Type A “Control Freak” Rolling with the Punches. . .

At the start of the year, when I sat down with my coach, and we carefully reviewed all of the 2018 races that I could feasibly get to and race, while still working my 45-50 hr/week job, we decided to prioritize large UCI/PRT Stage and Road Races over Crits. . . my ultimate goal this year is to gain experience at the UCI/PRT level, and perform well enough to “get noticed”, and potentially picked up by a Pro Team for 2019 (ideally, a WWT team, or a team that races a lot of road/stage races, as my current strengths make me much more of an asset in long/hard road/stage races over multiple days than 60 minute crits).

Well, the best laid plans. . . Haaaa!!

For an itemized, brief summary of my revised Race/Travel Plans, you can check out the 2018 Schedule & Results Page, or read below for all of the details!

The First Punch

The first punch this year was my inability to find a Guest Ride Spot at Tour of the Gila. I was admittedly bummed, but was fortunate enough to find a spot with the Amy D Foundation at Joe Martin Stage Race (Race Report Here), and with JL Velo Cycling at Redlands Classic, so I made the best of it, and headed out to CA early after JMSR to race The Sea Otter Classic in place of Gila 🙂

The Second Punch

Initially, we had chosen to forgo OKC Pro-AM, Tulsa Tough, and defending my 2017 TT Title at the USAC Masters National Championship, in favor of racing Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend, OR & North Star Grand Prix in St. Paul, MN – both of which would help to build my resume and help me to “get noticed” with solid racing/placements. . . . but unfortunately, both of these iconic races ended up being cancelled for 2018, with plans to return in 2019 . . . I was also hoping to race the UCI Winston Salem Cycling Classic Road Race, but unfortunately was not able to find a Composite Team or Guest Ride Spot.

Detour Not Dead End

But, you know what I keep saying. . . “Detour, Not Dead End“, right?!? So when I had a couple of teams offer me guest ride spots at Bike the Bricks Crit, the OKC ProAm Classic Crits, and Tulsa Tough, I threw all of those carefully laid plans out the window, and jumped at the opportunity!

Will racing these Crits showcase my strengths in the way that a solid GC Placement at Cascades or NSGP would have? Probably not (but possibly in a different way?!). If I’ve learned nothing else from the last several years of racing though, it’s that sometimes forcing yourself well outside of your “comfort zone” is just as important and necessary as working on continuing to improve your strengths. It’s sure as heck not comfortable most of the time, but it’s the fastest way I’ve personally found to grow, develop, and improve as a well-rounded bike racer, hopefully making me an even more valuable asset to a team down the road.

And the other bright side to all this?!? With NSGP being cancelled, my schedule opened up so that I’ll have the opportunity to try to defend my 2017 Masters Time Trial National Championship Title! Yipee!!!

Revised May/June Race Plans!

So, without further ado, here are my revised race/travel plans for Late May/June!

• May 25th: Bike The Bricks in McKinney, TX with Pickle Juice Pro Cycling! (I’m SO STOKED to meet and get to race with Colleen Gulick & Alijah Beatty!
• June 1-3: OKC ProAm Classic in Oklahoma City, OK with Pickle Juice Pro Cycling! (This is one of my FAVORITE Crit Series of the year!)
• June 8-10: Tulsa Tough in Tulsa, OK with DNA Cycling Team (Yay! Can’t wait!!)
• June 14 & 16: USAC Masters National Championships – Time Trial & Road Race in Augusta, GA
• June 21 & 24: USAC Pro National Championships – Time Trial & Road Race in Knoxville, TX

Looking Forward – What’s Next?

Kristin Armstrong Chrono TT (ASWB Twilight Crit, Chicken Dinner RR) Jul 13-15

After returning from this month-long trip, I’m REALLY (really, really!!) hoping to find some way to get an invite to race the Kristin Armstrong Chrono Time Trial (along with the ASWB Twilight Crit and Chicken Dinner Road Race) in Boise, ID July 13-15. . . . however, I know that this is an Elite, Invite Only TT, and the chances of me acquiring a guest ride spot as pretty much an “unknown” are slim to none. . .

Since when do I back down when the odds are against me, though? LOL!

I’m going to throw my hat into the Lottery with the Zwift Competition on May 30th . . .getting up at 5am to knock that out before hitting the road to meet up with the Pickle Juice Ladies in OKC! Time Trials & Crits go together, right?!? hehehe 1 lucky woman who completes the 10 mile TT in under 27 minutes will be given a spot in the “real” TT on July 13th. . so it’s a long shot, and based more on luck than anything (random drawing of qualifiers), but I’ve got to at least ante up! (#All-In, right!?!? )

I’m making the Pro Nats TT on June 21st my “A” Race, and my coach and I are tailoring my training between now and then (around Crits! lol) in order to peak my performance at Pro Nats TT. In a perfect world, I’d post a Top 10 time, turn some heads, and possibly earn a last minute invite to the Chrono TT that way. . . .

Colorado Classic (Aug 16-19)

This is another Elite, Invite Only, UCI Stage Race that I’ll need to secure either a Guest Ride or Composite Team spot for. . . I haven’t really put out many feelers yet because I was focusing on finding a spot for Winston Salem, but hope to be able to secure a spot at the Colorado Classic Stage Race this year!

Green Mountain Stage Race (Aug 31 – Sep 3)

A Stage Race in the Green Mountains of Vermont! This one overlaps with The Gateway Cup, but I think I will have had my fill of Crit Racing after Tulsa and OKC, and look forward to racing this challenging Stage Race in the mountains instead! This one isn’t UCI, so I’ll be able to register for it without hunting for a Guest/Composite Spot 🙂

September/October – Ultra Time!

After returning home from Vermont, I hope to defend my TX State Champion Road Race Titles in Mid-September, and then will switch my focus back to Ultra Racing through the end of October. I’m planning to race the 12 Hour Time Trial at the Texas Time Trials in Glen Rose, TX in late September, am considering the NCOM 383 Mile Anton Chigurh Ultra Race on Oct 13th in Alpine, TX, and will be returning to defend my 12 Hour World Time Trial Championship Title in Borrego Springs, CA on October 27th!

2018 Zwift Academy?

And who knows. . . I may even try to juggle the Zwift Academy again as I take on these late-season races. . . I really enjoyed the workouts last year, and the camaraderie built with other ZA Participants!