Sometimes in life it’s the little things that are the big things

Grandview Grand Prix
Presented by Spinners Cycling
Lancaster, PA
Saturday, July 26, 2008

18 laps of a 1mi neighbourhood course (29kms), 6 turns/lap; a little rise and a slightly downhill sweeping left hand finish. Weather: 84F, low humidity, winds light variable. 52 starters, including the Cat 4 women.

Results (top 5):
1 SUMMERS Davina
2 PAULL Jacqueline (Watchung Wheelmen/High Gear Cyclery)
3 FARINA Robin (Cheerwine/Southeastern Cyclisomo)
4 EVERS Sonja (C3-Sollay.com)
5 WHITSON Genevieve (Port Nicholson)
Full results

With the NRC Tour de Toona criterium tomorrow, I wanted to race today… but didn’t. I always worry about getting in a wreck, doing too much etc etc. After my aggressive effort last week in the local criterium, I was going to make myself race a little smarter, sit in a little more today. Also, there were some good riders and significant team numbers, so before the race started I decided to back myself for a bunch sprint.

Most dominate was the (single) Cheerwine rider, Robin Farina. Right from the word go she wanted to control the race, keeping the pace high or form a break, which was great to see. The girls started to drop, one by one and I could hear their laboured breathing as I rode past. The Cheerwine rider got away with a HUB team member (HUB had a team of 5 riders in the race). I was happy to let them be away for a little bit, then another HUB rider went off the front to join them, I followed her wheel up to the break. Of the break of four, Robin (Cheerwine) was pulling hard, one of the HUB girls was rolling through, the other was not. The bunch had now split into two and the front bunch (or chase group) had now caught us (making about 10 or so riders).

I was having some bike problems, one of my brakes was not working (perhaps due to one of the many potholes I had just ridden over). I was trying to stay wide out of the path of other riders for a few laps whilst working out whether it was legitimate to pull into the pits and take a free lap. I have seen at the Bay Crits how the guys take a free lap for the smallest bike mechanical, I didn’t want it to seem like I was having a free lap to rest. In the end, I decided I had one brake and I shouldn’t really need to use it.

A preme announced with around 7 laps to go, I was too far back in the field to go for it, well I could have gone, but some of the teams looked as though they were teaming up for the preme win. Then with about 4 laps to go there was another preme, more money was up this time and I was in a better position to go for it. I was thinking that Robin (Cheerwine) would be the one to beat overall, she deserved the money, and I got to have a practice run at the final sprint.

The final lap came and I was in a reasonable position about 5th wheel when Robin (Cheerwine) attacked up the small hill the course had before the finish, maybe 500-600 metres to go. She had a rider on her wheel (Jacqueline PAULL (Watchung Wheelmen/High Gear Cyclery), I kicked a little to go with them and the three of us were away (I had a bit of chasing to do to get on). I was patient and sat third wheel for the corner and start of the decline, with about 100m to go, Jacqueline started to sprint around the Cheerwine rider, I went around them both for the win, by about a bike length.

I liked how the race organizers included the Cat 4 women in our race, asking them to start towards the rear of the field on the startline and they had their own Category prizes. I thought this was a good way of introducing new women into racing, almost a separate race, but keeping the overall numbers high.

Special thanks to Nina Santiago (and her Mum) for driving me to the race.