Optum Pro Cycling at the 2012 SRAM Tour of The Gila

The SRAM Tour of The Gila is a 5 day stage race around Silver City, New Mexico.

The dry desert air, the hot desert sun, a few twisty descents, long climbs, and the high altitude make the Tour of The Gila one of the tougher races on the NRC calendar, and of course one of the most fun.  This wasn't a time for me to leave my Banana Boat SPF 50 sunscreen at home, it was one of the first things I packed before leaving.

The hills, sand, shrubs, and cacti around New Mexico

Riding down from our host homes to several of the stage start-lines was scary at times; wild deer wandered out on the roads that we flew down.  The jackrabbits and lizards seemed a little wiser and stayed amongst the cacti and tough bushes.  We didn't hit any of them.  I wondered if like those silly cows, the deer are also tricked by the cattle guards that make for the majority of the ''desert road furniture''...  If they are, they might consider putting those metal contraptions in the ditches.  Roads are for bikes, not deer.

Stage one saw the field split up as it always does on the final climb.  Carmen Small and Janel Holcomb were the top Optum finishers, impressively (zero exageration) taking the second and third steps of the podium.   This set the stage for our strategies for the week.
Stage two was another road race, and day three was a 21 km out-and-back time trial.  Day four was a criterium, and the final day finished on the open road, once again.

Stage 4 criterium. -Casey Gibson

Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies brought home second place overall (Carmen Small) and the green jersey (Carmen Small) as well as second place in the team general classification.

We rode hard, fought hard, and were patient boiling our eggs and cooking our rice (it takes a long time at about a gazillion feet of altitude).

I'm being patient, I've got an 18h day of aiplanes and aiports before I get to home sweet home, Québec. I have my Compex muscle stimulator hooked up to make the best of it.  Next race: Gatineau Grand Prix UCI women's 1 day race in Gatineau, Qc.  Then it's the Exergy Tour in Boise, ID.

Joe Martin Stage Race 2012 Wrap-Up: PINK, GREEN, WHITE, and perhaps best of all, ORANGE.

The fourth and final stage of the Joe Martin Stage Race is a criterium on a course that I love: a few downhill sections and a great kicker and some tight, but not too tight, corners.

Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefits Strategies successfully defended all 3 leader’s jerseys.  The jerseys switched hands a few times amongst our riders during the Joe Martin Stage Race

·          The pink leader’s jersey (or winner’s jersey, in other words) was passed from Carmen’s shoulders on to Jade Wilcoxson in the 4^th and final stage.  Carmen had also started out with the green points jersey, but the way our strategy played out, Jade also ended up in green at the end of the stage race.

·          Emma Grant began the stage race with the white jersey (for the best rider under 23 years of age) which was passed on to our teammate Courteney Lowe on day 2.  After riding up in the break for the 4^th and final stage, the jersey was passed back to Emma. 

·          We rode aggressive, sometimes we rode defensively (I can admit that I find that part significantly less fun then when we get to launch attacks like a wild storm of bombshells, but it’s part of the game).  Some of us went up the road and some of us stayed back to make sure the right people were chasing. 

I’m happy with the way the race turned out.  We all rode hard, we all rode strong, and we all did our jobs.  Our team director, Rachel Heal cooked up some excellent plans of attack, our mechanic Adrian Hedderman maintained our bikes in perfect condition and spruced up the leader’s bikes with matching bartape and barhoods, and our soigneur Jeremy Fliss helped us recover with primo massages after every race, and his notoriously excellent sandwiches.

Good job team, we got the pink jersey, the green jersey, the white jersey, and we’re all proud to have OPTUM ORANGE on our backs!

Stage 2: Joe Martin Stage Race 2012

Stage two of the 35th annual Joe Martin Stage Race was tough, because we wanted it to be tough.

After lots of attacks, counter attacks, getting away from the peloton and being dragged back by the other teams, (even Anna Barensfeld who was sick as a dog blasted off the front and made the pack hurt several times, what a champ!) Carmen Small, Courteney Lowe, and Jade Wilcoxson got away with one rider from team Rouse.  I was in the chase group with Emma Grant who was wearing the white jersey, as the leader of the Best Young Rider Classification.

