By Chris Padfield, June 30th

(thetourdechris.blogspot.com)

I had been thinking about this race for the entire week. Okay, I was obsessing.

I put lots of pressure on myself as it is, and to have a huge race like this ahead of me was new territory. Never been here before. I don’t have sponsors to please, or a manager, or anything like that, just myself. (My Dad calls himself my Race Manager and follows my racing closely but that’s as close to a manager as I have). I know how hard I’ve worked and this was one of only a few races which would define my season.

I can physically prepare, but how do I mentally prepare?

That’s one thing that consistently impresses me about PRO riders: when it’s all on the line and they have to perform, the really great riders do. Fabian Cancellara, wants to win the final stage of the Tour de Suisse, it ends in his home town, his wife is there, his family is there. It’s setting up for a sprint finish, Gilbert jumps, Cancellara chases him down and overtakes him for the win. He makes it happen. He wins.

Now I’m no Cancellara by a long shot, but these were the things bouncing around in my head - how to come up big in an event at that exact moment when you must.

Coming into the race I knew I was a marked man by the Chicago teams. Peter S (xXx) confirmed that this was the message passed along and called me the Pide Piper. That made me laugh. I wanted to be aggressive in this race but at the same time I knew I’d have to choose my moves carefully and make them decisively. The course consisted of two long straightaways, 8 wide turns and lots of wind, and I was just looking forward to getting underway.

I lined up to the front with some familiar faces, noting the large presence of the Cuttin’ Crew and Team Mack. Things set off to a rough start as my rear derailleur was operating at about 60% with lots of clicking, an almost consistent skipping of the 16t in favor of the 15t or just not shifting at all. Awesome. For the majority of the race I sat comfortably about 10 back - far enough to the front to monitor the single file front ahead of me but not so far forward that i’d be forced into a “glory pull.” Make every move with purpose.

About twenty minutes in I made an attack on the back stretch to test the waters. Six riders came along, including Nick Gierman (vw-Trek) and some other riders I recognized. I liked this. Some strong legs, a little separation… Unfortunately there didn’t seem to be enough impetus behind the other riders to make some more separation and we were brought back on that same back stretch.

Things returned back to normal after that with no one else really making any serious moves. Another bunch sprint finish was on the horizon, but I didn’t drive three hours for that.

Another preme was announced with about nine laps to go and this was it. I knew this may be the best chance I would have to break free, to catch the pack napping right after the preme as they waited to absorb the riders who had just blew themselves up for the prize. I was sitting fifth wheel into the final straight to the S/F and saw three riders contesting the preme with one ahead of me making for a comfortable draft.

I glanced back to the hopefully complacent field, figuring they would swallow up the winded preme chasers. Perfect. I launched from behind the xXx rider before the S/F, passed two more and moved up to the leader, a Proctor rider, just before entering the first turn.

I let him settle in behind my wheel and stayed on the accelerator to build a gap. At turn six I told him I’d do my work if he would as well and he agreed. Finally, some companionship in the break, awesome. We worked together for about two laps before he fell off on the S/F straightaway.
Ugh.
Solo with six laps to go? Far from ideal with a State Championship crazed field on my tail and the hellish wind which blanketed a good two thirds of the course, but there was absolutely no going back now.

This was it - that moment I had been obsessing over - to make it happen.

From there on it was a ride for survival. I knew I had a gap, but maintaining that was mentally daunting. I hugged the far sides of the roads on the long straightaways to get as much shelter from the wind as I could. Admittedly, my cornering was sloppy as I was more focused on turning the pedals than anything else. No respite, head down, dig deep for five more, four, three…

Two to go and I was fading.

Grit.teeth.hold.on.don’t.look.at.powermeter.don’t.look.back.do not.give.in.Just.Go.

Bell lap. The peloton looked closer now. Digging deeper might land me in China.

Coming into the final turn I knew I would have to get out of the saddle to hold on. It was going to be that close.

I was too exhausted to raise more than one arm. I struggled to keep my anaerobic eyes open and kept coasting through the hay bails which separated turns one and five, pulled over, got off my bike and collapsed into a mess of heavy breathing, the clouds, and disbelief. I’d forgotten to use my inhaler before the race, but I could’ve cared less right then. Everything was perfect.

