The Tucson Bicycle Classic stage race took place last weekend in Tucson, Arizona. With most of the Red Truck racing team attending the event. The team managed to come together and achieve some positive results, despite it being the start of the season and relearning how to race again, the team strived in improving every stage.
Stage 1: Marana Time Trial
My first race of the season heading into the time trial, I had low expectations coming into this stage as it doesn’t suite me as a rider, I used this stage more so as a leg opener to prep me for the upcoming races. The TT was a 7km course with a few little turns at the start, and the rest being a strait away. Many predicted the time trial was going to be fast, but due to the head wind it ended up being very slow. It was more about maintaining an arrow position, rather than brute force.
Although I didn’t have a significant result, my teammates managed to achieve some solid results with Cooper placing 14th, Orien 68th, and Marc 85th, in a field of 120 riders. On the woman’s side Cynthia placed 9th, Kathryne 21st, Emma 37th, and Kimberly 41st, in a field of 61 riders. A job well done by the team despite being faced with bad luck, everyone persevered.
Stage 2: Rio Nuevo Criterium
Coming into the criterium, I was prepared to do a race that suited me well, fast, punchy, and intense. It consisted of a few corners, one of which was a hair pin corner leading into a climb. So, position was very important from the start.
Because of the unique nature of the course, the peloton broke up very quickly. It became the end of the race for many riders like me to get pulled out. Unfortunately, everyone on the Red Truck racing team got pulled out before we could finish the race. But results were in place, for the woman’s team Cynthia placed 18th, Emma 33rd, Kimberly 34th, and Kathryn 40th. For the men’s Cooper placed 80th, Orien 82nd, Marc 97th, and me 99th. Not what everyone expected, but the course wasn’t in our favour as well as our starting position. Fortunately, no one got caught up in the many crashes.
Stage 3: Sahuarita Road Race
For the road race, I was hoping to redeem myself after not having he greatest results. The course was 130km with a false flat climb with some rolling hills leading into a long straight descent. I felt confident in my ability to save my legs for the sprint, and the team and I agreed we would try to do a lead out for the end of the race. Unfortunately, as we were moving to the front of the peloton a the end of the race, we were confused if whether or not we got relegated for crossing the center line, taking away our position in moving to the front, leaving us stuck in the bunch on the last kilometre of the race. Despite not getting the best position everyone on the men’s side I managed to get into the top 70 of the riders, and for the woman’s race, they all managed to get into the top 40 of the riders.
Stage 4: Oro Valley Circuit
On the last stage I was a little concerned with my overall health, I couldn’t decipher if I was battling some sort of illness, or if my body couldn’t adapt to the dry and hot environment. I came into this race just to do the best I can and if I could, help my teammates. But my body just couldn’t perform how it should have. The circuit was a 4km loop with a decent climb, good for punchy riders. Orien had a great result despite getting caught in a crash on the last corner placing 24th, while Copper 53rd, and Marc 43rd. For the woman’s Cynthia placed 9th, Emma 26th, and Kathryn 35th. Overall, the team did an amazing job for the start of the season, relearning the ways of how to prep for a race, to race, and to recovery. But, most of all we were learning how to work as a team and to support each the best we can.
The GC standings: Cynthia 10th and Cooper 59th