Menomonee Parkway Criterium Race Recap- the ladies version

So first off, let me just say that I have never actually seen blue toes. It's one of those thing they talked about in first aid/lifeguarding/EMT classes but it's never been a truly fathomable reality for me. That is, until I looked up at my feet, raised to drain the lactic acid from my legs and saw that the tips of my toes were blue. Like, legitimately Crayola Crayon cerulean blue toes. That can't be healthy. Apparently riding outside for 3+ hours in the cold with inadequate footwear and then immediately draining the blood from my feet was not the best idea. Lesson learned.

Today was a day for learning a lot of lessons. I learned that I really really like having my Garmin in working order, that I do like using the ride to the race as a warm-up/cool down, and that I really don't like cold weather.

To introduce myself to any readers, I am a fairly novice rider, 23, and female. I've been training with Emery's over the winter and have decent strength on a bike but, as a novice, I have a LONG way to go in the way of tactics and keeping my head in the right place. Today was just a step in the right direction.

My basic strategy (ha! If it could be so called...) was to stay toward the front, but not in the wind for most of the race while gauging the abilities of my competitors. At the end, I planned to make a break-away if I felt much stronger than I believed my opponents to be, or to sit 3rd-5th wheel and come around for the sprint. This being my first race with any decent women's field, however, I had no idea what to expect from the other riders.

Lesson 1: Fight for my wheel

During the race, I learned that it really pays to be fairly aggressive and fight to keep a wheel and stay out of the wind. During the first couple of laps, I found myself inadvertently out in the wind after turns. Fortunately, I learned fast and was a pesky wheel-thief to any of the six IS-Corps who seemed to be trying to set themselves up for a break-away.

Lesson 2: Just because there is a break-away, does not mean I need to catch it

The ISCorps ladies made several break-aways throughout the course of the race and I personally caught all of them, afraid to let any of them go. Of course, in hindsight, I knew some of them were not going to get away but, still, I pounded away after them, wasting energy that I could have used at the end.

Lesson 3: Racing against a team is tough stuff

The Cat4 Ladies field consisted of 8 ISCorps ladies and 4 other riders. When one strategy didn't pan out, there were other riders to try other strategies. Brutal because there were so many people to watch and so many options to attempt to anticipate. It was pretty gratifying to see a one of us 4 take first.

Lesson 4: Position, Position, Position!!!!

I held my position toward the front for most of the race, however, with a few laps to go, I started keeping an eye on one lady who seemed to be the ISCorp team leader, giving directions but never doing much of the work. My thinking was that she must be the sprinter and that she'd be getting set up by her teammates so I drifted back in the field to keep an eye on her and set myself up to follow her whenever she made her move.

Backfire. Big backfire.

I ended up getting pinned in the back while another breakaway went and actually succeeded. I managed to catch a second break but couldn't make it up to the lead break. The lady I had marked as the sprinter did make her move but then backed off and ended up in the grass when she saw that she would be bridging non-teammate up to her own team in the breakaway. Pooey.

I crossed the line 6/12 but with a little more cognitive arsenal for next time.

Lesson 5: Sitting still after a race hurts thine legs

Nuff said. Don't do it.

Overall, a beneficial day. I'm glad I did it, even if I did end up with freakish blue lizard toes.