Saturday started with a 39 mile road race. As opposed to the day before, they decided to run the 1/2/3s separate from the 4s so our field was a whopping 14 deep. Laura and Amy both made it down from Columbus, so I was excited to race with my ladies. The course was a 13 mile loop, including a “short section” that had been graveled that week.

The first half of the first loop was pretty relaxed. There were a few mini-attacks but nothing really serious. Going into the “climb” I knew to stay towards the front and turned on to our gravel road in third position. The section started with a pretty steep, switchbacked descent which I had found a little sketchy when I had pre-ridden the course without the gravel. While I actually found the gravel kind of fun in a way, it made for a pretty hectic race situation. At the bottom of the descent it leveled out for a bit before climbing for about half a mile. Now this wasn’t anything I’d normally call a climb, but slipping around in 3 inch deep gravel makes any sort of incline suddenly difficult.

It quickly became clear that this was the place to attack and our TT champs put the pedals down. I stuck with them for a while but ended up coming off in a whizzing fit about half way up the “climb”. I chased my little heart out with a group of three when the gravel leveled out a bit, but it was too late. Five ladies got away.

By the time we turn off onto the paved road our group of three was joined by four more to make seven, including Laura and Amy. The two of them worked hard for a while trying to bring the break back, but two others had teammates up the road and the two Dayton girls were uninterested in working with us. Discouraged, we gave up the chase after another half a lap.

The rest of the race was pretty uneventful, with an attack or two coming from Dayton, but nothing major. One of the girls in the break crashed the third time down the gravel descent, so we were racing for fifth. Laura lead us out coming into the finish and I won the field sprint. Yeah fifth.

I am still sans camera, but there was a photographer there.  A few of his shots (link):

Trying to chase on the gravel road when I thought we still might have a chance.

At the bottom of the gravel descent.  I led the gravel section the 2nd and 3rd time through.  I’d rather be in the wind than behind someone in a sketchy situation.

Opening up a gap on the field sprint.  Woo 5th!