Sarah on the podium AGAIN :-)

April 25 - GP Ste-Martine played out to be a long criterium. The course was about 14km long, although it felt like 5. With only 4 laps to do, we knew we were in for a short and quick day. The announcer made it clear that the yellow line rule would be strictly enforced...however most of the race happened on the other side of it! The race started right from the gun. With a small group of girls hanging off the front of the peleton for almost a full lap. Annick, Michelle, Sophie and I all made some good strong attacks off the front, however with the wind being the main factor in the race, and with no other teams willing to work, it was hard to stay out for very long. Sophie was able to catch a group of girls who attacked off the front and Michelle made one of the strongest breaks of the day (Cancellara style!) with a lap to go.

Although the race was very jumpy, it was also very nervous. Girls were fighting for position the whole race. One moment you would be right at the front, and the next you were squeezed to the back! This was especially the case in the last 10km. Not only were we all fighting it out for a good sprint position, but our race was neutralized twice (the elite men were passing us), creating a lot of panic within the pack.

When we were about 3 km out I found myself right at the back - my least favorite spot to be. I found Sophie’s wheel and decided to stick to it because she always seems to get out of a tough spot in a race. With a bit of gravel riding, we managed to move up, and I put myself behind one of the stronger riders in the race. As we were coming up to the sprint, the Elite men had crashed about 100 meters from the finish only minutes before. Having to squeeze through a truck parked on the road and a few riders still down, the sprint just seemed to explode - with some riders going for the win, and others opting for staying up right. I weighed the pros and cons pretty quickly, and went for the sprint. I managed to pull out a second place, however I am most happy I managed to keep the rubber down. I can't remember exactly, but I am pretty sure Annick was put into the ditch 3 times at Ste Martine - we should invest in elbow pads!

The team worked really well together, and definitely made racing a lot more fun. Next week at Brossard will be another chance to try things out and go for a win!
-- Sarah