It’s been a while since I posted something here. I’ve been doing lots of road racing since Nature Valley, including the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic Stage Race and Superweek in Milwaukee. Both were awesome experiences and good, hard racing. I’m not sure how many states I’ve been through in the past few weeks, but I know it’s alot!
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic – Fitchburg, Massachussetts (June 29 to July 2)
My teammate, Diana Joness and I went to Fitchburg together and the first adventure we experienced was just in getting there. Little to our knowledge, upper state New York had flooded and the major highway we needed to take (I-90) came to a sudden close just as we approached Rochester. After consulting with a friendly trucker who gave us his map book, we decided on a route that looked like it would be just great. Unfortunately, there were countless other wandering travelers who were in the same boat. We ended up in lineups of cars for hours on end, winding our way up and down Upper State NY in a zig zag pattern. What was supposed to be a 6 hour drive turned into 14 hours of stop and go. We arrived at our hotel at 3 am.
Stage 1 was a 10 km rolling time trial. I was one of the first riders off. Just as I was finishing my warmup, the skies opened up and a major storm blew in. I was doubting that they would start the riders as I watched the lightning strike from under my warmup tent. It calmed down just enough to allow racing. I ended up racing in the stormy conditions, and it cleared up after I finished. Unfortunately (for me), all the women who went in the second half of the start list had calm, post-storm conditions. O well – what can you do? I had a decent ride and came in 31st out of 71 starters. 
The second stage was a hilly circuit race. I was with the main group when I got a flat just before the climb, halfway into the race. There was no way of catching the group after a wheel change and I finished 59th, 10 minutes down. Unfortunately, Diana crashed early in the race which resulted in quite a gash in her elbow. She toughed it out and finished the race.
Day 3 was a very hilly road race, which finished on a very, steep climb. I hung in for the first few laps and rode with a small group for the remainder of the race. I was 59th, 9 minutes behind Kiwi World pursuit record holder, Sarah Ulmer. Who says trackies can’t climb? Diana had a pretty rough day. She was dropped early, but really toughed it out and rode the entire 100 plus km alone. She even refused a push that was offered by a friendly spectator on the last climb, a decision which she later regretted. What a tough chick!
Superweek – Milwaukee, Wisconsin (July 10 – 15)
This is one race I’ve always wanted to check out. I’ve heard so many great things about superweek and it did not disappoint.
First of all, Maogosha and I stayed with the most amazing host family (Ann, Dan and Natalie) in the beautiful town of Cedarburg, Wisconsin. We had so much fun with them. Our spots are reserved for next year! Here is a picture of Mao, me and Natalie (photo courtesy of Dan), and Ann and me taking a spin on the bike paths of Cedarburg.
The variety of courses at Superweek is what makes it really cool. The week starts off with road races and long circuit races, then you get into the more technical crits as the week goes on. I had some good races, especially on day 2 which was the longest road race of the week. I got into a break of 7 which we thought would stick because all the teams were represented. Alas, we got caught with about a lap to go in the race. I got caught up in a crash, which caused me to chase for several kilometres, not really making for a strong finish.
Overall, the week was super-fun and again provided some good, hard training! More importantly, Mao and I discovered “Marshall’s” and had a little shopping spree. She made me walk around the store in 5 inch high green heels for her amusement. Sadly, I don’t have a picture of that.
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