Kim has gotten back from her trip! WaaHooooo! It seemed like she was gone for an eternity but it had only really been about a month. She informed me that her and Kate were interested in going to Wichita Falls for the Hotter n' Hell Stage race and a hotel room at the ever lovely Howard Johnson had been secured. It took her a little twisting of my arm before I would commit but was super excited when I did.
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| Fitness chicks…Bro. |
We met at Kate's house on Friday morning and decided to head up 281 with Kim behind the wheel. Smooth sailing despite Kim's suspicion of getting pulled over, claiming she was overdue for a ticket. During the drive we discussed all the possible strategies and scenarios that could unfold during the race. Once in Wichita Falls, the convention center was packed full of excited cyclists ready for the Hotter ‘n Hell 100 ride. Kim, Kate, and I weaved in and out of the crowd in a hurry and made our way to packet pickup where we found out the crit start time was earlier than we though. FRICK! We head out to locate our hotel which we find had been condemned. Turns out we were looking at the old address and the HoJo had moved up the road a few miles into an old Ramada Inn, right across from a stellar Fill and Chill convenient store. Classy! Well we were assured it was legit because there was a large banner outside that read out "Under New Management". No time to play- we are on a time crunch now and I have to pee. So we check in to the hotel and I rush to the bathroom to find a hilarious site: an elongated toilet bowl with a shorty seat and cover. I almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard. Meanwhile, Kim and Kate are not debating who gets which bed because there is only one bed for all of us to share. Team bonding! So we are able to get ready with enough time to ride down to the course (getting a smidge lost) and pre ride the course. Man it was hot! Riding around, the wind was blowing hard and it felt like someone was holding a hair dryer inches from my face. We line up and I take a look around to see some fierce competition (Ginny, Christina, etc), and a big crowd of spectators has already formed. A presentation was given for Meagan Baab and I almost cried. It was really sad, she should be out here racing with us. Totally un-amped me for the race. But there was no choice, before we could recollect ourselves and refocus, the gun went off and we were racing.
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| Michelle, Solymar, and Kate |
The gun went off and so did a girl from SoundPony. Everyone got in a line behind her as she motored on, unable to shake any of us. She eased off the pace and there was a fluster of small attacks, none of which materialized into anything. Kim, Kate and I were working hard to cover everything and we even attacked some. I looked impatiently down at my Garmin and knew that soon we would be at the 10 laps to go mark, where the officials would ring a bell to declare the hot spot prime. This hot lap prime was very important because it was $100 cash and points for the overall omnium. Before I knew it, Hannah from MSU and Kate took off, attacking the field, opening a nice gap. The pack rolled through the start/finish and the officals rang the bell for that hot spot. YESSSSSS! Kate nabbed the prime from MSU!! Kate’s effort fatigued her and eventually caused her to fall off Hannah’s wheel so she came back to rejoin the pack. As soon as the pack caught Kate, Gwen (from Utah) attacked on the left and I shot up the right side and came around her. she jumped on my wheel and we took off around a corner. I pushed hard for a half lap then motioned for Gwen to come around to start helping. We took turns pulling for two laps and were close to catching Hannah (MSU). The announcer called out for another prime, this one was for a gift card from Richardson Bike Mart. Gwen and I caught Hannah on the backside and I accelerated past her and continued on to take the prime. I looked back to find that I was now alone with about 6 laps to go. It was hot. I was thirsty but afraid to drink. I didn’t want to get caught because I didn’t want to have to sprint against Christina and Ginny. So I pressed on as hard as I could. Kate and Kim were controlling the pack and not letting anything go up the road. With one lap to go I was able to enjoy the finish and raise my arms at the line.
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| Market Racing crosses the line first! |
I was so excited that our team strategy worked out beautifully. It was not an individual victory, but a team victory. Super excited! Love me some Kim and Kate! Market Racing!
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| Hannah (MSU), Jenny (Market Racing), Gwen (Utah) |
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| Kate, Jenny, Kim after the race |
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| Matching nail polish. #nailedit |
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