Project 5 Racing

What a cool course for a race! Think Burnham’s Blackhawk Farms course on steroids - lots of them. You now have an idea of Road America’s course…Swooping downhill stretch, a kicker uphill, more downhill, before a long rise, false flat, and super-kicker to the uphill finish line. Another great turnout for the 3/4 women with 31 on the line. Alberto’s, XXX, Cuttin’ Crew, Smart Cycling, and Project 5 represented Chicago well today.

Lap 1 Smart Cycling’s Meghan jumped off the front and lifted the pace immediately. About 2/3 into the lap, my back wheel started wobbling bad and I had to call for a mechanical. Not a flat, but a slight adjustment by the mechanic and I was off trying to chase down the pack. Jerel helped pull me a good bit of the way back - thanks, girl, that was awesome! It would be another lap of pushing it on the downhills and uphills before I would rejoin the pack. With 4 more laps to go, I settled in to recover.

Smart Cycling and Alberto’s attacked after the start/finish and stayed away for better than 1/2 a lap. On the 5th of 6 laps, the pace picked up stringing the entire pack out. On the final lap, the field was neutralized just after the start/finish - so much for picking up the pace. So the cat/mouse started, no one really attacking until the false flat before the final super-kicker when XXX’s Heidi hit it. With that, the field that had been packed coming up the long rise spread out so those that still had some energy could go. Not many positions changed on the final climb, other than the ToAD overall leader, Whitney, surging up the outside to take the win. Heidi finished 2nd - nice job! I finished 6th. J won the field sprint of her group -way to go!

John and Matt raced the cat 3’s - 12 laps = ouch. For the first few laps the field was together with Matt and John teaming well. Then, as Matt put it, “the sh!t got real”. Guys started attacking on the hills and when the field came around the next lap there were now many pockets of racers. With a racer off the front, Matt was in the chase pack but John had gotten caught behind a gap and was in a pocket further back. The groups of racers pretty much stayed that way for the remainder of the race. 

Another fun day of racing down - on to Sheboygan!

Thiensville, WI

Friday started off the Tour of America’s Dairyland for Jerel, Matt, Tim and me (Ginger).  It started as a sunny humid day that ended with a thundershower that cut Tim’s race short.  The course was a fast four corners with a slight decline into each corner.  Jerel and I were in the Women’s 3/4 race and I believe it was the fastest one that Jerel and I have been in this year.  The start/finish stretch was where the pace was picked up every lap.  Both Jerel and I worked hard during this race.  I lost position in the final lap and ended up just outside of the money for the final field sprint.  This was our first time seeing Matt in the P5 red, black and white since he went away to college to ride for the Dartmouth team.  He looked so comfortable and in control in the Cat 3 race moving around the pack at will.  Tim looked great in his race, but unfortunately was pushed off the road in a corner and went down causing a mechanical on the bike so he had to run over to the wheel pit for a new wheel and adjustments.  Once back in the race dark clouds started looming closer bringing with it some lightening, so the race was cut short by about 15 minutes.

 

Grafton, WI

Saturday had a much bigger field for the Women’s 3/4 race – 39 on the line.  This included more of the Chicagoland contingent that wasn’t there the day before, including our Cathy.  The course had 2 rises and 6 corners with the final one being more than 90 degrees.  There were two crashes in our race, one of which took out at least five ladies.  Jerel ended up getting caught behind the larger crash.  I am happy to say that everyone was okay.  On the final lap Cathy maintained a great position and ended up taking 3^rd, with Stacy Applewick and Janette Rho taking 1^st and 2^nd  , respectively.  It was so great to see our Chicago area ladies take the entire podium.  Matt rode again in the Cat 3 race and was positioned well throughout, but on the final lap was caught behind a crash, as was Tim in the Masters Pro, 1, 2, 3 race.  Shawn D. joined us on Saturday to ride in the Cat 4 race.  He had been off his bike for a while, but held his own in the race getting caught behind a couple of crashes.

