Race Report - Route One Rampage

This is a little past due but better late than never. After almost a year off the racing-scene I finally pinned on a number to participate in the Route One Rampage. It was a last minute call; I rode HED training wheels complete with well used Gatorskins on my aluminum CAAD and even forgot gloves. Clearly I was not in it to win it, it was more of a let's-get-back-in-it. 

While the race is billed as a criterium I will quote a former teammate (Dano!) in saying this is NOT a proper-crit. As in, half the course is a hill of some form or the other. On my preview  ride my inside voice had this conversation:

Start line into a wide right turn. Pedestrians are an issue but the road guards seem to be managing the situation.  Clear the turn and - oh- this must be the hill. Just kind of a gradual grade, nothing too hard. I don't know what everyone is talking about. 

Hard right turn into - OH. THIS is the hill. &*^%. We're doing this how many times? 

I should have brought lighter wheels. Maybe I shouldn't have had breakfast. Oh yay, rewarded with a fun downhill. What the?? Speedbumps on the downhill? Brakes!... kind of a tight turn into the construction zone. Nice long drag to the finish, then back to the hills. 

 It was a very small womens field; 11? maybe? At the start line we were asked if we wanted to go the full 60min or take it down to 45min. There was unanimous agreement for to 45min and off we went. The first few laps were fairly civilized. Then on an attack up with "real" hill I did the greyhound-rabbit thing - chasing what moved and forgetting that I haven't regained the legs to match my ambition. About 3/4 of the way up the hill in full-on chase the wheels fell off the wagon. I drifted through the pack (in the wrong direction) and found myself chasing with one girl ahead of me and Artemis hanging on my wheel. I chased about half a lap and caught the one ahead - letting up a pedal stroke to let Artemis pull though and - wait - what? Instead of pulling through, she accelerated. It wasn't a huge attack but definitely a -thank you very much for the pull but I'll be going now. 


THANK YOU to the fantastic woman on the sideline near the s/f line. She kept shouting for Colavita to keep going, you're catching her, you got this! Every. Single. Lap. And I was catching her. And I was NOT going to give up. Call this my little race after relegating myself out of the real race. 

I did catch her, and the Colativa cheerer sounded almost as vindicated as I felt. Artemis tried to sit on my wheel again and, using my outside voice, I said oh, no. You did that to me once, it's not happening again. I felt very silly but so faux pro weaving left and right on the gradual hill to ensure there was no benefit given. We got to the hill and I picked up the pace as hard as I could. When I came through the finishing stretch the woman on the sidelines announced that I had dropped Artemis. The race wasn't over, though. I picked up an ABRT rider with a lap or two to go. Initially I wasn't going to let her sit on my wheel either (I was jaded, what can I say) but I wound up taking her in with me to the finish line. 

I guess that wasn't a short synopsis but that's how I saw the race. I went in with no expectations but found some of my old -oh-hell-no attitude and even a little spark of remembering why I love this masochistic sport.

Thanks to the UMD cycling team for hosting the races and thanks to Dominion Cycling Photography for the fun photos!