Team SCE races the Kelly Cup, Hon!
Bike Jam Kelly Cup
May 23, 2010
Patterson Park, Baltimore, MD
In the endless search for the next big race, the next biggest field, SCE riders Rachel Weaver, Greg Flood, and I traveled to Baltimore for the Kelly Cup. Yes, it was a 4 hour drive for a 1 hour race, but this was a big race, and we were as ready to see what it was like racing in a big field.
Women’s bike racing out east has a much different feel than racing out west. If you look at Bikereg, you see crits almost every weekend, which means that in the summertime, these women are FAST, used to racing in a pack, and corner well. The Patterson Park venue is a great place to put these skills to the test, with a technically challenging course – some people refer to it as a “crash fest” – and big fields.
The races themselves were fun and fast. Rachel and I raced the women’s 3/4 field, and Greg in the Men’s Masters 35+ field. Let me emphasize the “fast” part. Here are some thoughts from our Women’s 3/4 race. Our plan going in was to race smart and try to take the lines we wanted through the turns. We had a chance to pre-ride the course, and kind of thought we knew where the game changing places would be. At the start I was impressed. Rach looked strong, and was actually leading the field around for nearly a lap! I tried to get up there close to her, but it was a little tough. Her strategy was to get through the corners first and get acclimated to the course at speed. Unfortunately at some point where there was a little surge later in the race, Rach got trapped behind a woman or two who couldn’t accelerate to catch it, and was out of the lead group. So that left me to ride conservatively in the race, and protect myself for the sprint. I sat in at 8-10 wheels back, and just steadily moved my way forward through the race. Any jump that someone took, I went with it, as I felt nobody could really get away outright.
The race was close, and nobody really ever got in a clean break. At 1 lap to go I found myself right where I wanted to be: one off the front and legs feeling good. But then the group got a little faster, and I found myself behind a woman who wasn’t quite responding to the speed increase. Just like that I was 8 back from the front in the back lap, and a bit trapped in. It’s called “getting swarmed,” and that’s how races sometimes go. As we came to the last round turn (a chicane), I was in the right line, about 5 from the front, but okay, but when a woman came a little close on my inside, I found my wheel hit some mud and when I feathered my brakes ever-so-slightly, I found that was just enough for the leaders of the group to be off and away. The sprint started at the chicane (and I was expecting a slight bit later), so at the end of the day racing a little reactively rather than proactively hurt me. Make no mistake about it, those women – both cat 3s and 4s – were fast, and SMART. It was a great race, and although I was definitely humbled, I learned a lot from it. Can’t wait until next year.
Full results found here.
