Sending a composite elite team from the Midwest to a UCI stage race in Arkansas is, not surprising, something of a logistical challenge. From travel to food to bottles to laundry and sleeping arrangements, there's a lot to keep track of.
As such, the team recruited three Cat 3/4 riders from BFF Bikes Racing to come along on the ride and provide support during the races. This blog post documents some of the key learnings from our experience, and hopefully provides some guidance for amateur racers who get involved with Chicago Women's Elite in a supporting capacity in the future.
Annie Byrne, Cat 3 rider from Chicago, IL
Responsible for preparing bottles and race nutrition for the riders and LAUNDRY!
Annie hammers during the amateur road race on Saturday, April 23rd.
Tell us about your experience supporting CWEC at Joe Martin.
Playing soigneur to CWEC was quite the experience! There were so many details to think about and it was just about non-stop so felt pretty intense. I really liked being in the action and seeing what they are putting themselves through-- I was eager to do whatever I could to help.
Did you learn anything that you can take back to Chicago and share with other racers?
Before this race, I knew pro racers were incredibly strong but after seeing them race first hand and riding the same course, I have a whole new understanding and appreciation. So I guess what I learned more deeply than I had known before is the ceiling is HIGH. That is motivating to keep challenging myself and work hard to see how much I can improve. I also learned in a new way how important and useful it can be to set very specific race goals. I'll work on finding opportunities to try new things and make race specific goals that are really challenging.
What was your favorite memory from the week?
My favorite memory was being in the feed zone at the first road race and seeing the pack come charging forward. It was the most intense experience I have had in any race situation. They were like a herd of wild animals moving at full speed, and having driven the course to get to the feed zone, I knew what they had ridden. I was stunned at how fast and hard they were riding.
*Bonus Footage of Annie!* Fayetteville's Channel 5 News interviewed her on Thursday about the upcoming race. Check it out here!
Gina Heiss, Cat 4 rider from Chicago, IL
Responsible for planning breakfast and dinner mealtimes for the riders & support staff.
Gina holds her prize money after placing 6th in the General Classification for women 3/4 at Joe Martin.
Tell us about your experience supporting CWEC at Joe Martin.
Alison’s words that stuck with me from the first call we had with her in preparation: "A thinking races is not a good racer. This statement kept coming back to me throughout the whole week at Joe Martin, not just everything we were doing to support the team but everything that Alison did and ask the team to do was to make sure they were best prepared and did not have to think about anything but giving their best during the race.
What did you learn that you can take back to Chicago and share with other racers?
- Sighting the course/final miles of the race
- Meetings every night before the races to talk about the next days schedule (so the morning is relaxed and everyone knows what to expect) and what preparation was expected from the team- i.e. - Study the route sheet and note queues for yourself on a stem tape to break the course down
- check the weather forecast
- Keeping all the racers highly together during race days and traveling to the start line
- Race strategy meetings are held only shortly before the race (so they don’t forget anything because the meeting was too long before the race)
- Preparation helps to be more confident not having any feeling of unknown and uncertainty. Puts your mind at ease. Clears your head for racing.
Annicka Campbell-Dollaghan, Cat 4 rider from Chicago, IL
Responsible for social media updates and blog posts, as well as helping with meal & bottle prep.
Tell us about your experience supporting CWEC at Joe Martin.
The entire experience was really interesting to me, but one thing that sticks in my mind is something that Alison (CWEC Directeur Sportif for Joe Martin) did. Every day, Alison would organize a morning spin around the neighborhood and along the bike path that runs through Fayetteville. Anyone was allowed to join; nobody was required to attend. The ride allowed everyone to "spin out the legs," but it also gave the team a chance to ride together in a very low-pressure and social way. She would lead the route along a stretch of the next day's course to review key features as well. I think the riders appreciated that Alison was able to get everyone to come together every morning for a little bonding and learning.
What did you learn that you can take back to Chicago and share with other racers?
Guest rider Amber Pierce shared a piece of advice during a team meeting before stage 2. She noted that being stuck at the back of a large pack can be discouraging - how do you start to move up when there's 80 other fierce women blocking you? Her solution was to chunk up the task - focus on moving past two sets of handlebars. Then another two sets. Then another. The other CWEC riders said that her strategy was really helpful, and I tried it out myself during the amateur road race on Saturday. I'd never been in such a large group of riders. But instead of panicking about being near the back at the start, I just focused on passing two sets of handlebars, then another two. It totally worked!