 

Appleton, WI

Sunday was another beautiful day.  This was a four corner, flat course with a slight rise and headwind on the back half.  The women’s 3/4 had a smaller crowd of 27 on the line.  The field would get strung out during primes, but otherwise pretty much stayed together.  Jerel and Cathy rode beautifully maintaining positions and moving around the field.  On the final lap Jerel helped me out and pulled me to the front on the back stretch which put me into position for the final sprint.  Thanks to Jerel, I ended with 9^th and Cathy with 11^th.  Again we had a Chicago area woman on the podium with Janette Rho taking 2^nd.  Matt was next up in the Cat 3’s where he went off the front to take a $50 prime.  I missed Tim’s Masters race so an update will be coming soon…

A couple of us P5’ers out on this day - Kevin P, Q, John, Cathy and me (Ginger).  A strange day weather-wise: cool early morning then humid as all else for warm up and during the W3/4 race it rained on only one half of the course!

Q had the first race in the Cat 4s.  We saw him moving around the field easily.  Next up was Kevin P. in the Cat 5b race and he looked very comfortable up front.  The Women’s Cat 3/4 was next.

Cathy and I were on the line with 24 other women.  It was great to see so many Albertos and XXX ladies.  Once the 30 minute race was going XXX was very active with attacks.   Albertos followed their lead and threw down a few attacks. Cathy tossed in a few as well and was off the front for a lap at one point.  None of the attacks stuck and the group stayed together.  At 2 laps to go we were strung out and Cathy and I were towards the front of the group, things were looking good.  Then as soon as we crossed the start/finish with 1 lap to go the back of the field swarmed us  so we had to struggle to keep our position near the front. As the end was approaching Cathy offered me her wheel and put it down.  It was a beautiful lead out.  I started my sprint and went around Cathy.  I couldn’t see anyone, but knew they were breathing down my neck. I just kept pushing and crossed the line.  I can’t believe it!  I just took first place!  Thanks to my ultimate teammate, Cathy.  Albertos finished strong with a 2^nd and 3^rd.

John had two races a little bit later and had a fantastic field sprint for 4^th in the 50+ race.  Cathy then had her second race of the day and finished 4^th as well.

This was a fun day of racing and XXX did a great job with the event.
 

John and I headed down separately for O’Fallon since he would return home after the State Road Race on Saturday and I was staying for the Sunday crits. 

State Road Race: Beautiful day for racing - overcast but dry and not too hot. John in the 50+ race would have 3-22.5 mi loops while the Women’s 3/4 & Master’s would have one lap. The course is pretty interesting - many hills, couple tunnels, nice twisty-curvey stretches of road, and a couple of super tight turns. Road in general is ok - edges rutted up, but pavement solid enough. John had a solid race for the State Champ jersey - letting a bunch of Missiourites off the front, the top 50+ Illinois men eyed each other for three laps. With the likes of Wayne Simon and Gary Doering sharing the podium, awesome 3rd place finish in the State Road Championship race, John - awesome.

For my race, the ladies stayed together pretty much. There were a few attacks, but none that stuck for very long. As we approached the 2k from the finish mark, we were neutralized as the P/1/2 field passed - then the guys slowed down, slowed down!!! - just as we were in what should be our critical attack stretch of the course. With the guys jamming up our race, I went by the pace car and said “We gotta go!” to which the driver replied, “I’m not gonna call you on it.” So I took that as approval to go and hit it as hard as I could all the way to the finish line. I was DQ’d for passing the pace car. Dissappointing. Otherwise, it was a fun race. Congrats to Gina for taking the W3/4 State Champ jersey for the 2nd time in a row (among her many other State Championship jerseys) and to Marilyn on her Master’s State Championship (need to get you a jersey!)! My lesson well-learned, I look forward to next year - see you all on the line!

Crits- Women’s 3/4 & Master’s: Absolutely gorgeous day in Southern Illinois. This race had a small field of 8 - but strong competitors. It never really matters how many are on the line, as long as you know it will be challenging. The course was a simple loop, but with a super tight turn 3 and very cambered turn 4. For this race, the pace stayed high and attacks were associated with primes. On the final lap, Dogfish attacked before turn 3 and took it home for the win. I finished 4th. Marilyn won the Masters.

Crits- Women’s Open: Again a small field but strong competitors. After a couple laps, Jessica Prinner laid down an attack and was gone. For many laps, we tried to chase, each taking pulls -but to no avail. As we settled down in the chase pack, there were a few hard attacks - one time, I caught the wheel of attacking GS Boulder racer, Axie, and we had to yell at the scooter to speed up as we headed into turn 3, just enough of a slowdown for what felt like it could be a break to get caught. The last few laps were excrutiatingly slow as noone wanted to take a pull. On the bell lap, I hit it as hard as I could, was chased down and passed by a couple of racers. At turn 4, one of the racers wiped out and I was able to sprint past the other to finish 2nd. 

