The complete 5-woman squad came together in Madera over the past weekend for the 2010 Madera Stage Race. With 34 P1/2 female riders starting the race Saturday morning with a crit, the women knew the competition would be ready to throw down. The ladies rode smart, watched other teams and avoided waisting too much energy going for the intermediate sprint time bonuses. Everything seemed to be going well until Cody had a mechanical issue and the officials wouldn't let her back into the group after her stop in the wheel-pit. Cody was forced to chase in the remaining laps, only to see SBB picking herself up off the pavement after avoiding a terribly unnecessary crash; she had carefully come to a stop but was then hit from the side by another rider who had failed to slow down. She was launched super-man style. Annie, Catherine, and Emily made it through the chaos, and Emily sprinted to 3rd, securing a 5 sec time bonus.
The 10 mile TT later Saturday afternoon was marked by serious wind -- seemingly from every direction. It didn't stop EEK from taking 5th in the event and securing a top-5 place going into the RR. With the team well aware of the top contenders - the girls prepared for the 68 mile RR on Sunday.
Annie, EEK, CRG, and Cody started the RR, while SBB went to the feedzone to keep the girls hydrated. CRG was forced to succumb to a mechanical issue in the first few laps. Cody and Annie showed their dedication to supporting Emily by patrolling the front of the group and keeping any possible breaks from getting away. This allowed Emily to focus on the finish where she again was able to sprint for 3rd and gain an additional 5 sec time bonus. All the excellent team work in their first stage race together paid off as Emily secured 4th in the final GC.Thanks to Michael Hernandez for all his pictures from the weekend events.
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