Challenge Road Race

By Stacy Marple
Date: September 2, 2006
Course: the Challenge Challenge -- two very hilly approximately 30 mile laps
Category: Women 1/2/3
Winner: Stacy! (Linda -- 2nd, Victoria -- 6th)
One-Two-Six at Challenge!

This is an AMAZING course in the beautiful foothills of the Sierras, just west of nowhere. India (Touchstone) unfortunately could not race, but this meant less of a Cal Cup dynamic was present, which made for a fun and aggressive race (once we finished our Lisa-Hunt-controlled warm-up).

The race began at the end of the first lap where the real climb started. I began to push the pace and then when I eased up, Maria Monica took over. As we finished the first lap. the initial selection was set, including Bev and Kelly (Touchstone), Maria Monica (McGuire), and Victoria (AKA L1), myself and Linda! Linda let us know that she would be useless on the second lap, having already fought to keep from getting gapped off, and she told L1 and me to push it on the VERY (worse than Leesville or Copperopolis pavement -- so bad they neutralized it for everyone the first time down) technical descent to drop Bev. Two things kept occurring throughout the race: L1 refusing to let me touch the wind and even pushing me off wheels to cover the attacks so I could sit in, and Linda claiming she could do no more, getting gapped fighting back on and then launching the critical attacks. At one point I'd been off the front for a while and realized I was too far from the finish to make it stick. As I felt myself being reeled back in, I readied myself for the inevitable counter attack from Touchstone--yet when the attack came, it was Linda! Linda, who kept insisting that she could do nothing more and had been gapped off too many times, etc. I could not believe it, and neither could Bev or Kelly. This, I believe, was the moment that broke them. Bev brought Linda back but she was definitely tired. About three miles from the finish on a sweeping turn into a steep little pitch, Bev braked and I swooped by on the outside into an attack. I glanced back and Linda yelled "Don't look back, JUST GO!" so I did. Every time I wanted to look back, I stood up and attacked myself. I prayed for the 200 meter line and used the men in front of me as rabbits and finally it was there. Linda was about 30 seconds behind me and Kelly was just behind her.

Literally, seriously I have to say that watching Linda dig like that was amazing. Really. I could see how much she was suffering, I knew how many times she'd been off the back and phoenix-ed herself back to the group. Despite all this she knew that by launching that last attack even if she ended up frying herself in the effort, she would set me up, and it worked perfectly. It hurt Touchstone and gave me a little rest, it probably demoralized them a bit and inspired me to see what I could dig out. And in the end, Linda still got second -- why? To be honest I don't think it was because she was riding so much stronger than Bev or Kelly (though it was a climb, and we know about Linda and the climbs), but she had worn them down with her attacks. As Kelly said, "There were just too many pink butts out there today." Or maybe she pushed on to keep me in sight to make sure I did not turn my head again :-) The Challenge Challenge taught me that if you take what might seem like your LAST bit of strength, the bit that is going to END YOU, and invest it in the right moment, it will pay out big -- which can result in results for your team, and yourself. Now if I can just figure out when those moments are...