Joe Martin Stage Race 2013. Stage 3

It was another rainy day at the Joe Martin Stage Race (stage 3).  I used the same formula as yesterday to keep warm in the rain.  The only bad part was that after almost 3 hours of riding in the wet weather I was ready for a hot shower.  But because of the embrocation burning on different parts of me...I could only handle lukewarm. 

It was a 68 mile day with a decent amount of attacking, with several small breaks going up the road.  My teammate Katie Donovan initiated one that stayed out for 20 miles.  At the end of the day the sprint didn't play out for us and race leader Claudia Haussler (Team Tibco) scored a few more seconds over NOW and Novartis for MS's Alison Powers who is in 2nd place.  We didn't want Claudia to gain any more time on her... Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Powers finished just off of the podium in 4th.  After moving back up after an attack just before the end of the race, I rolled across in 6th, followed by Alexis Ryan who had been working to lead Powers out.

There is one more stage left: a 50 minute criterium in downtown Fayetteville and a lot can still happen.

This is the top part of the GC going into the final stage:

1	Claudia Haeusler (Team Tibco)	5:46:58
2	Alison Powers (NOW and Novartis for MS)	0:00:16
3	Lauren Stephens (FCS|Zngine p/b Mr. Restore)	0:00:30
4	Joelle Numainville (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)	0:00:32
5	Lex Albrecht (NOW and Novartis for MS)	0:00:42
6	Lorena Vargas (ISCorp p/b Intelligentsia Coffee)	0:00:51
7	Brianna Walle (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)	0:00:54
8	Anna Sanders (FCS|Zngine p/b Mr. Restore)	0:01:01
9	Maura Kinsella (NOW and Novartis for MS)	same
10	Shelley Olds (Team Tibco)	0:01:02
11	Robin Farina (NOW and Novartis for MS)	same