Fitchburg, day 4—Back in the top 10!
Worker's Credit Union Downtown Criterium
Monday morning dawned all too early, and a little too damp for our preferences. As we left the hotel, it started to sprinkle, and as we rode the course (an elongated triangle with the narrow end at the top of an incline), it started to rain. It continued, on and off, throughout the next two hours, making for a crash-wary, wet, and barely watched race. (But we appreciated every single spectator & supporter! Thanks for sticking around!)
This being Womens 4's, of course, everyone showed up to race. After three days of racing, a little rain wasn't going to deter us from finishing what we had started. Our only hope was that we would get to finish what we'd started!
The race was quick, generally safe, but not as active as it could have been. The field was keeping a close eye on the race leaders—the race leaders were keeping a close eye on the field. A few bursts of speed after the five sprint point laps were dealt with quickly and efficiently. Kimille Taylor of Radical Media came back from a miserable day on the mountain to try and regain the sprinter's jersey, but Amy Kurdok of Town Line Sprinters was determined to hold onto it—their sprints were outrageously tight and required video replay in order to determine the winner of each. In the end, Amy ended up going home with both the jersey and second place for the stage.
Despite two crashes at the bottom of the course (where the downhill takes two quick lefts before heading back up Main Street to the start/finish line), all the Swanky's stayed safe and in the game to the very end. Courtney proved that she's a sprinter at heart, coming from behind half the field to take 10th in the sprint—our second top ten finish of the weekend. The rest of the team finished with the pack, safe and sound.
It was, as Fitchburg almost always is, a great event. The team really came together as racers and as friends, with the welcome discovery that while we may consider ourselves underdogs on our home turf of Central Park, we are anything but that when given the opportunity to race against those of our own category. Racing against the same girls for four days in a row allowed everyone to experience racing in a whole new way, to make new friends, and to walk into our upcoming events with lots more confidence.
Finally, we all owe a debt of thanks to Andy & Milton who came to Fitchburg with Emma and Ellen, figuring they'd have a nice relaxing weekend and found themselves supporting the whole Swanky's crew instead! Thanks for all the number pinning, trainer-setting-up, bottle hand-off's, and yelling of names—we'll be sure to keep you mind the next time we need support!
Next up, Lou Maltese in Central Park, followed by a weekend of crits and road races across the region. Stay tuned for all the dirty details!
Fitchburg Crit results:
10 Courtney
13 Liz
14 Andrea
19 Emma
29 Eve
(all same time as winner)
Final Fitchburg GC
1 Ellen Moses at 4:00:05
15 Emma Nelson +4:49
16 Andrea Urist +5:15
20 Liz Seward +7:23
35 Eve Ashcraft +19:20
36 Courtney Trabon +20:07
DNF Nancy
42 finishers total
[The Fitchburg recaps are dedicated to M., who just got her first bike. Soon, she'll go more than three inches in one minute and instead of "Too fast!", she won't slow down. And after that? Well, let's just say Auntie Liz has plans!]
Monday morning dawned all too early, and a little too damp for our preferences. As we left the hotel, it started to sprinkle, and as we rode the course (an elongated triangle with the narrow end at the top of an incline), it started to rain. It continued, on and off, throughout the next two hours, making for a crash-wary, wet, and barely watched race. (But we appreciated every single spectator & supporter! Thanks for sticking around!)
This being Womens 4's, of course, everyone showed up to race. After three days of racing, a little rain wasn't going to deter us from finishing what we had started. Our only hope was that we would get to finish what we'd started!
The race was quick, generally safe, but not as active as it could have been. The field was keeping a close eye on the race leaders—the race leaders were keeping a close eye on the field. A few bursts of speed after the five sprint point laps were dealt with quickly and efficiently. Kimille Taylor of Radical Media came back from a miserable day on the mountain to try and regain the sprinter's jersey, but Amy Kurdok of Town Line Sprinters was determined to hold onto it—their sprints were outrageously tight and required video replay in order to determine the winner of each. In the end, Amy ended up going home with both the jersey and second place for the stage.
Despite two crashes at the bottom of the course (where the downhill takes two quick lefts before heading back up Main Street to the start/finish line), all the Swanky's stayed safe and in the game to the very end. Courtney proved that she's a sprinter at heart, coming from behind half the field to take 10th in the sprint—our second top ten finish of the weekend. The rest of the team finished with the pack, safe and sound.
It was, as Fitchburg almost always is, a great event. The team really came together as racers and as friends, with the welcome discovery that while we may consider ourselves underdogs on our home turf of Central Park, we are anything but that when given the opportunity to race against those of our own category. Racing against the same girls for four days in a row allowed everyone to experience racing in a whole new way, to make new friends, and to walk into our upcoming events with lots more confidence.
Finally, we all owe a debt of thanks to Andy & Milton who came to Fitchburg with Emma and Ellen, figuring they'd have a nice relaxing weekend and found themselves supporting the whole Swanky's crew instead! Thanks for all the number pinning, trainer-setting-up, bottle hand-off's, and yelling of names—we'll be sure to keep you mind the next time we need support!
Next up, Lou Maltese in Central Park, followed by a weekend of crits and road races across the region. Stay tuned for all the dirty details!
Fitchburg Crit results:
10 Courtney
13 Liz
14 Andrea
19 Emma
29 Eve
(all same time as winner)
Final Fitchburg GC
1 Ellen Moses at 4:00:05
15 Emma Nelson +4:49
16 Andrea Urist +5:15
20 Liz Seward +7:23
35 Eve Ashcraft +19:20
36 Courtney Trabon +20:07
DNF Nancy
42 finishers total
[The Fitchburg recaps are dedicated to M., who just got her first bike. Soon, she'll go more than three inches in one minute and instead of "Too fast!", she won't slow down. And after that? Well, let's just say Auntie Liz has plans!]
posted by liz @ 7:52 PM
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