A few P5’s headed out to Iowa for the Memorial Day Week-end.

Snake Alley: Q lit up the start of the Men’s 4’s with some screaming laps up the snake giving him quite a lead ahead of the other racers. Once he settled his pace down a bit, the pack did catch up. Q finished a strong 14th on his first venture to snake alley. He’ll be back for sure to take on this course again.

For the women’s race, Ginger and I started our warm-up with a lap of the course. I quickly found out that I was not able to get into my largest cog in the back. That’s when the awesomeness of this racing community came through again for me. I saw Morgan, told her of my issue, and called in the cavalry…Shawn and Jerel, Leah, Mia, and Josh. With quick work, my ride was fixed, ready to roll. Whew! Thanks to you all!

Ginger and I rolled to the start. 50 or more at the line. Only knew a couple handful - wierd compared to racing at home. With racers called up by number, I was on the front, Ginger was at the back - like, you couldn’t get any further back. Heading off the start line, Amanda Miller and others shot off hard and fast. I steadied myself to race within myself and not be enticed by the pack. Man that is hard. Butt in seat up the snake - 1 down, shift, drink, coast, shift, snake 2, and so on. Steady, steady, steady…Cheering was fantastic. The cavalry was spread across the snake from bottom to top cheering for the full Chicago crowd. It’s great to hear shouts for yourself as well as others you know - means we’re all still in it! Starting at the back, Ginger was successfully working her way through the many racers in front of her, passing 4 or 5 each lap. Sure and steady - that’s a good strategy. At the Snake, though, the officials pulled racers very early on - maybe to keep the course more clear for a charging Amanda Miller? And she was charging. I had the pleasure of watching her float up the snake after she flew past me. Pretty cool.

Melon City: A new morning, sun still shining, we headed to the nearby Weed Park in Muscatine. After Snake, you think just about any other climb is nothing - and that is a huge mistake. The climb in this crit will eat at your legs. Yes, you enjoy the descent on the backside and get a bit of a thrill with the speedbump - but then there is the climb - again. J’s Women’ 4’s went off earliest. She toughed it out well, beating the girls in her pack at the finish line. Shawn raced the Men’s 4’s. Ginger and I lined up for the women’s open a bit later in the day. After a few laps, we were both off the back. Ginger caught on the pack again and finished strong. I limped across the line a bit beaten up. After the race, a quick hop in a local fountain to cool off was refreshing! Back at the race park, hanging out watching the Cat 3 and P/1/2 races at the tight turn before the finish was fun.

Quad Cities: Clock-wise figure 8 - lots of manhole covers at the turns. Throw a little rain on the situation and it creates a slick course. Ginger and I had the first race for P5, Women’s 2/3. I again was on the front line for the start with Ginger near the back. Goal for me was to stay near the front. Attacks occurred on the rise coming out of turn 6. At turn 7, the symphony of carbon and aluminum hitting pavement started. Each lap the percussion section came to life at turn 7. Ginger got caught behind a couple of those crashes - but stayed upright. After a few laps, a break representing each of the major teams got away. No chasing today, just survive. On the final lap, turn 7, the racer in front of me went down. I managed to stay upright and finish. Fun course, though - would love to give it another go on a dry day. Great to hear how Kristen Meshberg fought her way to a win later in the day in the open! Jerel’s Women’s 4 race was next. J stuck with the pack, held her position consistently, and finished strong. Fantastic job! Shawn’s 4’s race was exciting. Shawn jumped out and led the race for a couple laps early on. Then he settled into a good position 3rd or 4th wheel back. Then he disappeared - what?! Darn flat tire - and the mechanic’s mangled attempt to swap it out had Shawn chasing to get back on the pack after his free lap went by him. Good to see him show up in the race again - but unfortunate situation. Next year!

Great week-end - congrats to all who raced.

 

Durand, WI is a town about 40min south of Eau Claire, WI where some family live. Every April there is a RR and I always have wanted to try and do this and finally it worked out this year.The course is a 13.5 mile loop out in farmland. Pretty much none of the course is flat. It’s all rolling hills. The long sides of the loop run east-west with the back side having 2 bigger climbs on it. Nothing super steep but by the last time up them I was glad I had my 27 tooth cog.

