EMC2/Vellum Cycles Criterium

Jenni Tafoya

By Jenni Tafoya
Date: May 7, 2006
Category: Women 1/2/3
Winner: Jenny Eyerman, Morgan Stanley
TIBCO Placings: 2nd (me), 5th (Eryn), 8th (Julie), 11th (Jamie)

The course is a flat, clockwise, industrial park loop with two corners and two sweepers. Field size was ~25 including 3 Proman riders (Lori, Nicola, Jana), 2 Morgan Stanley (Kate & Jenny), 2 McGuire (Taitt and Melodie Metzger), 3 LGBRC (Lori, Yuki, Jennifer Van Muckey), and 2 Alto Velo (Carola and Jackie Linder). We figured Morgan Stanley and Nicola would be the riders to watch. I would have said Taitt too, but I seem to never recognize her in yellow this year.

Jenni on podiumJenni --
podium

With Eryn coming off a hard training week and Julie and Jamie not 100% healthy, the team wanted to work for me, so I would try mybest to rest during the early part of the race. The race was actually quite active from the beginning, mostly driven by Julie, Eryn, and Kate from what I recall. Around lap 4, I followed Jenny's counter-attack to Julie's break, and the two of us ended up getting a nice gap, which we worked to keep going. Several laps later, we saw two riders trying to bridge up, so we let up so they could catch us. It was Nicola and Jennifer VanMuckey, making 4 riders in the break, 3 named Jenny! They were obviously tired from bridging up, but Jenny E. forced them to work by sprinting for a prime and threatening "work or I'll keep sprinting you like that." Um...ok. It was actually good though because Nicola is a good sprinter so I think working that hard took a bit of the spring out of her legs in the finish. We kept around a ~1 minute gap and once we were safely out of sight, I hear that my teammates started lighting it up back in the field!

On the bell lap, we did a bit of cat and mouse, and I was in perfect position (2nd) going into the last turn following Jenny E., but I went a a bit too early and it was a drag race to the line, with her nipping me for the win--sorry girls! Nicola took third over the remaining Jenny. Eryn reportedly got away with around 5 to go, taking Lori Alvarez with her and coming in ahead of the field for 5th place--nice! Julie and Jamie sprinted in for 8th and 11th, rounding out a great day for the team.