By Katy Steudel

So, what can I say about the SS Championships? I managed to eat a good breakfast provided by the volunteers before my start at 10:00AM. The race was going to be two 12.5 mile laps with about 1,920 feet of elevation total (it was pretty hilly). I was riding the Pecan (Motobecane) with 34/20 gearing, and I cherished every single tooth of that somewhat ridiculous 20 tooth cog in the rear. There were just three women present for the race. I wanted the title for the team’s race resume, but I also wanted to have to fight for it. I wasn’t let down- I don’t want to make the whole thing into some epic battle story, but I’ve gotta say, it wasn’t a cake walk for me.

I was sticking to my plan of just riding it and seeing who came out ahead for the first half of the first lap. I put one woman behind me and watched the other one ride away from me in the first section, about 5 min into the race. I was going at a decent pace and warming up to the more technical trails when, maybe a quarter through the first lap, I spotted the woman ahead of me. Well, that settled it, it was no longer a ride but a race. I caught her just before a downhill and watched her go over the roots and rocks. I figured that here I had the advantage. Have I mentioned I’ve been practicing this mountain biking stuff? I got ahead of her and put a little distance between us. Glad that’s behind us, right?

Not the case. I would get a little gap in the technical single track areas, then she would reel me back in on the fire roads/double track. She was like a nightmare that kept coming back. Have I mentioned how much I loathe being out front? In a race, I like to be the stalker. I especially love it in cylcocross, you know. Well, here I was the mouse trying to scamper away, and it made me so nervous to not know where exactly she was. During the first lap she caught up again two or three times, and not knowing if she could catch me at the end caused me to feel a slow burning, diluted sort of panic for most of the race. Ugh.

Just before the start of the second lap, I shook her off again. I pushed through the first section of double track and didn’t see her at the end of it: a good sign. When I got to the single track, I went as fast as I could, taking the corners quickly and only using my rear brake a little. I had to increase the gap where I could, because she could close it again in an open section. I embraced the things that I deemed difficult, because I knew they would probably slow her down a little. I was pushing it pretty hard and hoping my energy would hold out.

Somewhere on the second half of the last lap, I met up with Russell on his Communist bike, who were tooling along for fun while I toiled away. He rode along with me while I wilted and became ever more unpleasant to ride with. How so? Actual groans and whimpers from me for me. Poooor Katy. In my haste to build a gap, I had run myself down and was scraping the bottom of the barrel, just hoping that I had gotten far enough out and/or that she was also tiring. Russell encouraged me and helped me out as much as I could be helped- it’s tough to bike when you’re busy wallowing in self pity! But seriously, thanks especially for the Gu shot. I’m thinking of not washing my jersey, so that the gooey green apple Gu lined pocket with dirt stuck to it will forever remind me of your shining face.

So we all know how it ends. I managed to haul my sack of bones in to the finish, first of the women. (I did it in 3hrs, 2mins and some handful of seconds. The second place lady came in about five minutes after me, and third a little while after that.) Cale, my External Ego, was waiting for me at the finish line, no doubt so he could either start crowing about my win or consoling me for my loss. It would be interesting to hear the race reports from the other two women- what parts did they like or hate, and was their gearing as agreeable as mine?

Thanks to Cale for prescribing the 20 tooth cog. Thanks also to the Black Eyed Peas, whose song “Pump It” was my constant companion. Curse the term ‘pumping’ for putting that one song on a 3 hour loop in my head. Though it does have some good lyrics: “Don’t stop, and keep it going”…

Here’s the happy ending. Am I the only one that thinks this looks like the vows at a wedding ceremony? I mean, look at that eye contact!

By Jason Ludtke

June 22 Reforestation Ramble

Reforestation Camp, Suamico

So this was my second race for the weekend, and my first WORS race ever. Met up with Andy, Shawn, Jim and Sam and headed out for the race. Not having my own MTB I was lucky enough to borrow one of Cales 29ers(which I am becoming quite fond of). Registered (sport/Singlespeed), hydrated, ate, waited, and waited. I hate waiting; it’s the worst part. I also really hate being rushed and not having enough time to get ready, but waiting just drives me crazy.

