Bobsled Time!

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: UCI Grand Prix Cycliste Gatineau The Course: 12 laps of a 10km rolling course The Field: 1/2 women The Finish: Laura finished 5th, I finished 9th The night before Gatineau, my mother said goodnight to Jen and me in our shared hotel room and started to offer words of wisdom and inspiration. It was late, the lights were out, I was punchy from nerves, and suddenly I had the urge to call out into the darkness, “Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get up now, it’s bobsled time!” I knew my mother would get the reference, but was thrilled when Jen followed immediately with “COOL RUNNINGS!” I warmed up on the course and practiced taking the full roundabout just before the finish at speed so I knew what to expect come race time. Staging was uneventful – with 74 starters and a smooth 120k ahead, it didn’t feel critical to elbow my ...continue reading.

Oh, Canada: Getting ready for Grand Prix Cycliste de Gatineau

Posted on by Lindsay
[caption id="attachment_4270" align="alignnone" width="614"] Every professional cyclist has their mom drive them to another country to race, right? Here we are just after crossing the Canadian border. I was stupidly caught off guard by the instant cessation of easy cell phone service, to the point of wanting to squeak in panic, "Wait, can we just go back to America for one more second? I need to tweet."[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4272" align="alignnone" width="614"] Team territory outside the race hotel in Gatineau. It's fun to see how we all play so nicely when we're not actually wearing numbers and bumping elbows.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4273" align="alignnone" width="520"] You don't take your coffee and croissant on a porcelain saucer while eating in a parking lot?[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4271" align="alignnone" width="612"] Trying to be equally prim while waiting to pre-ride.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4279" align="alignnone" width="590"] My first UCI team presentation. We were situated slightly off center at first, so ...continue reading.

Meet Me in St. Louis

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: Tour de Grove The Course: 60-minutes on a 1.2-mile, triangle-shaped course The Field: 1/2 women The Finish: Gasping and limping post-leadout Team Colavita is focusing on NCC events this season and decided a few weeks ago to send a small squad to the Tour de Grove to earn points for the overall NCC competition. It’s been a long season of travel already and this weekend was to be my first one at home in six weeks, but when asked if I’d be interested in representing the team in St. Louis, I didn’t hesitate. I was joined by Jen, our sprinter, and Whitney, recent team addition after her strong showing at Speed Week. [caption id="attachment_4258" align="alignnone" width="612"] Whitney debuting the Colavita kit for the first time.[/caption] The course was a triangle with two very long/wide sides and a corner leading into the start/finish stretch that was more like a U-turn. While the ...continue reading.

Speed Week: This end is just the beginning

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: Speed Week NCC Sandy Springs Cycling Classic Criterium The Course: 40 laps with a bunch of corners and an uphill finish The Field: 1/2 women The Finish: 2nd place team overall Wow. I can't believe my third Speed Week is already over. Four flights, seven races in seven cities, five hotels, five nights at my team director's house, many hours in the team van, a lot more rain and cool weather than expected, gallons of coffee, and more laps than I would ever want to count. No meals at Waffle House. SUCCESS! That being said, I did have chicken & waffles, grits, collard greens, and beef jerky. I also ate more coconut peanut butter than any person ever should, discovered that Puffins are delicious, and solidly maintained my role as the person on the team who eats the most. As for the final race, there were good parts and bad. I ...continue reading.

Speed Week: Now that was a bike race

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: Speed Week NCC Belmont Criterium The Course: 25 miles, one long climb through the start/finish and descending the rest of the time The Field: 1/2 women The Finish: Strong! 5th, 6th, 9th Belmont was a new addition to Speed Week and offered a great course with a long climb set in a cute town. Team Colavita's goal was to work together better as a team throughout the race and play off each other strategically. The race started in the middle of the climb and after the initial surge, I settled in near the front of the field. After a handful of laps, Starla Teddergreen attacked following a prime and Jen and Jamie jumped on it. It was a perfect response and a promising break. When Teresa Cliff-Ryan jumped to join it, I knew it would hold until the end. A lap or two later, another rider (Whitney Schultz) attacked to bridge and ...continue reading.

Speed Week: A continual learning curve

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: Speed Week NCC Spartanburg Regional Classic Criterium The Course: 50 laps of a 4-corner course The Field: 1/2 women The Finish: Top 10 Speed Week continues to be unseasonably chilly and damp, and the evening of the Spartanburg Crit was no exception. A grey, cool day turned windy and wet during our warm up and when we staged on the course, everything was unnervingly slick. I started on the front row thanks to my lap leader call-up and jumped on the whistle to settle comfortably into third wheel. The fifty laps were largely uneventful - attacks were short-lived and I focused on riding efficiently and not wastefully burning matches. Our director taught us a few tricks before the race to help with this and I was excited to see that they worked. While I'm not going to share trade secrets, I will say that part of it is learning to ride ...continue reading.