Redlands Rockstars

I'm not talking about the kind with skinny jeans and panda ears, but our very own Karla Kingsley and Mary Ellen Ash. Karla's report can be found here, http://karlajanekingsley.blogspot.com/

Karla warming up and feeling good!

Keep reading for Mary Ellen's report...

Redlands from the perspective of a sprinter: With four days of pain awaiting the athletes, it would be an exciting ride for the athletes who were selected to participate in the 2008 Redlands Classic!!!

Day 1 - A 5km uphill TT would be sure to test the athletes legs and separate the strong from the weak.

Day 2 - The Beaumont Circuit Race - A new course for 2008. It consisted of ~110km of racing with mostly flat open roads and 2 little climbs to test the athletes.

Day 3 - The Downtown Criterium. After 2 hard days of racing, this was sure to be a test of mental strength in the ability to fight the 'burn.'

Day 4 - the Sunset Road Race. The penultimate stage set through some lovely winding roads in the Redlands hills. This might have been the toughest stage of them all.

Thursday: The uphill TT was definitely a challenge in many ways. While I'm not a climber and a pretty poor Time Trialler, it was definitely going to be a interesting stage. I had opted not to use TT bars for the event since it was mostly uphill and I was more comfortable in my drops. After a good warm up, the legs had finally opened up for the race and I was hoping for a decent showing. With 2 minutes until my start, I was getting my bike weighed and checked by the commissaire and was shocked to find that my lil' road bike was not properly set up for TT-ing. Aparently my saddle was too far forward. So in an instant, my bike went from super comfy to unbearable! The Mavic boys slammed my seat over 2cm arears! I sat in the starting box trying to settle myself and roll with the change. I had a strong start. But when I sat down, I could tell the seat was in the wrong place because even at my 100% effort! I felt really stretched. Once I hit the base of the climb, I found it best to climb out of the saddle. I had some fast ladies pass me and then the pain was over.When I eventually found my time, I was 99th(15m36s). Definitely disappointed, but I took a positive in the fact that 99 was the chosen number of the great Wayne Gretzky. And since I'm Canadian, that number means a lot to me. I was hoping the number 99 would bring my luck in the next few stages. On another positive note, there were some pro men with slower times than mine. nice.

Friday: After another nice little warmup, the legs felt good and we rolled over to the start. It was very exciting seeing all the girls lined up. Everyone was visibly tense. After the gunshot, the peleton was off. And wouldn't you know it, I was just about to experience a whole bunch of firsts at the NRC level. My rear tire went flat within the first 1 mile of the race (a first). Darn it! I threw my right arm into the air and got my first ever rear wheel change (another first)! It was quick and the Mavic boys gave me a nice nudge to get going. And into my first NRC chase began (yet another first). I was still within the long caravan, and so I was able to duck in-and-out of the cars to get back into the pack (never had a caravan before). And then I did it! I caught back on (another first). And then I fell off again once we hit a small incline since I was already maxing out to catch the pack. Luckily I had a great team mate, Laurel Green, who dropped back and pulled me back into the fold (my final first). Phew. I was back in the pack and trying to recover from the massive effort.And then I kind of exploded. As the peleton hit the base of the climb, I lost touch once more. The first pitch was rather steep and enough to shed me from the pack. I trickled back through the caravan and then hit the first descent. I gained back a few spots in the caravan until the next little rise when I completely lost the caravan. I descended once again with full speed in a effort to catch the rear of the peleton. Elis Bradshaw caught my wheel and the two of us TT'ed. Elis and I rolled around the course with the mantra, 'never give up,' going through our heads. We combined our forces in an effort to make the time cut. It was both the most horrible day of racing, yet the most fulfilling day of racing I have ever experienced. I found new levels of pain I could endure. It was gut-wrenchingly difficult to keep pedalling. Up the final ascents, my legs were cramping and I was just willing my legs to turn over the pedals. It was an incredible day of racing. I am honored to have ridden with Elis and it will never be forgotten. I so proud of Elis and I for our efforts and also everyone who finished the race.

Saturday: Since the race times were posted at 9pm last night, Elis and I were left to battle for a starting position in the morning. Although we had worked together for a incredible 3hrs, our finishing time was outside the time cut. There commissaires chose to extend the 10% limit to 15% which encompassed the majority of riders who finished the race. Unfortunately, Elis and I were of the five (5) racers who's times didn't make the cut. With our Team Manager, Laurel Green, the three of us rolled over to the Commissaire box. After several pleads with the officials, it became apparent that we would not be allowed to start the day. It was very disappointing to give 100% of ourselves to the race the previous day. There were many times we could have quit the race, knowing we might not make the time cut, but we chose to push forward in hopes of being given the chance to race anyways. It was a tough lesson. Its always hard when someone else decides you're not allow to continue racing. After a few shed tears, a couple of free Starbucks Frappuccinos, I was happy camper and cheering on my team mates. It looked like a really tough race with the peleton strung out for most of the event. Ouch!

Sunday: I was in the feedzone and happy. Another great day of racing. MY legs were sore just watching the event! It was an incredible day of racing from the women. Most impressive, was watching the sprinters (Laura Van Gilder and Kat Carroll) remain with the lead group for the whole race. It was awesome to see the sprinters climbing!! I hope one day I'll be able to find their secret. It was a memorable first Redlands. I've learned a lot about racing and about what it takes to get to the top level.

Thanks for reading!