Lined up with Shawn and Andy and about 200 other people and felt crazy with adrenaline and nerves. The official counts down from 10 to near 1 and we’re off. The fist half of the first lap was just a logjam of people. I knew that there was a lot of single track ahead and just did my best to pass as many people as possible before I got to that section. My only goal was to pass as many SS riders as possible so I just kept my eyes on the back wheels. The course is sort of a blur. Lots of technical single track stuff (which I am falling in love with) and a lot of big muddy spots which are all sorts of fun because deep down I want to drive a monster truck and a 29er is probably as close as I’ll ever get to fulfilling that dream.

The first lap flew by and I just worked to keep my pace fast and steady as I flew past Jim and entered the 2nd lap. I rode with another SS rider for a while but then I think he threw his chain. As I reached the 2nd large technical section I was told by a fellow racer that he thought I was probably the 1st place SS racer because he hadn’t seen any one else with just one gear in a while. This fueled me more and I pushed on around twisting trees and devastating stumps. I reached the mud pits and did my best to keep it upright and tried in vain to find a clean smart line. As I reached the start/finish I sprinted on in. a woman took the tag off my back and informed me that I was the 6th rider to finish. I asked her what did she say and she repeated 6th and then asked if that was alright with me. I said yes. 6th overall and 1st single speed. A lot of fun was had. Andy and Shawn came in soon after and we hosed down the bikes and proceeded to get ridiculous for the duration of the afternoon.

The car ride home is a blur of cat meows, Andrew W.K., and an IL driver on a mission to destroy us. A literal run in with said driver while hurtling down the freeway and we were soon talking to Pewaukee cops and hanging out in a commuter lot, still meowing and laughing. Longest and silliest ride home ever but glad to be a part of it.

By Jason Ludtke

It has been a while since I have raced a Criterium and this past weekends crit at Grafton was a nice way to ease back into the pace of it before the madness that super week is, begins. Rode up with Teal and Shawn, and met up with Katy and Cale. We arrived in time to see Katy off in her race and warm up for ours. Weather was beautiful, and at the line I felt really good about myself. I have been putting a lot of miles on during the week and my legs felt good. Heidi gives us the green light and we’re off.
The course was great with a short climb long wide finishing straight 4 right turns and 1 left (oh my gosh a crit that wasn’t a rectangle!). I was a bit nervous because Alan from Café Hollander had warned I that there were some seriously nasty-gooey-tar corners but was pleasantly surprised to find only one right before the final straight.
The past few crits I’ve done have had few to no primes where as this race had lots. It kept the pace really high and the field surging and slowing with what seemed like every other lap. The field was pretty small with only about 30-35 racers but all of them seemed to be in great form. I was not riding as smart as I should have been and fell near the back a few times, which is not a successful way to race because not only are you wasting energy catching up, you’re also fighting for a decent position the whole time. I finished 17th overall, which is not my most successful race, but I’ll blame it on not racing in a while and leave it at that.
Though my finish was nothing short of mediocre I’m glad to be back into it. My mid-pack finish also helped save me from a probably season ending crash had I been in the lead group. Our dear teammate Teal was caught up in it but managed to escape serious harm to both himself and his machine. He received only minor split ends here and there from the incident.
Super week is just about 2 weeks away, which only means more miles and smarter training for a while, then a little break.
Also: Thank you Gunnar for letting us use your home for changing and maxin’/relaxin’.

Saturday I tried my first women’s road race and rode away with it. Not even kidding. I did it on Cale’s cyclocross bike, as well. (In the above picture there are a few people ahead of me, but they’re either getting lapped or not in my category.)

Now that everyone is thinking ‘What an egotistical jerk’ I guess I’ll begin the race report. I was really nervous for this race. Like, couldn’t-even-eat-breakfast nervous. I had two bites of a Clif Bar and had to choke the second bite down and set the rest aside. There were a few people who were expecting great things from me, so the heat was on. I had a bit of a scare signing up last-minute, but got in a few warm-up laps and then lined up with the rest of the women. I recognized Amelia of Crono Metro, who I raced with last year in Cyclocross, and chatted with her while we waited for the start.

