I Thought I had Seen it ALL!

Well, well, well................so I was hanging out on a nice Sunday on top of a hill that was a pain to climb via foot.    There was a gathering of folks there set up for watching some racing.   I settled in to watch the open women's race.  Usually there are two women's races:  the open (Cat1-3) and the Cat 4.  That allows those in Cat 4 to have a race more set for the collective experience level of those races.  But not at the Breeder's Hill race.  I figured I would see the usual Pink Gals racing:  Megan, Dee, Lee to name of few.  Now on Saturday there were plenty of new racers at Water Works.  Nothing against those ladies but that was a nice, flat circle for the most part.

This race is a hill; with turns on the hill; a bit of downhill with the U-turn to head back up hill.  Oh a little more flattish area into another U-Turn and the start of the climb.  Now, a steep hill is climbable if you get some momentum and keep it going.  But if you have to take a U-turn when you start that saps any momentum.  Once you get going and then take a 90 degree right turn as the hill steepens.  Oh keep climbing, take a sharp left and climb some more.  When you think you cannot take it any more, the grade goes viral.  Out of the saddle and pound the pedals.  Pull the handle bars and push down the pedals.   Concentrate on the crowd because your mind is telling you it can NOT be done.  To say that your thighs are burning would be an understatement.  To say that you are wishing you would fall over so that the misery would end would not be far fetched.

So, it is  another race.  What has the Roving Race Reporter in such a state?  A new VeloRosa racer appeared.    I had to quickly pull up my photo directory of the best bike team around to find out that Heather O was on the course.  My records showed that she had not yet raced for the Pink Team.  Was this a prank pulled by the more veteran racers?  A little hazing, maybe???   Well sit right down and pay attention.   No, Ms. Heather voluntarily came out to race.

So, now we have a newbie out with Cat 1-3 racers along with mountain biking expert Julie V and the race is on taking off down the hill to start the first lap.  The leaders came whizzing by and then Heather.  Lap after lap----for 45 minutes.  Each time they came around, Heather held her own.   It seemed on the hills like she had a motor on her bike.  That girl can climb a hill.  

But back to the rest of the race.   Leah, out of Nebraska, made the race look like a race on some rollers.  Chasing her down was Sandy from Mercy.  But guess who was chasing them down?  Our own Dee.  Now Dee racer her rear off the day before taking third in the Water Works race.  She was back at it again with a third place showing here.  I am not sure what she is doing for training but it must involve hills and gravel.

Back to Heather, she placed 8th, which is quite remarkable for her first race on this type of course.  In the Cat 4 racers, she was the fourth non-Cat 1-3 racer across the line.   Megan followed her with Lee close behind.

This was a very strong showing VeloRosa.  These pink ladies have come out this year and shown that you can look good in pink and slap down tread on pavement at the same time. 

Your Roving Race Reporter,

Luann