Cat's Hill Criterium

By Brooke Miller
Date: May 13, 2006
Category: Women 1/2/3
Filed Size: About 30-40
Teammates: Jenni, Jamie, Eryn, Tracey and moi
Results: Brooke 3rd, Jenni 9th, Jamie 13th
Winner: Christine Thorburn

This was a race that I had been super excited for and was really nervous for. I had been training to have a "minipeak" for this weekend. Last year, I had watched the 1/2/3 race in disbelief. I could barely walk up the hill and after watching them race up it time and time again, I had thought that the race MUST be about over when I found out they still had a half an hour to go! I could not imagine them finishing the course. Now, this year, it was my turn to test my legs.

Christine Thorburn was there from Webcor (and she won last year), but the rest of the team was missing as they were off at an NRC race. Without teammates, Christine was going to have to race smart and was holstered from doing a lot of action. McGuire was there in full force with a squad of 8 riders including Laura Charameda. Laura has a mean sprint, has won this race in the past and knows the course like the back of her hand. She also had a full team to help her out.

So the race starts and I was feeling great. We were off. I was surprised, the hill really felt easy. It is a great course for me, as I am very much a power climber. We were banking on Christine and Laura to be the riders to watch, so all of us were just watching them and not concerning ourselves with other riders too much. So, when about halfway through the race, a McGuire attacked and was off the front, we watched her and let her dangle. The rest of the pack was feeling the same thing, so no one chased.

Just when I had started to get a bit nervous with her off the front, Eryn moved up and attacked hard to bridge up to her. It was a well-timed move and I was thrilled to see her go. She gapped the pack and caused a chase. Unfortunately, Eryn did not make it and the pack caught her and she was popped from her effort. The thing that is great, though, is that she read my mind and did the move I had hoped she would do. It just did not quite pan out. Oh well, that is racing!

Next thing I know, Jamie, who is riding really well, moves up into position and starts driving the pack to bridge the gap. At this point, Taitt has opened up a nice big gap for herself and Jamie was not getting much help from the rest of the field. She did a great job, but could not close all the way on her own. It was again great though and right when I felt like we needed to do something. Then she drifted back to where I was and told me that something was going to happen and to get on Christine. Good thing that she said that because with her on front, I had drifted into bad position and needed to move back up. So I did. That is great about having teammates. You can't have a mental fart and let yourself get open to be attacked on. She reminded me that I was vulnerable where I was. Great. Move up. Did.

Let me digress for a minute -- I made three very clear tactical mistakes in this race. I learned a TON. That is the beauty of racing with riders of the calibre of Laura and Christine. You learn a lot, and learn quickly.

Tactical Mistake #1
Anyway, so here I am, Eryn and Jamie had worked to bring Taitt back, but she was still off, and now I was in the pack, very antsy and watching her up the road and not seeing anyone else drive the train. I made my first clear tactical mistake: I got impatient and I attacked. It was not well-timed. I still had teammates in the field and I could have let the rest of the pack work, but instead I attacked. I gapped the field and it felt SO good to go, that I went more. We hit the hill and I was closing on Taitt. I just knew that Christine would counter on me the second she got there and sure enough, halfway up the hill, the pack catches me and Christine shows why she is a world-class cyclist. She launches a HARD counter attack on the hill and is flying. Fortunately, I knew it was coming and was able to react, but I burned a match for sure. You don't have many moves like that in your legs in a race and I really wasted one on that stupid attack and set myself up for Christine to work me over well. She did. I did catch on to her and then the pack caught on.

Back in a merry gang again, the race went on. Linda was not so thrilled to see me making my stupid move and opening the door for Christine like that. I was just way too impatient. I have GOT to work on that!