The break stayed away and we let FCS-Rouse, the Colombian National Team and Tibco do the chasing.  Emma rode strong through the last section of the course, winning the bunch sprint with me on her wheel (5th and 6th place).  Up ahead, Carmen had won the race, Jade got 3rd, and Courteney came in 4th.  Annie and Anna who sacrificed everything for the team raced in afterwards.  Textbook teamwork. 

Optum Pro Cycling now has all three leader's jerseys.  Carmen is in the Pink Leader's Jersey and has the Green Sprinter's Jersey as well, and the White Best Young Rider's Jersey was passed over from Emma to Courteney (who won it in the 2011 edition as well!)

It wasn't an easy day, and that's what made it so fun. 

Joe Martin Stage Race Prologue 2012.

Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies is in first place for team classification after the stage one prologue at the Joe Martin Stage Race.  How did we do it?  Super aero and light gear from Orbea and HED, perfect warm-up on Kinetic Trainers, fuel from Clif, and good ol' piston power.

Carmen Small is our top rider in 4th place follwed closely by Jade Wilcoxson in 5th. Anna Barensfeld is in 7th, and I just missed top 10, coming in in 11th.  There are two road races, and a criterium to come.  This is going to be fun.

The full results:

1	Amanda Miller (TIBCO - To The Top)	0:09:59.47
2	Kathryn Donovan (FCS-Rouse  p/b Mr Restore)	0:00:01.12
3	Maria Luisa (Colombian National Team)	0:00:02.41
4	Carmen Small (Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)	0:00:03.49
5	Jade Wilcoxson (Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)	0:00:08.35
6	Anna Sanders (FCS-Rouse  p/b Mr Restore)	0:00:16.88
7	Anna Barensfeld (Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)	0:00:20.54
8	Rachel Warner (FCS-Rouse  p/b Mr Restore)	0:00:21.95
9	Lauren Hall (TIBCO - To The Top)	0:00:22.74
10	Lauren Stephens (FCS-Rouse  p/b Mr Restore)	0:00:28.52
11	Lex Albrecht (Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)	0:00:36.01
12	Jennifer Wheeler (TIBCO - To The Top)	0:00:39.67
13	Emma Grant (Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)	0:00:44.02
14	Katherine Williams (Team Belladium)	0:00:48.45
15	Amity Elliot (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder)	0:00:59.14
16	Cara Gillis (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder)	0:00:59.82
17	Courteney Lowe (Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)	0:01:01.87
18	Joy McCulloch (Helen's Racing)	0:01:14.53
19	Scotti Wilborne (Leborne)	0:01:16.21
20	Jennifer Purcell (TIBCO - To The Top)	0:01:17.97
21	Annie Ewart (Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)	0:01:19.04
22	Jerika Hutchinson (Fremont Bank Cycling Team)	0:01:21.28
23	Meredith Miller (TIBCO - To The Top)	0:01:26.30
24	Jessica Prinner (Hotter'N Hell Hundred)	0:01:34.46
25	Samantha Schneider (TIBCO - To The Top)	0:01:37.31
26	Amy McGuire (FCS-Rouse  p/b Mr Restore)	0:01:44.16
27	Kendall Ryan (TIBCO - To The Top)	0:01:48.45
28	Kim Jennings (Bicycles Outback p/b Jubilee Mitsubishi)	0:01:50.75
29	Lauren De Crescenzo (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder)	0:01:55.43
30	Jennifer Perricone (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder)	0:02:06.41
31	Mary Maroon (FCS-Rouse  p/b Mr Restore)	0:02:13.64
32	Jennifer Mix (787 Racing)	0:02:27.24
33	Krystal McNutt (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder)	0:02:32.63
34	Lindsey Durst (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder)	0:02:40.32
35	Jacqueline Denny (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder)	0:02:48.41
36	Michelle Montoya (Bicycles Outback p/b Jubilee Mitsubishi)	0:04:32.15