Race Report: Brentwood GP Women's Cat 3/4

Event: Brentwood Grand Prix
Race: Womens Cat 3/4
Who: Julie (4th), Trudi(12th), Nicole (in the pack) and Betsy (3rd)


With four of us representing the NOW team in the Womens Cat 3/4, it was a perfect start to yet another gorgeous day in sunny California. After assessing the field during our warm-up laps, our strategy was to stay up front and near each other so we could chase down any attacks. From the start, the pace was relatively fast for Cat 3/4 and there were many attempts (mostly from the two Lisas riding for Fast Fridays) to attack off the front after the turns, but we worked well together to make sure that no one could breakaway. Julie, with her racing experience and expertise, provided great leadership and always seemed to be in the right place to make sure no one got away. My job was to stay on her wheel and chase down attacks as well. The field stayed intact the entire 40 minutes. While it would have been ideal if we could have orchestrated our own breakaway, it just didn't seem worth the effort after watching so many other failed attempts by other teams. All four of us were riding strong and up in the front third. It was especially great to see Nicole riding so aggressively with less than a year on the bike. About half way through the race, Trudi made a very impressive move to the front of the pack to lead the field. On the last turn closest to Wilshire Blvd, an unattached rider hit the deck, forcing Trudi and Nicole to lose significant momentum out of the turn. About an 1/8 mile before the last turn, the pace was cranked up when Leah Bellamy (Fog Racing) started sprinting from the right side. By the time we rou nded the last turn, it was an all out sprint to the finish line. It was great to have such strong team representation...just too bad that the season is nearly over!

Betsy
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