And so it begins....

What a BEAUTIFUL day...not a bad way to start the 2008 racing season. Unfortunately the squad was split this weekend with Robin, Melanie (yay...welcome to the team!) and me representin' in the 3/4 race in Strasburg PA while Michelle, Jenny, and Leslie wore the Snow Valley...er, CycleLife colors in NYC.

In Strasburg....wow, the 3/4 field keeps getting bigger and stronger every year. Very exciting for women's racing in general. The hurt was on from lap one of the four lap, 22 mile race with Sonya Evers, Christine Wehlburg, and 2 other riders I didn't recognize consistently driving the pace up the rolling hills and attempting to stick breaks. We lost a decent number riders off what was a 36+ member field. Melanie patrolled the front for a good portion of the race...strong as hell and fighting a stiff headwind. Robin stayed tucked in at the front half of the field like the smart little rider she is. I hung on for dear life, coughing up lung bunnies on the poor riders behind me (hehe, sorry guys). The main field roped in all of the attacks until the end of the final lap when Sonya and the 2 unknown riders managed to get off the front without most of the field realizing they were gone. The final big ring climb with about 1 km to go became the deciding factor for the rest of us as the field blew apart at this point. Melanie and Robin managed good finishes in the field sprint at 9th and 10th place, respectively. I finished at the rear of the main field at 20th.

Congrats to Jenny and Leslie for finishing 2nd and 3rd at Grant's Tomb!!!!!

Ahhh...gotta love that first race of the season. Legs on fire, lungs feeling like they're getting ripped from your chest, relearning how to dodge the squirrels (and not the furry gray kind). Haha...thank God there's only one "first" race of the season. But in all seriousness, its always great to transition from the long, slow, cold rides of winter into the intensity of racing. Can't wait for Jeff Cup when the squad is together in our shiny new CycleLife kits!