Chesco Road Race Part Deux

After the race, I cooled down and made my way back to the finish line to look for my friend from another team who had fallen off the back during the second lap. We chatted; I got changed, grabbed a drink and walked to the trailer where the results were posted.

My name was not on the results sheet. A man instructed me to speak with the officials. I gave them my name and bib number. They told me I had finished in 16^th place (five riders after my friend who had gotten dropped). I informed them that this was not correct. They were angry at this remark and said they would fix it, but it would take a while. Twenty minutes later, I walked back and the same results sheet (without my name on it) was posted.

Two women from my race were standing nearby and spoke to an official on my behalf. Once again, she assured me that they would fix the error, but that it was going to take some time. I never saw an official results sheet with my name on it so I felt confident she’d honor her word.

She didn’t. So, I emailed the promoter of the race. Based on what I have heard about his reputation, I don’t expect to hear back from him. For the money I paid to enter the race, asking the officials to get the finishing order correct doesn’t seem unreasonable.

There was a photographer at the finish line. Today I looked at the race photos, which again confirmed my placement. This was my best result so far, one that would have earned me an upgrade point or two. It would have been nice to see that on paper. Hopefully, I can make that happen this weekend in New York.

6th place finish Chesco Road Race

Chesco Road Race

This was my first race outside of the fine state of NJ. It was a 13.2 mile loop, which we completed twice for a total of 26.4 miles.

Last night I was talking to my teammate, Lauren, about carpooling. We went on to discuss what color sports bras and socks we’d wear, and what we planned on eating after the race. While other teams were most likely discussing tactics or the course profile, we had the important things covered.

The NJ races draw the same teams week after week, so it was nice to see some new faces in the field of about twenty women.

We started off slowly and I found myself frequently tapping the brakes. There were several “rolling hills” and one big climb near the finish line. I spent most of the race somewhere in the back, staying hydrated and watching how the other women climbed. Half way into the second lap, I knew where I wanted to be for the finish and got myself into position at the final turn. From there, it was all up hill. I popped it into the little ring and started to pick up the pace, picking off riders one by one...and then, I sprinted...or at least I did what I thought was a sprint, for a 6^th place finish...my best result so far.

The highlight of the day was the Victory Brewing Company, Brewpub on Wheels, which was serving Victory Root Beer on tap. Lauren and I grabbed a cold one, sat in the shade and discussed our next adventure, The Pawling Mountain Road Race this Sunday...I’m baking brownies and we’re wearing our honey badger socks.