Tactical mistake #2
So the race continues and then another McGuire rider, Melodie Metzger, attacks and dangles off the front. This time, I am smart enough to not chase her, but I soon made my tactical mistake #2, which certainly cost me any chance at a win. The pack chased and we caught Mel on the hill and once again, like clockwork, I knew Christine would counter attack. I was looking for it, she attacked and I jumped hard. The mistake? I had the gas in the tank to jump around Mel and get directly on Christine's wheel right when she attacked. But Mel was looking for the counter attack too, and so she jumped and got onto Christine's wheel in front of me. At first, I COULD have gone around her and moved ahead, but I thought that Mel could hang on fine and settled in behind Mel. At the time, it was easier to sit on Mel than to jump around her and so for a second, it seemed like a plan. But, as we crested the hill, I realized that I had made my big mistake. I should be in front of Mel- she had JUST attacked. Had JUST been off the front. Had JUST been working hard when I was relatively fresh from sitting in and I was counting on her to hang on to a very hard attack. Over the crest of the hill, a combination of her working and a bad shift into her big ring opened up a gap between Mel and Christine. That was the race. Now, when Christine attacks, if I react RIGHT away, I can hang on her wheel. But, if she opens up the slightest gap, if I don't react in time, or if she catches me off guard, then I am done. She is a national time trial champion for a reason. She is fast. She may not be a sprinter, but holy cow. I can't get her once she gets away from me. So, as soon as I saw a half-bike length open between her and Mel, I knew that Christine just won the race.

But, I tried anyway. I jumped around Mel, but Chrisine was gassing it and showing what she had. She now had a couple bike lengths. I redlined myself trying to bridge up to her. I was sprinting, but she was too far away. I chased and chased very hard for about a half a lap before I realized that I was not going anywhere and was just burning myself. Meanwhile, Mel and Jenny Eyerman from Morgan Stanley/24 Hour had followed me and we were now a three man chase/break off the front of the rest of the pack. The three of us started kind of working together but we were all spent from that effort and all had the false sense of security of a pretty good sized gap on the pack. Because there were 7 other McGuires in the pack and we had Mel on McGuire, I thought that we were pretty safe from a chase. We did not work together. We kind of rotated through, but settled into a pretty easy pace with only a few laps left.

Tactical mistake #3 -- the one that cost me 2nd place
We were pushing a decent pace, but really not gassing anything. We were not trying to catch Christine, and were watching each other more than working together. So, Mel is a much better climber than a sprinter and I did not know Jenny's racing. She seemed like she was really worked, so I had focused my finish on beating Mel. I knew that Mel would attack the final climb, but that I could take her in the final sprint. I figured that I could take Jenny too because I had guessed her to be pretty popped. Anyway, so the last time up the hill, Mel attacked and I got on her wheel. I was surprised how strong I was feeling and realized that she was not going to drop me or work me too hard. Sure enough, we crested the hill and I made mistake #3: I thought to attack on her and didn't. I knew I could counter attack and ride away and take second or have to duke it out with Jenny if she managed to hang on. I knew I could do it. But, then the voice in my head said, "Wait for the sprint. You can take her there and you might pop if you go too early." So, I did not attack when I knew she was weakened. We turn the corner and come to the flat second that leads into the descent and the final corner before the finish. We were all three watching each other when all of a sudden, Jenny yelled "Riders back!" I turned and realized that the whole pack was charging and VERY quickly swarming us. I jumped then and led into the descent, after being told that the sprint at Cat's was to the bottom corner. So, I went hard. I was leading and swung really wide for the final corner into the finishing sprint. Despite doing something like 22ish laps, I had not taken that corner at full speed and did not know that I could take a much shorter line. Laura showed me that line as she passed me on the inside and started her mean sprint in front of me.

There was nothing that I could do. She jumped before me and although I was closing on her, I had no chance. I sprinted hard enough to hold on to my third place.

Jenni did a great job and hung into the field, pulled a good sprint for 9th, and Jamie who had worked her buns off in that race pulled and excellent 13th. I did not see Tracey and don't know how her race went. All and all, great day on the bike!