Yeah... I love it when a plan comes together. I also love it when everyone is on the same page and gelling. Then add on winning 5 out of 6 stages and 1^st and 2^nd in the overall, and you get the idea of what the first race was like for me.

I went to the Tour of New Zealand with the USA National team.  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  First of all, I hadn’t raced yet, and second there were mixed reports as to what the race courses were going to be like.  What I did know, though, was that I would be racing with some really talented and motivated American riders and a new director who is special with his ability to teach, motivate, and make a plan.

The race consisted of 6 stages in 5 days.  The first and second stages had a hard but short climb toward the end of the stage followed by a 10-20k run to the finish.  The third stage was relatively flat.  The fourth was a short TT on road bikes.  The fifth was the second stage in reverse, so the climb in the beginning and then another 90k of riding.  The last stage was a technical 5 corner in 800m one hour crit.

We started the race with a bang.  I stayed with the GC people on the climb, but everything came back together in the run back to the finish.  Shelley was in perfect position to go for the stage.  Janel was there to help.  The day ended with win number one, the yellow jersey, and good morale within the team.

Stage two was the day for the hardworking crew of Janel, Jessica, and Alison to show their stuff.  Those 3 managed the race by keeping a break within 1-2 min until it was time to climb again.  At that point, I tried to go.  I had one follower, though, and since she was potentially dangerous in taking over the GC, I had orders to sit and wait.  We would go with Shelley and her wonder sprint.   True to planning, I sat and the group picked up Ruth and me about 5km out.   We made sure there were no final escapees, and again, Shelley came through with a win and added to her GC lead with another 10 sec time bonus.

The third stage was the first of two on the day.  It was a big circuit that we did 3 or 4 times.  Again, we had to defend the jersey.  Again, Jessica, Janel, and Alison did a great job.  We almost caught the break, but we missed it by about a tire width.  Shelley won the sprint out of the bunch for fifth.  She still had the yellow.

The afternoon stage was a short, 11km time trial.  No aero equipment was allowed, but it was still fun to get into time trial mode.  We had some delays with our start times, and I think I warmed up for a really long time, but it didn’t matter.  Both Shelley and I rode hard, and I won the stage while she finished in second.  I managed to slip into the leader’s jersey, but I was only going to hold it temporarily, since we made the decision to go for Shelley and stage wins with the overall

The penultimate stage was a long one.  Once again, the USA team showed its strength and rode really well.  I followed the big attack on the first climb and then protected by not riding.  We were caught from behind by the bunch.  After a series of attacks, there was a safe break that went away.  Once again, the usual suspects (Janel, Jessica, and Alison) managed the gap.  Then, in the final 10k, I added some horse power to help bring things back.  We caught the breakaway about 500m out, and then Shelley galloped to another victory.

The final stage was kind of fun.  I have done plenty of crits in so cal, so I was quite comfortable with the task at hand.   In addition, I knew I had a good hour in my legs to help Shelley in every way that I could, especially since the other three had done so much up to that point.  After managing things for most of the race, the usa was set up in the final laps again.  Shelley wanted the last 180 degree corner first, so I took her into it, out of it and then let her go sprinting to another victory.  Woohoo.  The final talley was team GC, overall GC, second in GC, and five stage wins.  It was a great week for our squad, and it was quite rewarding all around.  Everyone worked really hard giving everything they had on each day.  Sometimes that happens, and you don’t have anything to show for it.  Then there are special times like we had, where everything comes together and you win lots.  It was fun.

I am home for some racing in California.  I will keep you updated.