freedom tour

Since my mental implosion at the Giro Del Cielo, I’ve been working with a coach on some crit specific skills. The sessions have boosted my confidence. Mentally, I’m back to the same place I was prior to the Ronde Van Mullica, so I decided to give it a go at the Freedom Tour.

There were only eight women pre-registered for the race. On the drive to Stirling I received word from a friend that she wouldn’t be able to make it. I arrived to find that another rider was not coming as well.

Six of us lined up for the final race of the day. Even though the field size was small, I entered with the mindset that every race is an opportunity to learn and gain experience. This was a chance to work on cornering and sprinting skills, which forced me into a position that I’ve yet to get comfortable in...the drops.

When the bell rang for the first prime, the pace picked up a bit, and then settled down once we crossed the line. On the second prime, two riders went off the front and just kept going. I made an attempt to close the gap, but failed. From that point on, I knew it would be a sprint for third and I knew which rider it would be against.

The bell rang for the final lap and I was on the front. I tried not to go too hard too soon (already learned my lesson there), but waited until the final turn, which was about 300 meters from the finish line. My first real sprint, in the drops put me across the line in third place. I even won a prime!