Sprinting to Great Finishes

Hi everyone!! Great to be back this year and riding for Dynamic Physical Therapy Cycling powered by Pathfinder. I am happy to say that I am no longer a true newbie since this is my second year of bike racing. Last season, I was happy with my results as a first time racer and knew that this year I wanted to improve even more. I am excited to be a part of such a dynamic group of racers.  Currently, I am deep into my intern year of emergency medicine residency and, for me, cycling is the greatest form of stress release. Fortunately, this winter and spring have been mild, so I was able to get in some good rides for my sanity.

I was excited to test my legs in the ABRA opener Morgantown Road Race. Going into the race, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew that people were fast this year because of nice weather and good training over the winter. I was able to pre-ride the course with the team, which proved to be a great help.  Unlike last year, the weather could not have been better. The race started out in a big group and remained that way most of the first 20 or so miles. We made it to the first climb and the group split. There were about 5 or 6 of us in the lead group taking turns pulling. At about the second or third big climb, the leader pulled away. A group of us put in efforts to chase her down, but came up short. During the race, I felt pretty strong on the climbs and was happy with how the race was turning out. By the last climb, I knew that I could finish strong if I just remained patient and did not try to do anything crazy. Stephanie, Betsy and I came down the final miles to the finish, and I was able to sprint across the line for a third place finish. Needless to say, I was happy with my performance compared to last year (about 30 minutes faster). Everyone did an awesome job in the race; that is one tough course for an opening race. Big thanks to all of the volunteers and JR.

 Sprint to the Finish

After a great vacation in sunny Key West (like teammate Justine, I too missed riding the mountains of WV), I was back on the bike for a week of training before the Green County Road Race. 40’s and rain was in the weather forecast. Good day for sleeping in! But a small group of do-or-die die cyclists, decided to go and do a bike race. This race last year was one of my favorites; the weather was awesome and the course was beautiful. This year, I don’t remember any beauty in the course, except when I crossed the finish line. My legs were cold and we were all drenched. Half-way through the race, I caught myself wishing I was back in Key West. The course itself was great, a couple of good climbs near the finish. The group I was riding with put in impressive efforts.  At 200m to go, I put on my race face and was able to cross the line in second place! The Swiftwick arm warmers definitely helped my arms stay warm! All in all, it was a fun race and I’m looking forward to nicer weather to come! I want to thank the volunteers who helped in the wet cold weather. Their job was probably much more miserable standing wet for hours. Without them, this race would not have gone so smoothly.

Sprint to the finish again, I am really going to work hard to improve on my sprints:

Again, thanks to all of our sponsors. You guys seriously rock! And everyone on the team is so positive. It is really great to be around people that appreciate the sport and want to ride and have fun.