Stillwater Criterium (the final stage of NVGP)

Written by Julie Cutts The last crit seemed to be the hardest physically and mentally for our team. This could be expected at stage 6 of a tour, especially for our team, with so little experience at such grand events. For myself, I had a hard time pulling myself together to even get on the bike. I was worried about more crashes, as there had been so many during this race. There were two downhill corners that already had the ambulance busy due to the previous men's recreational race, and since 3 of our girls had already been fighting the pain of previous crashes, I think our safety was on all of our minds. I felt as I had let the team down as it seemed the whole week I was just trying to not get dropped in each stage, and stay safe. I felt I was not a real asset to the team, as I know I could be, if my thoughts weren't so out of control. Physically I wasn't even sure I could climb the hill each lap without falling over from lack of momentum, I was really tired from the previous stage, so I doubted everything. Fortunately, this is where the amazing team support comes in. Here I was, uninjured but tired, being encouraged by women who had serious injuries and still continued to race. They not only focused on themselves, but also on me as a teammate. For this I am grateful as it taught me what it was to be a good teammate. From the start I was dropped, as I thought would happen, and in my mind I was just thinking about completing as much of the race as I could to not get time cut and to get a finish time for G.C. I couldn't even think about trying to help the other girls because I was so consumed by self doubt. This is embarrassing to admit, but I do so, because it is real and true. I was sooooo proud of the other girls. They overcame so much at each race, and to pull themselves together and get out there and really compete, my heart and soul was with them each time they did a lap. I was pulled with the minimum laps required, so I cheered away. Amber, Melina, Jenny and Holly were so strong. They all raced so hard and smart, especially at this stage. This race was amazing to watch. There was a break halfway through the race that had a 45 second lead. Right before the big hill, she dropped her chain in front of the mechanic tent and after much trying by the mechanics to fix her bike, she was given a loaner and soon after she took off, she was swallowed by the pack, it must have been heart breaking for her. Soon after she was caught, there was another solo break that ended up sticking the whole race. Following the break were small packs of racers trying their hardest to catch the break and hang on to the pack. I saw Jenny and Amber working together for awhile. I saw Melina fighting her pain as she knew she had to climb the hill yet again. And Holly, she was fighting tooth and nail too. I tried to yell as loud as I could to support them, they were all winners. With tears in my eyes, I wanted to still be there, I wanted to be good enough to help, I wanted to be with them. As each lap was completed, one more of our girls were pulled. The officials did say that they would pull riders aggressively, and they did. I am not sure how many of the racers were actually allowed to race the whole circuit, but it seemed like 75% of the field were pulled before the finish. And at the end of it all, we came together as a team, with so many different experiences, both on and off the race courses. Some experiences funny, some serious. All held together by a bond called a team. Thanks to SC Velo - Empower Coaching for letting me be a part of that team!