We started with little fanfare. I wasn’t ready and got stuck about mid-pack right off the line. In the next few laps I moved up and got myself into the top 5 or so. So as to not get long-winded on you, I’ll just sum up what tended to happen in the race. The other women and the juniors took the corners too slow and wide for my liking (as evidenced in the first 2 photos up there). I was putting on the brakes when I followed behind people, so I started just taking the corners to the inside and going at my own speed. This worked out well but then I was stuck outside with no one to draft off of. I considered it a good trade, though, because I didn’t have to slow down and speed back up again.

The other thing about the corners is that it tended to break up whatever peloton we managed to cobble together. Even though I was without a draft when we were going through the corners, if I wanted to hop in after the first or second rider, I would wait until a corner when the line opened up a little bit and then bully my way in. I couldn’t/wouldn’t have done that on a straight, but the corners made it possible.

I led for a little while. I think there was a good mix of people leading the race, so no one really got burnt out from that, as far as I could tell. My strategy was to stay behind a few people and lead at a decent pace when I was put out there. I did this so I could catch any breaks that were happening, and save my energy for the final lap(s). Only once did I discern a break attempt (there were probably more), but I was right behind the junior and sprinted to bring her back in. Other than that it was pretty calm.

I had planned from the get-go to start the sprint early. I don’t have a lot of confidence in my sprint, so the idea was to get the pack sprinting early. If there’s one thing I have confidence in, it’s my ability to push it at higher speeds for a good amount of time. (I have to work at shaking people off right after I kick it in, though. Otherwise they draft and get a free ride from my formidable form.) I paired that plan with cutting through the corners quicker and more efficiently than the other women. Planned and executed. I started really kicking it in a little less than half a lap in, and just turned it up more in the homestretch. I got down into the drops and pushed as hard a gear as I could. My thighs were burning with the effort, but it felt good.

In the last bit, two juniors came out from behind me. They had been able to hold on when I started to go, and were drafting behind me for most of the homestretch. While it would have been nice to be able to have the finish line to myself, they weren’t in my category (the girl also races Cat 3 women) so they weren’t of any concern. I never looked back to see where the rest of the field was, even after finishing, but Cale told me they were ‘like, 100 yards back’. Being biased and prone to exaggerating, I wanted to see some photographic evidence before believing his version of the story. But sure enough, they were a ways back.

The really funny thing is, I was interviewed after the race. I must have seemed very rude, because I thought the guy with the video camera was just taking stock footage of ‘people having fun, woo hoo Giro d’Grafton!’ so I was just doing my thing, trying to ignore him. Turns out he was waiting to interview me, which was totally unexpected. I did pretty badly (”Would you like to say some words for your sponsors?” “Um…. yes?”) and was looming over the camera by the end, but you’ve gotta start somewhere, right? Nowhere to go but up in my film career.

I’m looking forward to doing more crits. Why? Because they pay out. I finally understand the draw. I’m planning on doing some local Superweek crits and seeing what I can do there. I think they pay out bigger, too. The Giro d’Grafton was really nice and a good time, but the payout was not that good. I’m sorry if it sounds ungrateful (because I know a lot of races don’t pay out anything) but I wasn’t even able to win back my entry fee by winning. I had hoped for at least that. On the other hand, maybe that will give me the kick in the arse I need to upgrade to the 3’s when/if the time comes.

This is a lawn ornament spotted on someone’s yard. Their yard was party central for their friends, because they were right on the race course.

by Shawn Small, sneaked from his website (and edited for swears, tsk tsk),

www.ruckuscomponents.com/racing/shawn

Back to back racing, is anything better? One day a road criterium; next day a mountain bike race. Two very different styles of bike racing, both awesome though.

This was to be my first WORS race, I know absolutely zero abour WORS racing. To be honest I know zero about mountain bike racing. The only thing I really know is to keep my legs rotating around an axis of rotation. This was also to be my big girl’s first race (29′er Rita). Andy, Jason, Jim, Sam, and I departed fair Milwaukee around 8 am, headed towards Suamico Wisconsin (near Green Bay). It was a 2-hour drive filled with silly jokes, napping, Skittles, and Taco Johns.

