“Race” Report: 2024 Early Birds Week 4, Women’s Cat 4
“Race”: Early Birds clinic and practice crit series - week 4
Date: Sunday January 28, 2024
AVRT racers: Robin Kutner, Katie Monaghan, Katarina Zgraja, Ari Pascarella (mentoring)
Top Result: Everyone wins at Earlybirds
Course: 1 km square loop (right turns), closed to traffic, strava here
Strava: Katarina's, Katie's, Robin's, Ari's
Nutrition:
2x white chocolate macadamia nut cookies on the ride to the course. Snacked on Haribo rainbow worms during the 2.5 hrs of lessons and practice crits. 1 GU gel at the end of the training session to get me home. Total 3 bottles of pedialyte sport for the day.
Event Recap (Written by Katarina)
The focus for week 4 of Earlybirds was “Anticipation and Formation”. The Jan 21st early bird clinic was canceled due to rain, so we also touched on sprinting to make up for last week as well. For drills, we practiced switching different formations along the familiar square shaped course. We would first form into a “bunch”, and then after the 2nd turn we would move into 2-by formation, followed by single file at the 3rd turn, and then finally into a sprint after the final turn. After the sprint, we would all slow and get back into the “bunch” formation and repeat. We then lined up to do 3 x 10 minute practice races - the idea was to practice technical skills, and the three of us also wanted to practice different tactical scenarios.
For the first race, we decided that Robin and Katie were going to work the group via attacking/counterattacking, which could either stick as a break or serve to protect me for a field sprint at the end. It was definitely an enjoyable time for me, as I got to hang out in the group, behind someone’s wheel. None of their attacks turned into a break, but it had dropped some people and strung us into single file. On the final lap, one racer pulled ahead. I knew this was my chance, so as soon as she put the gas down, I was right on her wheel, Robin and Katie had done their duty (very well indeed). I kept on her wheel until the last corner, and then shot out in front of her for the sprint.
In the second race, we decided to try something different. The race started a bit slow and Robin and I ended up on the front chatting. Somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd laps, Katie, Robin, and I traded leading/attacking, none of which seemed to really stick, but I think we managed what we were trying to do in tiring out the 2-3 other riders in the front of the group. I remember swapping with Robin in the 4th lap, and then Katie broke away at the bell lap. As she went for the long sprint, Robin and I prevented any threats from bridging up to Katie. She kept her gap and ended up cruising over the line with plenty of space between her and the next up.
For the third race, the mentors suggested those of us who had been in the front (choosing our lines), this time practice the technical aspects of being in other positions within the peloton (more at the mercy of others’ movements). So the three of us intentionally let others control the race. It started very slowly, and then a Sprinklersrider pulled away from the group very early on. Once again, Katie, Robin, and I (since we were the only team that had multiple players racing), controlled the remaining group. We switched off leading, and kept an eye on the racer ahead of us. We didn’t take her effort seriously at first, but with two laps left, we traded pulls and slowly closed the gap to the solo rider. Then on the final lap Robin pulled me until about the 3rd corner, in which I began a “middle length” sprint. I still had legs and I knew that the girl who went solo was probably cooked. I managed to catch her, but was nonetheless super impressed with her awesome effort.
