Team Revolution

(wow, that’s a hokey image!)
A quick update and thank you to all that have read and given feedback on this issue. We’re excited about the positive talk that’s happened and I give kudos to the mayor for being incredibly receptive to our suggestions and feedback.

There’s still hope for the Tour of Elk Grove to give women two races that weekend. We’ll keep our fingers crossed do some so heavy lifting to get a good show of women if that opportunity should arise.

While this issue is far from its solution, it’s knowing guys like Luke and the women we race with and against are out there teaching, promoting and mentoring (sorry if that sounds too much like a pat on the back). In the meantime, we’ll keep chugging away at building our communities where we live and ride and I’ll keep the info, as I get it, posted here.

It’s been a tough few days. I’ve rather suddenly taken a more political stance than usual. I’ve been in a few conversations trying to defend women’s racing and it’s continued support. After a heated conversation last year with the Tour of KC director about his negligence in properly addressing women’s fields, I’m on the soap box again with the coordinator for the Tour of Elk Grove.

You can read the point of my concern here.

It’s a difficult position to be in; to feel like you’re running around, doing what you can to impact a larger issue. It’s embarrassing to show at a race event crowded with men who’ve had to secure their spot in the race months in advance, to line up with 10, 20, and on the best day, 30-50 other women. Where race limits allow for 100 women, we’re lucky if the field is half that size. It’s equally embarrassing for a sponsor or race-coordinator, if not more so. So, then, what should I tell them? How can I argue?

I ask for patience. It’s up to communities like ours to build the racers, to increase the confidence of women enough to stand on the line and learn to take a corner in a field of other women. What we have here in St. Louis may be fairly unique. Sometimes I like to think so; at times like these, I think it’s unfortunate.

I was frustrated with Elk Grove’s decisions because I felt like they made drastic changes without really asking a broad group of women and teams what their incentives were. I complained that, while increasing the prize money, they REMOVED a race from the weekend event; which sometimes is critical in the travel decision-making. A single race with double the pot isn’t the right incentive, I said. If you walk up to a $5 black jack table with $10, are you more likely to blindly double-down or know at least you’ve got two hands to try and win? (Bad analogy, but you get the picture)

Kelly Benjamin, of Cheerwine, attended a race in Kansas City the Saturday before the event and flew to Chicago for Sunday’s race; are these the lengths women have to endure in order to get two races in? Those of us that attended 2007’s race saw Cheerwine dominate the field of mostly single pro riders. They were the only pro TEAM that attended. Other pros showed up, but had few or no teammates to work with. I honestly felt that those women secretly swore to not let that happen again. That they walked away resolving to come back better equipped with their squads.

(*addendum*) I don’t mean to imply that the competition simply rolled over for Cheerwine. Their race execution was enviable and I feel like it would have prompted other women’s teams to show up and try to put up a better performance. No other team was as well represented, in both numbers and standings.

But then “the powers that be” changed the date, significantly dropped the purse and made the race a single OPEN race. And now, here I am, heatedly debating which position to take. how can I continue to justify support from sponsors that aren’t patient enough to see results?

Hey Everyone,
Here I come draggin’ my tail….
To work soooo hard and then, well accidents happen.
Okay, the stakes were high. 5, well maybe six, $500 primes, a mid race $1000 prime, and a $4000 1st place prize, not to mention the remaining monies in the 19 spots left in payout.
the first of the primes came within 5 laps. Let’s put it this way, Cheerwine took 3 of the $500 primes and the mid race prime. They had Sara Bamberger off the front for what it felt like 1/2 the race! 2 of the primes were pack sprints, in which one of, I keyed up for. With a Cheerwine leadout and a dominant track riders wheel, I sat 4 wheel behind Brooke Miller, Laura Van Gilder, and forgive, I think, Chrissy Ruitter.
Brooke goes with the first jump to the right, leaving me with a 1/2 bike lenght gap form Laura, and a decision. I chose Brooke, and the guns went off..Away went Laura. I rolled with the sprint and kept with the group, but no $500 for me!

Earlier, Chrissy Ruiter had attacked with a look at me, like she wanted me to react, and I did, away we went….only for a bit, the pack wasn’t having it.

Later in the race with around 8 to go, things started to heat up. With a first turn around you a median curb, I attacked hard into it, with intentions of tagging onto the two off the front and chaser in between. Around the bend I went, looked between my legs, only to see the wheel and shoes of Brooke Miller. I flicked my arm once we were safe, and I hear “No”. I’m like…What? she exclaims..”I have a teammate up there, sorry”. I think, Oh man!!!!!@.#*/ Well, hindsight, I should have kept it floored and took a chance on taking her to her teammate. But….we returned to the group.
The last 2 laps showed to be really dicey. With one to go, we round the first turn and try to vie for position for the second half of the course. With what I think was around .7 miles left to go in the 1.7 mile course, 3 Cheerwine’s on the front and a hungry row across the road to follow and me right in line behind it.
Wait!!!!!

Let me tell you, women are really very logical when they are on the bike, but you push the FF button and things get really messed up. The girl in front of me, still do not know who she was, but her wheels are in my thoughts…shakes it, and bakes it, pavement style! I watch, in slow motion, mentally, miss her wheels and running over her, and hear the worst crack of a frame to my right, and I dead stop.
I slip through the debris and chase the snarling pack….
Head wind to come, I had my work cut out for me.
Kristen Wentworth dug deeper and got closer, but neither of us would enjoy a sprint or the love of GREEN today!!!
hmmmmm.

Kuddos to Megan Elliot for her attempt with 3 to go!!! What courage.
Kuddos to Kristen for her $500 prime and surviving the crash to finish one place above me.
Kuddos to Tamyra for suffering yet another disappointment in a pro field (girl we will have our day!!)

Thanks to all the girls who raced, it was awesome!!
Congrats Cheerwine!