We arrived at the parking lot and unloaded everything. This is when I noticed my problem…..during the car ride my front brake bolt (one that holds the cable) had fallen out and was lost somewhere along the highway. Son of a b*tch. Luckily Jim stepped up and let me borrow his bike since he wasn’t able to race that day due to a bum shoulder. I adjusted it as well as best as I could to fit me. It would work.

We all lined up, it seemed like there were a 100 people or so in our race. The race started off and was just packed, luckily the first 4 miles or so was wide double-track. This is where my road skills paid off. I was zipping along passing people, but still trying to get used to a different bike. This is when I started doubting myself and my speed. Mainly because I had no idea how far I had gone, how much was left and I didn’t want to burn myself out. So I decided to slow down a bit and see what was to come. The first double-track was fast and fun. Everyone seemed to quickly spread out and clump into little groups. This is when we hit the first single-track section. Now it is very clear that I am not good at single-track. I was caught by a few guys through the single-track section, I still claimed a personal victory of not falling.

We then came out upon another wide double-track section of mud with a light cover of wood chips. The wood chips did little and it turned into a mud pit of doom. There were big dips in the mud that you couldn’t see that would suck your front wheel down. This is why 29′ers were created they say f*ck you to such things and roll on through. The main tactic was to not be anyone near this mud because you would most certainly be eating the mud that flew off their wheels. (I ate a lot of mud).

The entire course was two 12.5 mile loops of alternating double-track and single-track and it was awesome. I kept yo-yoing with a certain group, they would destroy me at the single-track and I would catch up during the double-track.

The first lap I was slower than I should have been, for fear of burning out and my lack of skills. When I started the second I was still feeling fresh, so I decided to drop it and cook it on the double-track. This time when I came around to the single-track I felt like my handling skills had improved exponentially. I braked about 50% less compared the first lap and flew through more of it. This time no-one caught me and I actually caught a few people.

During one of the more technical sections it began to pour. This is where wearing glasses is a curse (not sure when it is good yet). My glasses were rain soaked and slightly fogged, the perfect time to be racing through a technical area. I tried not to let it get me down.

I also caught my yo-yoing friends and flew passed them. They never caught me after this point and I was beginning to near the end when I saw some people ahead of me. I decided to start my sprint early and get the jump on them. No one chased me and I passed a few people right at the end. Overall I finished 6th SS, which I was fairly happy with considering I wasn’t on my own bike.

From my point of view, mountain biking brings out a wider group of people that are all racing different races. Some are racing the course, some are racing themselves, and some are racing who ever is front of them. This diversity makes it a lot of fun, because most people are extremely friendly and helpful if you have questions/problems.

Swiped from Chris’s blog, http://thetourdechris.blogspot.com/

Life and work has me too busy to do this weekend justice with a fullblown report for each day, but here’s how it shook out.

Patrick of CycleAnalyze has me coming into form right on time and I was feeling great for these races. I knew it was going to be a fun weekend before I even lined up for the start.

Cobb Park

This was one of the five races I did as a Cat 5 last year before getting injured so I wanted to make sure and return. In fact, it was my first “real” race outside of a couple industrial park training crits I did back in Boston. But enough history.

The course was run counter-clockwise this year but just as fun and twice as fast with a dry course after the Cat5 deluge. The usual characters were there. We all know each other and it was if we were all just marking one another for the whole race. I consciously spent more energy than normal staying very near the front as the entrance to the back side of the course and its chicane was causing real yo-yos towards the back. A few attacks went off during the race, including one of my own, but no one could escape the peloton tractor beam.

There weren’t any last minute heroics except for my own. Coming up the back straight I made a jump to lead the peloton into the second to last turn and through the chicane. Just like the ABR National Championships, my late attack didn’t exactly pan out and I was swallowed by the real sprinters for a 7th place finish. No upgrade points, but a respectable Top 10.

Fox River Grove

Before the race everyone was talking about The Hill®. We gossiped like teenager girls: How steep is it? What’s it like compared to Spring Prairie? Snake Alley? I didn’t pre-ride the course and was wondering how all 186lbs of me would survive in a criterium with a substantial midwest elevation gain. I’ve never raced Snake Alley, but I was always losing position at Spring Prarie.

