Fun in the Sun - Valley of the Sun Race Report!

Tamara Bessette, Ivy Audrian, Caleb Craft

Valley of the Sun: 3 stages, 3 riders, 3 top finishers!

Day One: 14.2 mile TT. Weather was perfect. 65 and very little wind. One would think that after 15 years of racing nerves would not be much of an issue - wrong. It is always the same....trouble eating...multiple trips to the port-a-potty. The nice thing about today was that i was able to help Ivy and Caleb get ready for thier races without jepordizing my preparation. Caleb raced at 9:20 and Ivy at 9:40.

Caleb finished an impressive 6th out of his field of 50 (7th out of a total of 100 cat 5's)

Ivy finished 4th in her field...shaving off almost 3 minutes from 2009.

I finished 8th in my field. My time was faster than last year and i was happy to be in the top ten. My field was a bit smaller than last year but some very strong riders that i knew would be laying down times that would be wicked fast.

Day Two: Road Race. Once again - i was able to be support for Ivy and Caleb as they raced in the morning heats. They both raced 41 miles and weather was again, perfect! Caleb finished about 8th and Ivy 9th. Finish was about 1km after the feed zone. Not a true hill top finish but enough to split things up.

My race was with the pro 1/2 women and the cat 3 women (about 60 riders total). Because last year there were 4 crashes in this race - i promised myself to be either in the top 5 or in my "safe spot" (rear of the field on the yellow line). I spent time in both spots about 50/50...but avoiding the middle of the pack where things tend to get sketchy. There were several attacks made by teams that had riders in the standings. None stuck - of course - not enough hills and too many strong riders willing to chase. I was very worried about the 57 mile distance. I haven't raced that distance since last fall....a bit scary. Started sipping my Hammer Perpetuem in the first 10 miles and continued untill the last climb.

The last 16 mile loop was a leg burner. Either soft peddaling at about 20 or throddle down at about 30...my legs were on fire...not sure i could hang on the last climb. Well - the last climb came and i decided not to wait for someone else to set pace - hit the front and started to climb. The other racers in contention quickley came around and i found myselft about 30th with 1km to go. Somehow i was able to make my way to the front of the field and was in the sprint finish. Took 5th...very happy. Although the times do not reflect - the rest of the peleton was very strung out.

Day 3: Crit. : Caleb raced at 8:45. I gave him the "nothing to lose" and "don't pull just to pull" speech. He raced perfect. Started at the front and finished at the front (5th or 6th). Took a couple of flyers. Incredible race for the new NRO rider!! So proud.

Ivy raced at 9:45. 20 minutes. She got the hole shot and totally strung the field out. I was so proud of her. She rode aggressive and put pain into the legs of the entire field. The average speed of the cat4 field increased from 20mph in 2009 to 25mph this year. I don't think she dropped out of the top 5 riders once. Sprinted to a 4th place finish. Ivy held on to her 4th place overall finish and was on the podium. Way to go Ivy!!!

My race was last. 1:50pm. Ok..so now i needed to practice what i preached. Those of you who know me know that riding in fields of 50+ is not my favorite thing. I usually start at the back...have trouble getting into my cleat....work my ass off to get toward the front...take a tolken flyer...yadda, yadda, yadda. Well - i decided not today. I started in the front row. The entire time the official was giving instructions (not that i pay attention anyway) i was saying to myself "stay calm and clip in just like a training ride". I did not listen for the whistle...rather watched the official and the minute she started to raise it to her lips i was off.

FIRST THROUGH THE FIRST CORNER!!!!!!! Yes....i was not going to ride this as a passenger. My goal was to get rid of as many of the weaker riders asap. I lead for 2 laps - standing out of every corner and holding the highest speed i could. Ivy said the field was single file and gaps opened that never closed up. I stayed in the top 3-5 riders for about 25 minutes of the 40 minute crit. Sprinted for three primes but was not able to match the power of the sprinters. There was one young rider that was scaring the crap out of me that kept getting to the front and actually lapped wheels a couple of times. We all yelled - but she would not go away. Knowing i was not giong to win this race - i settled in towad the rear of the peleton. I think i placed about 20th. It was a fun race and i really overcame some of my personal obstacles. So yes...after 15 years of racing..you can break barriers. I was pleased with my race.

Finished in 9th overall. In the money. Good enough for Feb!!!!!




NRO was a definite force despite being few in numbers. We made it clear that we could be a presence in the race, even against the folks from down south who have a serious training advantage. Look out Walla Walla!