Female Riders Come to the Fore

A founding principle of Team Get A Grip Cycles is the idea that all members are treated the same, regardless of racing category or sex. After this past weekend, however, it has become abundantly clear that the team's female riders may once again win more races than the men.

Koren uses tactics and old men to podium at the Ceraland Road Race.
It was predicted on this website that Lindsay Koren would would be a cycling powerhouse in the early part of 2008. This past weekend she demonstrated the truth of that statement when she finished second in the Women's open race at the Ceraland Road Race. Koren used tactics ,strength, and some old guys to eliminate the advantage held by teams with a large number of riders. "There were a few teams there with at least 5 girls a piece but it didn't seem to hurt me." When the mens field that started one minute behind her own race passed her peloton, Lindsay remembered that the promoter said that the womens open field could mix with the men. "The men's field lapped us quickly because we crawled through the first two laps. When they went by no girls made a jump into their field. I let a sizeable gap open up ...and then attacked up to the men's field." Although a few women followed Koren across the gap, the move effectively eliminated the advantage in numbers held by other teams. Koren was able to mix it up with the men, but was unable to take the victory in a messy sprint.
"I felt strong (in the mens field) and had no problems riding right at the front of their group. I worked to close a few gaps and felt strong going into the final sprint. I didn't position myself all that great but was sitting second with respect to the women going into that last little pitch before the line. I ended up behind two guys from the same team who must have given a lead out or something because they sat up like a brick wall leaving me boxed in against the grass! Two girls passed me, but I was able to get enough speed to repass one of them after I got out of the clusterX&#4 (of the men's field). The same girl that beat me yesterday won and I think I had the juice in my legs to beat her today if I had been paying better attention. Lesson noted."

Brostrom closes a monster gap solo.

During the same weekend, Valerie Brostrom took an unintended break from medical school and found herself in Madison racing the Great Dane Velo Club criterium. At a certain point in the race, Val realized that the break up the road might actually stay away so she made the brave decision to cross the gap solo. I "killed myself to get on it, but after a few laps didn't have the juice to stay with the lead 5." She ended up taking 6th (the field sprint perhaps?) against stiff Wisconsin competition.

Haskell takes Midwest Collegiate Regional Road Race.

Although officially racing for the University of Chicago cycling team, it is worth noting that Devon Haskell won the Midwest regional championship road race in a two up sprint this past Sunday. Haskell broke away in the early miles of the race with two riders. As the race progressed one rider from Indiana University fell out of the break leaving Haskell and a rider from the University of Michigan to fight over the victory. In the final miles of the race, the Michigan rider conceded defeat and told Haskell that she was going to win the sprint. That sort of reassurance did not prevent Haskell from turning out a full-on sprint to win the race.