Prospect Park, June 12

Andrea writes:

"We raced with the masters and it was FAST from the start. It was a big field and there were some sketchy guys. A crash happened not too far in front of me—someone's tire blew up. It sounded like a gunshot. It was a very frightening moment, but I managed to stay upright. After each hill the pace accelerated and I had to work very hard to stay on. I found myself slipping towards the back. In the sixth lap there was another crash to the right of me. In the moment of chaos, the field moved to avoid the crash and I was forced to the left. Everyone to my left was forced into the jogger lane. Once again I managed to stay upright, but the field was accelerating ahead and I had to work hard again to stay on. In the 8th lap after the hill I saw the wheels slipping away and knew I had to work harder. I couldn't manage to get on a wheel and found myself in the wind. Oh no! I had nothing left—my legs were burning and I was spent. A few other women also got dropped at the same time and we pacelined to ride the remaining three laps. Even though I got dropped, I finished the race and made a few friends, so not all was lost."