Driveway Mini-series 2 - 05/04/2023 - 06/01/2

This was my first criterium series and a great learning opportunity. The driveway series assigns new riders a mentor. My mentor, Coach Koberg, was a huge help throughout the entire series, especially during the first few races I did.  He rode with me and helped me understand how the pack worked, when to push, and when to draft. Specialized Austin paid for any women to race the Women's Open group for the 2nd Driveway mini-series so big thanks to them!

Race 2, 05/04/2023

This was my first criterium and only the 2nd time I've ever ridden a road bike. It was really fun but super scary. I spent most of the time near the back of the pack, but stayed with it and ended up 17/25. Coach Koberg told me to 'go' and I didn't know what he meant. I could have placed much better if I'd known he meant that I should give it all I had until the finish. I know it will take some time to adjust to the riding style of criteriums, but I think I'll adjust just fine. 

Race 3, 05/11/2023

During this race, I started out feeling really confident, but things soon went awry. I fell off the pack several times and would have gotten completely dropped if it weren't for Coach Koberg, who towed me back to the pack each time I fell behind. Then, I heard a loud crashing sound coming from in front of me. I was able to brake just in time to avoid colliding with the bike in front of me. Several girls in front of me had completely wiped out, and several more girls were stopped, just like I was. Apparently, there was a snake that had tried crossing the track, and someone had freaked out and hit the brakes. I had no idea what to do. Did I stop and help? I mean, I'm 13! What help would I have been able to give with a bunch of trained adults around? Or, do I keep going, and try to catch up to the pack? I don't think I would've been able to do that, either. I decided to keep going, and then I started to try and catch up to the pack. I went through one lap when they waved us down at the finish line, and everyone stopped. Once the crash site had been cleared out, we all started up together again, but I fell behind once more. I finished 14th (there were about 10 DNFs from the crash); it was a super hectic race. 

Race 4, 05/18/2023

This was my first ever race getting lapped by the pack. I was feeling really confident starting out, though I was pretty timid after the last race when I got stuck behind the wreck. About 10 minutes into the race, the finish line balloon deflated into the track The generator ran out of fuel, so the race had to be stopped. Again, the stop mid-race messed me up pretty badly. I got dropped by the pack completely, but there was no way I was giving up. Instead, I set a new goal for myself - catch up to rider #720 (Susan Seaborne). I eventually caught her, and she helpfully coached me through the process of pulling each other: you go in front for around 10 seconds and then switch so you don't wear yourself out. We bridged the gap to the next group and then got lapped the next lap. We jumped onto the group and finished the race with the pack. I finished 15th place. 

Race 5, 05/25/2023

In this race, I managed to stay with the pack, and I felt the strongest out of all the races, but I got my worst place. I think it was because the whole pack stayed together, and I was in the back of the pack. I felt really strong at the ending sprint, and I felt more comfortable riding in the pack. I do feel much stronger, and I've really improved physically if not place-wise. I'm excited to see if I can do better next race, and I'm gonna try and stick to the middle of the pack. 

Race 6, 06/01/2023 I was kind of worried about this race because I was feeling pretty sore. The actual race was good, though. I started off near the front, and I managed to stay in the front a lot more than usual. I did find myself in the back a couple of times, and I had to work harder to get back up to the front. I was holding my position pretty well, and I'm proud of that. Towards the end of the race, the person I was drafting pulled out of the pack and started speeding up. I followed her, and she sprinted all the way up to the front of the pack. I managed to stay on her wheel, and I found myself 3rd from the front. I wasn't able to keep up the pace though, and I found myself drifting farther and farther back until I was 5 people in front of where I was before. Sometimes, two or so racers would sprint away from the pack, and that would cause the whole pack to start sprinting. I was in the middle of the pack when we started to sprint for the finish, and I finished 17th. I felt really strong, and I was up in the front of the pack several times. That's much better than I have done in the past, and I can feel myself improving. I felt much more comfortable riding in a pack, and I'm excited to see how I progress in the future.