Margo Chmelik
This was my first event with the team so I was pretty excited. I had lost a lot of training time and even missed a previous race due to a knee injury. This was my first crack at this distance and I do not have a lot group riding experience so I was not sure what to expect. The day started off good. I felt really good the first hour of the ride despite only getting around four hours of sleep. I passed a lot of people. Unfortunately once we got out of town and started some climbing into a head wind I fell off my group. I tried really hard several times to get on the back of a new group as they passed by, but could not keep up. Turns out I was spending too much energy when I was solo so had nothing left to get on the back of a group. Lesson learned for next time!
Usery Pass was challenging especially since I was really tired at that point. I enjoyed chatting with my fellow riders as we struggled up the climb. The views were also breathtaking. When things started easing up, I saw my husband, Greg, and our team mate, Jimmy on the side of the road. Unbeknown to me, Greg had been in crash. They were smiling and waving as I went by. I am very thankful that Jimmy stayed with Greg. The last 20 miles were really tough as my backside was sore and I had some nausea. After taking a break from eating and drinking that passed. I worked with a couple of older gentlemen the last five miles or so which was nice. I would have liked to talk to them when it was over but did not get the chance. I figured out that Greg had crashed and needed to get back to our hotel. Thank the good Lord that Greg was ok. It was a rough weekend as Buzz also had a crash the afternoon before at the state crit championships. God was certainly with our team this weekend!
JJ Schmidt
I have to admit I was dreading waiting at the starting line, I figured I would need to be there 2.5 to 3 hours early to get a good spot. I really wanted to get platinum so I didn't have to get to El Tour de Tucson so early. I was relieved to find out that I wouldn't need to get there as early as I had planned. Then Jimmy sacrificed his platinum pass for me, and I didn't have to get there very early at all. I have to say I really enjoy being part of this team. Jimmy and I arranged to meet Greg and Margo at their hotel, which was right down the street. We were late meeting them, but caught up with them on the way to the start line. I've never ridden to the start line before and it was a nice way to warm up. It made me feel like a true cyclist.
The pace started out pretty quick, but right away Jimmy was up with Greg and me. The course was riddled with obstacles and the incessant yo-yo that happens in a big pack, which was made worse by all the construction cones. I saw more than one rider hit a cone, but luckily I didn't see any of them crash. When the rumble strips showed up, I tried to stay on the outside, but it was frustrating trying to stay inside the yellow lines. On the first decent hill I fell towards the back and was glad I had followed Buzz's advice to get near the front so you can fall back on the hills, but not get dropped. I was able to work my way back up to the front, this time sticking to the inside. I made a pretty risky move on the inside and made my way to the very front, just before Usery Pass, then proceeded to get promptly dropped on the hill.
As I was nearing the top, I saw some riders on the ground, and as i got closer realized it was a teammate. I didn't know if it was Greg or Jimmy, but as I got closer I saw Jimmy coming back towards us, he yelled at me to keep going and as much as I wanted an excuse to stop I kept going. On the descent I was able to work with a couple of guys, but as we turned back toward town I could tell by the mileage and the time that we were not going to make the 3-hour mark. We worked together for a while, split up then regrouped with a few other riders. I ended up crossing the line at 7.5 minutes over 3 hours and was pretty bummed. It helped a little to learn that I finished less than 9 minutes behind the winner. I felt like I let my teammates down. I was super exited when I learned later that they adjusted the times and my time actually earned me platinum status. Woohoo I don't have to wait for hours in the cold at ETdT. Thanks Team! I wouldn't have done as well without you guys.
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