Damn, what a fun frickin’ course. Bomb the descent, slam the corners, it’s like I’m back riding in California…

I’m glad I started at the front because from the gun it was on. The Hill® started a little shallow through a left turn then ramped up, slight right and up up up. I’d say it was a little shorter than Spring Prarie and just about as steep. By about three laps it seemed to me a peloton looked to be non-existent as the tough ascent and fast descent had torn up the 47 riders that started.

There were maybe eight of us near the front with some familiar faces going up the hill for maybe the fourth time. Ryan Freund had a go off the front and we kept him in sight as he lasted until the top of the hill after one lap. Going up the next time it seemed like I had unintentionally opened up a small gap off the front. Hmmmmmm…. I’m hurting, they’re hurting. What to do? Not even a question.

When I crested the top I dug in for a little kick to create some separation and hit the accelerator downhill. Even if I had looked back, with so many turns and undulations I probably wouldn’t have seen anyone chasing unless they were within a handful of seconds of me. My strategy went like this: I knew I wasn’t going to put much distance on any chasers at the hill, so I just tried to carry as much momentum through the turn and maintain myself up the hill. From there I tried to push things on the back side of the course, “recover” a little and prepare for going uphill again.

Well, it worked out. First place! And thanks to the guys from VW-Trek for cheering me on even though one of their own, Erik, was chasing.

by Shawn Small

It has been a little while since I had done a crit…and the last one didn’t go so well to say the least.

But much has turned around since then, as far as biking and life is concerned. I have been excited and feeling good all week. I have been putting on a quite a few miles since the last crit.

Jason, Teal, and I left early to go up and watch Katy crush it. Crush she did. Well done Ms. Katy.

The course was a 5 turn course through downtown Grafton. Fairly smooth pavement with gentle turns, nothing that should cause any problems. The only sketchy area was the last corner before the finish line, there is some lines of tar that they use to patch the road and in the heat these get real squishy and make your bike do weird things (false flats, move around, explode).

We had all brought our trainers along to warm-up down by the car. i was topping off my tires when I hear a dreaded noise….pssshhhhhhhh. My front tire went flat….I quickly changed but by that point it was getting late so I just went off to ride a little to warm-up. I wasn’t able to get fully warmed-up by the time the race was going to start, so I just lined up and planned to warm-up on the first couple laps.

The field wasn’t very big today, around 40 riders or so. Almost seems like the exact same crowd that showed up to the State Road Race. The race kicked off fairly quickly and maintained a fairly high-speed through-out the entirety. The first 1/3 of the race I sat on the rear of the pack still trying to warm-up and get a feel for the course and my shifting patterns. Once I felt fully warmed up and figured out what gears to use, I jumped up to the front. At this point it was time for the 2nd prime of the day. The first prime was $40, sadly as we came around the 2nd prime was an after-race massage ( I would prefer money).

I thought what the hell, I don’t go for primes and I am sitting good for this one, so why not? As we came along the topside I jumped and one guy followed me. We still had 1/3 of the race left so I didn’t want to burn myself out too bad and it was only a massage. We both went for it, but I decided to sit-up and let him have it. At this point I was feeling pretty good and everyone started moving around for final positions.

This is usually when I screw up and lose positions for the end. I was sitting top 10 with 3 laps to go, when the rear of the pack surged into us and tightly tightly packed everyone in. I got pushed to the back (I need to work on this more than anything). It is really hard to work your way back in at this point because the speed of the race has increased quite a bit and you need to save some energy for the final sprint. As we were coming around the final corner, something happened where someone went down and took out 10 riders or so (Teal included, his golden locks are fine though). Luckily I didn’t go down and dodged a few bodies and bikes on the ground. This totally messed up the final sprint and broke everyone up. Jason (Milwaukee Wild Man) was about 20 ft ahead of me for the final sprint. A good little carrot to chase, I went for him, but he was rolling strong and finished right ahead of me. Overall I took 18th for the day. Not great but another solid mid-pack finish.

This race I actually learned quite a few things. Sit-in and never pull (or rarely pull) and fight/push for your position for the final sprint. This is the most crucial part of any crit.

Now to train very very intensely for superweek and to ride mountain bikes for awhile.

