So Many Races...

It's been a while since we've all posted...in that time, all nine of us have been racing on both sides of the country. We'll try to give a brief re-cap in chronological order:

Sarah proved that her lucky number was four with two 4th place finishes at Raleigh and Bike Jam. Then the team got race in New Jersey...see Catherine's "Grrr report" below.

On the other side of the country, the stage racing team scored an early podium in the prologue at Mt. Hood, and followed it up with Kat Carroll-Felicia Gomez, 1-2 finish on stage 3. Felicia and Kristin showed their strength as climbers on stage 5, finishing 1st and 3rd as the whole Aaron's team tried to wrestle the leader's jersey away from Leah Goldstein on the epic 89-mile stage. Kat wrapped the six-day race up with a win in the crit. The team finished with 3 stage wins, 1 2nd place, and 2 3rd places, Felicia Gomez 1st and Kristin Sanders 2nd in the Queen of the Mountain competition, 1st in the team competition and 4 riders in the top ten. A very solid team effort.

Overall Podium - 1st Leah Goldstein, 2nd Felicia Gomez, 3rd Kristin Sanders (Making her NRC stage race podium debut!!!!)

Stage 6 Podium - 1st Katharine Carroll, 2nd Katie Mactier, 3rd Jill McLaughlin

Back on the east coast, Rebecca Larson showed how happy she was to be racing in the states again by snagging a solid 2nd place at CSC. On Sunday in Lancaster, Catherine Powers almost made it to the line ahead of Ina Teutenberg and Laura VanGilder, but ended up holding on to the final podium spot...

More reports and pics to follow...

C.Powers gets a pedi....GRRRrrrrr

One by one the A-Team Crit Crew assembled in Raleigh. Josh arrived first with the team van and then picked up Catherine (minus her suitcase) at the airport. After a taco-flavored dinner, the two settled in to their hotel rooms, dreaming of victory at Raleigh. The next day there was time to spare before the 4pm race so Josh and Catherine did what anyone would do – they got pedicures! Josh opted for a sassy red polish, but Catherine stuck to clear. The calf and foot massages were almost like a good pre-race rub from a soigneur. Feeling fresh, Josh and Catherine drove to the race, where Sarah and Rebecca had secured Smarty Pants Parking across from a Cheerwine van laden with two enormous cherries and a faux tv antenna – interesting promotional gimmick …

The Raleigh crit saw many attacks. Several small breaks formed, including one with Catherine and Nicky Wangsgard, which stayed off for a few laps, but nothing gained more than 10 seconds. Lots of premes kept the race interesting and lucrative, with Rebecca and Catherine nabbing some moolah. Everyone covered moves, and Sarah made sure not to let Laura Van Gilder go up the road without her. With one to go, Catherine got the gambler’s preme and tried to keep the pace high around the back side of the course. Rebecca and Sarah were tucked in a couple of wheels back. Some late-race confusion ensued and the lead-out went to Cheerwine, who came in 1-2, with Nicky Wangsgard rounding out the podium. Sarah was hot on their trail in 4^th place. Grrrrr!

The team grabbed some sandwiches and headed to Richmond, where the Nature’s Path team graciously hosted. Rebecca and Catherine stayed in the “shed-teau”, known for its rustic charm. The team was treated to many varieties of Nature’s Path cereal and energy bars in addition to eggs and coffee in the morning – yum! Then everyone piled in and headed to Baltimore, where teammate Shannon was waiting to get in on the action and Josh’s sister and nephew were waiting to cheer for the team.

Baltimore Bike Jam is renowned for being a swarm-fest and it did not disappoint. The A-Team covered moves and manned the front, but it became apparent that the winds, lack of corners and long downhill section did not serve to make the course conducive to a break-away. The team gathered at the front for a lead-out with 2 laps to go, but fighting to stay together amidst the swarm was a daunting task. The lead-out train was interrupted when a very aggressive rider employed roller-derby tactics, slamming into Sarah’s shoulder and sending her flying into the grass. Luckily, she was able to hold it up and still sprint, coming in 4^th. Double grrrrrrr!

That day, after saying goodbye to the best mechanic on the planet, the team was treated to a lovely meal of beef brisket, pasta salad and fruit at Catherine’s parents’ house. The Champneys and their friends provided very comfortable accommodations for the team. The next day after a delicious breakfast the team headed out for a ride in the beautiful Baltimore countryside with friend-of-the-team Kristy Scheffenacker.

After the ride and a quick lunch the team drove up to Teaneck, New Jersey where Catherine’s father and stepmother had prepared a yummy barbecue. Sarah was victorious in the evening’s game of scrabble (despite Catherine’s father’s use of a certain suspicious 2-letter word). The next morning, the team was treated to eggs and coffee and headed off to take part in the country’s oldest bike race, the Tour of Somerville.

The team pitched in to set up the tent, chairs and trainers. The doctor formerly known as the Aaron’s Team Doctor, Cheryl Oleski and her husband came to help out and watch the race. The team lined up in the hot sun and took off on a new and improved race course. The race was not terribly aggressive (although Meredith Miller did take a solo flyer and stay off for a lap and a half) and the premes not terribly enticing, so many people were fresh for the sprint. This made for a dicey finish. Catherine led it into the last turn but the sprinters got swarmed on the left when an attack went up the side. Sarah and Shannon were boxed in – frustrated because they were unable to sprint. Triple grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!