When I arrived at the race the first thing I noticed was the wind. It was really strong. The forcast said only 13mph but this was way stronger. It was the blow you sideways kind of wind. The wind was coming from the north so it was mostly all cross winds with a nasty headwind on the last 200m climb to the finish line.

On to the race. As i climbed the hill to the start finish I told myself this was going to be the best race ever. I lined up with about 38 other cat 3/4’s. The 1/2/3 race departed before us and about 2 min later we took off. I thought that seemed kind of close and sure enough by the first turn we were catching up to the 1/2/3 field. We already had a break off the front and they caught the field but as soon as we turned into the tailwind the 1/2/3’s took off and order was restored.

I went in with the mindset of saving myself for at least the first 2 laps and maybe even 3 then maybe try something. I told myself that I came here to place and get some tires. Top 3 got bontrager tires. (more on this later)

Eventually there were 3 guys off the front and our field didn’t seem to anxious to reel them in. The wind was brutal and you had to be careful with the gusts. All that considered this was a really smooth race. After 2 laps to go they had a sizeable gap, enough that they were out of sight a lot. Eventually we saw that they had dropped one rider so it was now 2. Somewhere on the second lap my rear hub starts making all this noise. Sounds like it’s going to fall off. Turns out my cassette lock ring has stripped the threads and the cassette is loose now but other than making a bunch of noise it was working fine. I never had any issues shifting.

As the 2nd lap is ending I’m getting the idea that right after the start finish and just before turn 1 into the crosswind would be a good place to attack. After the turn there’s a nice downhill section. Sure enough at the start of lap 3 couple guys gap the field and start trying to chase so I decide to bridge. I do and there’s 3 of us but after trading a few pulls the field brings us back in so at this point I go back and sit in the field and rest up for the last lap.

With 1 1/2 laps to go guys on the front are literally talking about upcoming races. I realize it seems that nobody is interested in bringing the 2 back, who for the most part we can’t see anymore. We are just ambling along and I’m thinking that I will make a move at the start finish. As we approach the line to start our last lap a rider jumps so I try to get on his wheel. Moments later I hear people yelling, “not our group” so I sit up thinking great, now everybody knows my plan. No matter, after drifting back to 3rd or 4th wheel I attack just before the turn. Only 13.5 miles to go.

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Our September 19 “kit-up and chat” ride was a well  received Opportunity to take it down a bit and ride side by side with the local - and not so local - female cyclists.  The kits were splendid and the chat didn’t disappoint!  (Link “Judge for yourself” with pictures).  It was a true pleasure to share our passions:  riding and eating!
Our competitive spirit was well served that day by fighting the bees; we survived relentless attacks during  the picnic but flat out won!  It was miraculous that no one was stung in the fight.
We would like to remind those of you with the slightest itch to race that you most certainly will know someone on the start line.  If you only give it a try, you will find that our racing community is small and friendly and we often don’t have far to drive to fun events!
Plan now to come out and race next spring!  We are looking forward to hearing your racing stories on our next year “kit-up and chat” event!   Thank you for making this ride a  true success.

Big props to the P5 Posse on a awesome CX season thus far. A super crew consisting of : Shawn D., Cathy F., JLW and Ronnie “My Boi” Cook have been tearing it up nearly every weekend enjoying great results and beautiful weather. Ms. Frampton has been laying down some serious efforts and in her most recent racing was in contention for the win until a untimely mechanical left her finishing in 3rd in St. Charles. Bravo yall! Word is a couple more P5er’s are dusting off their CX machines and joining the forces for this weekends Northbrook race. Good luck my peeps.

Ladies! Come out and ride on the same team for one day. Kit up and come display your team spirit. The ride is to be 30 conversational miles followed by a picnic. Post-ride drinks and snacks will be provided by Project 5 Racing and The Chicago Winter Bike Swap.

Details

Who: Racing and enthusiast Cycling Women

Date: September 19th 2009

Time: 9:00 am roll out

Location: Spring Rock Park, 47th and Central Avenue, Western Springs ( Click for Map Quest view )

Contact: RSVP by 9/16 to gingersides@yahoo.com or call Cathy at 708-772-2087.