Tour de Grove NCC

This weekend was the Tour de Grove race weekend in St. Louis, MO.  I had planned on going to this, but while I was away at Speedweek I had decided to stay home because I was homesick for the family.  Then a couple days out, my friend Tim emailed saying I'd be welcome to come down, bring Jason and the kids, and stay with his family for the weekend. It's a relatively easy drive, and I was able to talk Jason into it fairly easily so we were set to go!

The weekend consisted of the main event, the Tour de Grove with $7200 prize money for the women on Saturday, a night race on Friday and a Sunday afternoon race, both with nice prize lists of around $1200.  All three races would have big strong fields and great racing.  

I ended up pulling myself out of the Friday night race.  I just didn't like the bumpy back side of the course.   Sometimes you've got to listen to those feelings....as long as it's not too often.

On Saturday I had a hard time getting my head in the game, and almost didn't go to the line.  But I'm sure glad I did because once I got in the race I felt amazing!  The course was really long with nice wide corners until the final turn is a hairpin.  Not a super sharp hairpin, but a hairpin nonetheless.   Vanderkitten was throwing down consistent attacks, and a few other individuals as well, but nothing stuck.  At 3 to go I moved up into perfect position!  I was really excited.  I was surfing the front really well and eyeing the other sprinters;  Sam Shneider, LVG, Erica Allar, Sarah Fader.  I was right there!!  At the second to last corner I was in third position, on Laura Van Gilder's wheel who was on the Vanderkitten lead out.  This was it!  Then somehow in the long straightaway leading up to the hairpin I chickened out completely and lost about 25 spots ending up in 25th place.  On one hand I was very disappointed.  But on the other hand I was happy to have raced a good race and put myself in the right position.  I was super mad at myself for choking, but it happens.  

I decided to call it a weekend and we spend Sunday being tourists and hanging out at the St. Louis arch.  The weekend was kind of a bust for bike racing, but we had a great time with our friends and hanging out as a family.