Most of the team bios are up for your viewing pleasure. Our team members answer factual, convergent, divergent, evaluative and combination questions for you, dear reader. Please note that bios are immediately to the right in the navigation column.

Photo by Pete Rangel, who Hey! has a bio and regenerative qualities.

That ought to get your attention. Long story short, I made money at a bike race for the first time in my life! $24 worth of winnings put me $4 over what I paid to enter. Well, with cash like that you’ve got to take a photo in proportion to the event.

I was a little nervous and hoping for a longer race this week. On the schedule were a Scratch and a Tempo, which I felt would probably be long enough for me to exercise my staying power. The Scratch was announced as a 5 lap race. During the first lap I led at a decent pace, then a couple of girls passed me. I let them pull for a while and then got out ahead around the beginning of the fourth lap. Coming up on the third corner, I started to turn it on. I got up off the saddle and did a wobbly sprint after the fourth corner, just as the bell rang for the final lap. During that lap, I pushed it and didn’t look back. I kicked it up a notch going into the third corner because I was sure everyone was right behind me. In the homestretch I was sure someone was going to come up on me and steal the race away, but nobody ever came, and I crossed the finish line and heard my name announced. That marked my very first win (I believe) at the Kenosha Velodrome. As I slowed down I looked back and saw the rest of the field about a quarter lap behind me! I couldn’t believe it. Later on, a teammate told me that the announcer had said during the race “…Katy Steudel, apparently serious this year…”

At the start of the Tempo (5 laps) I was once again at the front of the pack for the neutral lap, putting me in a good position. When we took off on the first lap, two girls passed me and I tucked myself in behind them. I wanted to let them get tired for the first few points and then take up the rest. The two in front of me finished 1-2 and then pulled up track. Without thinking a whole lot, I shot along the first and second turns and went on to win that lap.

On the third lap I was still leading and feeling pretty strong. On the third corner a girl tried to pass me up track, but I jumped when I saw her and fought for it. It paid off and I got the third lap’s points, putting me in a very good spot. The girl who was contending with me was probably getting tired, and one of the other girls could take some points. I believe I got second place in the fourth lap (it was a close call). For the fifth lap, I slowed down because I wanted to save some energy for the consolation, and I knew I had the race wrapped up. The announcer: “Katy Steudel’s got this one in the bag, too.” Two girls got ahead of me while I was putzing along, and I was sorely tempted to kick it in just ’cause, but I held back.

The consolation race went better than planned. My legs were feeling the burn and I was doubting my ability to keep up with the pack, but it was only 20 laps, so I held together alright. The neutral lap started out a little faster than I expected and I was toward the back of the pack for the whole race, which was less than ideal, but doable. I tell you, there were some sketchy riders. I was honestly a little afraid for my wellbeing. ‘Afraid’ makes it sound unfounded… let’s say ‘concerned’. I was concerned for my safety because of what I was seeing.

Anyhow, I managed to stick with the pack somehow. I would get dropped off the pack but then catch a ride when someone behind me would come ahead of me and bridge the gap. The pack was constantly slowing, too. Sometimes too much so for my liking. There were a few times where I would catch up with the pack just in time to be pinned on the inside by the people around me and have the pack slow considerably. Ugh.

There were some positives though. For all I talk about the injustices being done to me (oh woe!) I was doing some myself. I did some illegal passing on the inside, and faulted the blue line when the pack came down toward me. I also don’t think I check enough before I move for forward positions. I’m going to try to get better at this, because it’s important for everyone’s safety. Wait, how is this a positive?… oh yeah, when I slipped and did an illegal pass toward the end of the race, I apologized and the guy said ‘It’s alright, go for it!’ I had made a stupid move (not that it really interfered with him- it just simply wasn’t legal), and I just wasn’t expecting his response. Especially for that guy’s sake, I want to be a safer rider.

Another positive was my teammate Jamie Pagel. Tired as we both were, he helped me stay with the pack during the consolation. When I was falling behind, he would try to come up and bridge the gap. Even just having a teammate out there was a help, too. It can be discouraging when you’re tired and falling behind, but when you’ve got someone there to tell you to stop being a sissy and pedal, you take heart.