Race Report: 2025 Copper Valley Circuit Race - Women’s Cat 3/4/5
Race: Copper Valley Circuit Race - Women’s Cat 3/4/5
Date: February 23, 2025
AVRT racers: Alex Cameron, Chris Davis, Hannah Chen, Sam Dewees
Top Result: Hannah 4/10 (Cat 4), Sam 5/10 (Cat 4), Alex 6/10 (Cat 4), Chris 1/2 (Masters)
Course: The race was 3 laps on an out-and-back 5.2-ish mile course. The roads were dry and well-paved, and the course was flattish with some mild hills that didn’t dramatically affect the pace. It was warmer than expected (mid-60s-low 70s) and wasn’t noticeably windy. The only technical sections were the two 180-degree turn-around points, which slowed the pace.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/13708297471/segments/3329007177598663282
Nutrition: Since it was such a short race, there wasn’t a feed zone or water on course. Most riders carried one bottle of water and did not eat during the race. I had a fig bar about 45 minutes before the race and drank some water with Skratch during my warmup. I did not eat or drink during the race.
This was Alex’s and my first race, so Chris and Hannah put together the strategy for our team. The aim was for Chris and Hannah to control the pace, attacking often and bringing back other riders who attacked, while Alex and I kept ourselves in position on other riders’ wheels to conserve energy and hopefully find ourselves able to sprint to the finish.
Since the race was only 40 minutes, we anticipated riding 3-4 laps around the course. However, there was some confusion throughout the race as to the total number of laps we were expected to ride, as the start and finish were at different locations on the course.
Chris and Hannah followed the race plan, and attacked throughout the race. Sometimes other riders immediately responded to their attacks and the pace increased, and other times, the group let the attacker ride solo for a while off the front, before they were eventually pulled back into the group. A breakaway never formed, and we rode almost the entire race in one group. The turn-around points significantly slowed the pace each time, and riders would often try to surge out of the corners, but then would slow down enough that no one was dropped for long and the group would reform.
I went into this race with no expectations, as I didn’t know how I would compare to the other riders or how our strategy would play out, but I was hopeful to have a good result and finish on the podium. My intention, at the very least, was to not get dropped and to stay on the wheel of another rider as much as possible until the finish. While I achieved this goal, I finished the race feeling like I was a little overly cautious with conserving energy. I also misjudged how many laps we had remaining, so I found myself a bit farther back than I wanted to be as we were approaching the finish, and I scrambled to make up places, when I had hoped to have a strong, properly timed sprint to the line. I finished the race happy to take 5th place but feeling like I had more to offer.
Overall, I really enjoyed this race and I felt it was a great first race experience. I learned a lot about race dynamics and about my own abilities as a rider. It was so much fun to have Chris and Hannah to show us how it’s done, and I am excited to keep improving this season!
- Sam