment to teammates or chuckle, but then you'd realize you better pay attention to what you're doing and save the "did you see that? for later! (For example, Natalie getting punched by one of the Cubans.)
So after making it through the last corner, I half felt as though time passed in slow motion. You knew the sprint was coming but when would it take off? For me I just wanted to be sure that I wasn't on the far right or left as we entered the barriers - and not knowing the field you really didn't know which wheel to be on (granted Rochelle Gilmore's would have been good!) With one km to go, the sprint was on. I basically just wanted to maintain the speed of those around me, hoping everyone would hold their line. Fortunately everyone would cross the line and safely roll through. Phew! What a relief!
The entire race you needed to have eyes in the back of your head - total awareness of what was happening around you. I was sort of thinking it would be a long race (60 miles), but in the end it didn't really feel that way because you really needed to stay focused the entire time. I was very happy to get the first day over and done with! Onto the dreaded TT!
Although far from home, the condition of the pavement made me feel very much at home - lots of cracks and filled in potholes. Half way around the course there was an S curve which would prove to be an interesting test of the group's cornering ability and a back straight that was open and windy. Then around another right hand corner with cones marking the inside, which the Cuban riders would later completely disregard and not only dive into, but cut through - and then back into town, with a fast 1 km leading into a narrow chute of barriers bringing you to the start finish. Little did I know that this would become the most dangerous part of the course.
The entire race would be about position. Constantly moving up, trying to gain ground in every corner (not to mention escape death) and get a feel for the various riding styles in the field. I think by the end of the day we each had strong opinions about the bike handling of various teams.
About half way through the race, I'm not sure if it was a sprint lap, but coming across the start finish one of the motorcycles would go down. Although I narrowly escaped it caused a huge crash behind. That was when you begin to realize the potential danger of the course and the particular way the barriers were narrowly set up to guide the riders through the finish. I am usually not one to spend too much time worrying about safety but given the speed, level of aggression, and size of the field, I was definitely mindful of the potential dangers. Unfortunately Rebecca would go down in the crash, but was also able to get right back up and chase back on. One of the Stevens riders' was not quite so lucky and would end up with bruises and road rash beneath her eye and on her chin. ("Does my Blue Cross Blue Shield plan cover plastic surgery?" I began to wonder. Yikes!)
Approximately 3/4 of the way through it started to rain, not hard per se but enough to make it messy. By the time we got to the last lap I still wasn't sure whether to be conservative or really try to take part in the sprint. Fortunately or unfortunately the wind would pick up on the last lap. As we came up the incline before the S curve the last time people were clearly fighting for position. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mary riding through someone's front lawn! Not by choice of course, but because she got forced out. "Surfing the gutter" can be good in that it gives you the ability to move up and/or bail out, but it's also dangerous in that you've got to hold your position and not allow anyone to push you out. But it was sort of strange - the entire week you would see things happen in the peloton that were "interesting" and under any other circumstances you might comment to teammates or chuckle, but then you'd realize you better pay attention to what you're doing and save the "did you see that? for later! (For example, Natalie getting punched by one of the Cubans.)
So after making it through the last corner, I half felt as though time passed in slow motion. You knew the sprint was coming but when would it take off? For me I just wanted to be sure that I wasn't on the far right or left as we entered the barriers - and not knowing the field you really didn't know which wheel to be on (granted Rochelle Gilmore's would have been good!) With one km to go, the sprint was on. I basically just wanted to maintain the speed of those around me, hoping everyone would hold their line. Fortunately everyone would cross the line and safely roll through. Phew! What a relief!
The entire race you needed to have eyes in the back of your head - total awareness of what was happening around you. I was sort of thinking it would be a long race (60 miles), but in the end it didn't really feel that way because you really needed to stay focused the entire time. I was very happy to get the first day over and done with! Onto the dreaded TT!
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