2003 Redlands Classic
Redlands, CA
April 1-6, 2003

Hi everyone,

It's that time of the year again. The season is officially underway and I'm sending my first race report. We just finished a grueling six days of racing at the Redlands Cycling Classic. This race is usually the first week of March. It was moved back a month to April this year. We did the race again this year as our Luna team. It was Shonny VanLandingham, Katerina Hanusova, Gina Hall and myself plus the comic relief of Waldek our soigneur/manager and Reg our mechanic.

The race started on Tuesday with a 5km uphill time trial. Genvieve Jeanson from Quebec, Canada smoked us all. It's amazing how much time one can loose in only a ten minute effort. We had a fairly mellow circuit race the next day. Only 36 miles and a stair step climb that wasn't terribly long. Genvieve of course made it challenging each time we tried to stay on her wheel up the hill. Lucky for us there was a long downhill where we were able to chase her down. The race ended in a sprint finish

The third day was the biggie. 130km with the finish up a six mile climb. There were lots of attacks and breaks that Genvieve's team spent the entire race chasing down. That meant the rest of us rode tempo for over three hours. By the time we reached the bottom of the hill I think all of us were running on empty. I know they say you get better gas mileage running on fumes, but I think most of us weren't even operating on four cylinders at that point. I made it up the hill in 13th place I think. It was a huge suffer fest. I used to win this stage. I guess I'm getting older. Ouch.

The fourth day was another brutal day of climbing. It was a new circuit race. 42 miles long, four laps of a challenging course. The climb stair stepped again and at the very end it kicked up at 20%! You'd have to put your car in first gear to get up something this steep. Have I told you how awful I felt? Not a great day. I was what you call pack fill. Genvieve decided to attack the first time up the hill and ride a 40 mile time trial. She put thirteen minutes on the group I was with. Kind of embarassing. I think she needs to race with the men. We're obviously not challenging her enough.

Saturday was a sixty minute criterium. Rather uneventful. No crashes and I even finished in the top fifteen. I felt better and was comfortable mixing it up at the front.

And finally the last day, Sunday. The Sunset Loop road race, another 60 mile suffer fest. Genvieve went from the start and dropped us all on the first climb. I guess she doesn't think that six minutes on second place is enough of a cushion. A little insecure maybe? The rest of us rode around in circles for 2 1/2 hrs, going hard on the hills, attacking each other enough to make it pretty hard at times. I was glad to finish in the main group. Another wonderful day of pack fill.

The race is over and I've just gotten my post race massage. Now we have a few days off and then start the Sea Otter Classic. Yeah for mtn bikes!

I'll be back in a week.

Hope everyone is healthy and happy.

Cheers,
Alison