April 24, 2016

The race was grueling, a good hard spring classic to test the legs and confidence of northern California riders across all fields.  The 1 /2 field started slowly, testing the legs up the first hill but with no real digs and no sharp accelerations.  It was by no means lazy, but no one really wanted to go pedal to the metal yet.  As lap two rolled round, attacks went as soon as the hill rose underneath us.  With an attack, then a counter, and yet another counter after that, the field shattered across the hills, with about half the group staying intact.  As the descent started the men neutralized those left to suffer off the back, and the gap grew to an almost impossible time.  Some made it back to the group, just in time for a third lap of hills with another barrage of attacks started on the false flat leading into the steep hill.  Again, people shattered off the back of the group, now down to its final 10.  Amy and Sara Enders leapt away from the pack soon after the steep hill, in an effort to follow Diane, from Folsom.  Although the break stayed away for three quarters of a lap, the rest of the pack clawed their way back, and as the last corner was rounded, Amy and Sara were left to duke it out with 8 other women, with Diane riding away like it was nothing.

By the time the 3’s got to their race, it was windy and hot.  Their course was half the long course but equally hilly.  With great team work, including a solo lap off the front for each Mikes Bikes team mate, Erin came to the line with a punishing third place sprint finish.  For the effort, she upgraded to a cat 2 and now gets to test the water with a 71 mile hilly road race at the upcoming Berkeley Hill Road Race.