Joe Martin Stage Race : Stage 2

Some of my teammates went for a spin to get coffee this morning.  I stayed back.  Moments after they left, I heard, and felt thunder reverberating through my hotel room.  Then it started to pour outside.  Good choice to stay back.  Lucky choice.

The beginning of the race was going to be wet and chilly.  This is how I got prepared:

1. a) Embrocation on: 

      my arms

     my legs

     my feet

     my chest

     my, ahem, glutes

     and a little behind my ears.

1. b) I slathered a thick layer of petrolium jelly over my legs to make sure the embro would stay on through the rain, and to create an extra barrier against the cold.

2. I wore latex gloves underneath my long-fingered gloves
3. I taped the holes in the bottom of my Specialized S-Works shoes with electrical tape

Good news. The whole scheme worked.  I was comfortable the whole race.

None of the day's attacks stayed away.  But my teammate Lauren Romanski stayed away SOLO the last few miles, and it was cool to see her gain over 20s.  The field caught her just before the end of the race.  Our finish wasn't very spectacular...we didn't manage to get on the podium or score any bonus seconds.

There are 2 days left though.  We've got some work to do, and we're looking forward to it.

Redlands Bicycle Classic: Stage 2

Our goal was, and still is to keep Alison Powers in the lead for the General Classification at the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

It was very cold at the start of stage 2, in Beaumont, California. I was shivering like a madman before the start.  I remembered hearing  that it was snowing at home in Québec Canada this morning and keeping that in mind I started to find the weather a little balmy.  Nice trick, "eh"?  (See Jonathan Devich's photo that shows how cold it was HERE)

Our goal wasn't to launch attacks, or aim to be a part of any breaks.  We just wanted to have enough control over what was going on in the big scheme of things, and keep Alison safe.  We followed moves, and let some go instead of burning matches chasing every little thing that went.  We rotated through on the front of the pack to keep any riders who went up the road in check.  It was taking a lot of energy to do it, but that was part of the strategy, and that's what we train for.

Alison went for the sprint points (and the time bonuses that came with them), and scored on each of the 3 laps of the course.  She's tied with Brianna Walle from Optum now for the sprinter's classification, but Alison is the official leader since she's higher up in GC.

On the last lap a break went and we let it go, rolling at the front to keep it in check.  None of the riders in it were threating to Alison's lead.  We brought the break back slowly, calmly, and surely.  Then things split up the final uphill section.  I ended up in that front group with Alison Powers and Robin Farina.  Before the second last corner, Robin was leading hard it on the front.  In the long stretch leading up to the ultimate corner into the uphill finishing section Robin attacked, then I took the front and drilled it into the last corner.  Just as I got there, Powers came by me, and sling-shotted off of me.  She sprinted to the finish, and WON.  Bingo.   I kept pedaling to the finish line

Stage 2 podium at Redlands.  Alison Power of NOW and Novartis for MS wins again! Photo credit: Redlands Classic Twitter. 

10seconds of time bonus, another victory, and she keeps the lead, by even more than she started with today. 

The second place finisher in today's stage protested the sprint to the commissaires, but did not win.  I think she believed Alison cut her off.  Alison was the first out of the corner, chose her line, and kept it.  A fair and square win for NOW and Novartis for MS. 

This was the last race I'll ever do when I'm 25 and I'm satisfied how this year of my life has went out ;).  Next goal, bring in 26 with a bang as well.  Tomorrow is the penultimate stage: a criterium in downtown Redlands

Robin getting some quality recovery in after today's tough day on the Specialized S-Works Amira!