This past weekend marked the final rounds of the 2024 USCX series. Kaya and I had spent the week leading into the race with Chris and Charlie as we made our way west after Baltimore. We spent a couple days in Champaign IL to recover and ride along the corn fields before completing the drive to Waterloo on Thursday and reuniting with Jules and Scott who had gone home for a few days. Thursday and Friday we spent time on course pre riding (and running) in preparation for the weekend. The course was very similar to last year, with three technical ‘UCI only’ sections although unlike 2023 it was very dry, dusty, and running super fast.
Saturday the elite women’s race kicked off with a decent start for both Kaya and I. Kaya quickly slotted into the group of top U23s and I was sitting around fourth wheel. I was fighting for the top wheels and had to work hard to make passes but eventually got caught behind another racer who let a gap open up to the leading euros. I burned quite a few matches to make that pass and chase back on to the front two racers for the start of the second lap which I quickly paid for when they attacked later in the lap and I couldn’t follow. I spent the next couple laps alone in third and could see Caroline chasing from behind, at first I was working to hold her off but eventually decided to instead wait for her to catch on and take some recovery so that I was prepared to attack later in the race. Kaya and I were both hopping the barriers to help keep the speed up while saving energy. Once Caroline caught on I rode with her for a lap before attacking to go around her heading into a fast off camber descent. Through the next couple corners and technical sections I was able to keep my pace high and ride smooth to open a gap on Caroline and held it until the finish for third. Kaya had a solid race day fighting hard to get into a good position and dealing well with the heat. She showed off her skills ripping the descents, fast sweeping corners and of course hopping barriers to take the final spot on the U23 podium!
Next up was the elite men’s race where Scott took the hole shot with Jules not far behind. Throughout the first lap Scott was going back and forth with Stroh for the lead while a large front group formed. At one point Scott got off the front and opened a small gap but the boys reeled it back in. Scott was sitting in the front group of 6 riders before Kerry opened a gap with 6 laps to go. Scott and Stroh rode together to catch Kerry before the other two went off the front and opened a gap to him in third place. Alone in third place with the leaders in sight Scott kept working and showed off his skills on the rock wall hop. Scott rode smooth to a third place finish behind Kerry and Stroh. Jules had a tough fight out there but worked hard and rode well for a 20th place finish.
Chris also kept his racing streak going this weekend fighting it out in the masters men category both Saturday and Sunday morning. Chris came away with 11th and 9th and was able to give us tips and insights into the course each day. Chris then had a quick turn around to work with Charlie and get everything going for us to be ready to race each day!
On day two the wind changed and picked up quite a bit. The course was the same as day one but with the addition of a second line down the UCI off camber descent. I was able to take the hole shot with the goal of getting into a good position early to avoid wasting energy and making early passes. Kaya was positioned right near the front as well in about third wheel and stayed in touch with the front through the first UCI section. In the next half lap the front riders distanced ourselves from the rest of the pack. Kaya was riding strong in the first chasers group in 8th place. On the second lap I followed Manon and Helene to break off the front although I eventually fell off the pace a little and spent some time solo before getting caught by chasers. We had the leaders in sight ahead of us for a while but couldn’t ever close the gap. We spent a couple laps riding together before Maghs put in a couple attacks to open a gap in the last lap. I tried to keep up but didn’t have the legs to follow and had to settle for fifth. Finishing behind Manon on Sunday meant it dropped me down a spot in the USCX overall standings into third place. Kaya had a strong ride, hopping barriers and working right until the finish to hold off Ella for 13th overall and fourth U23! She also had a great breakthrough with her health, breaking a pattern of issues with her head and feeling good coming across the line. She took ninth in the USCX overall standing and will be ready to rip next time she gets to race!
Finally the boys kicked off the final race of the day and the series. Both Scott and Jules were in the top five off the start and held that position through the first two UCI only run up and off camber descent sections. At the start of lap two both boys were in the front group of eight when Scott put in an attack. Scott led the front group super fast through the barriers and eventually broke it apart on lap three with Jules in the chasing group close behind. The chasers had the leaders in sight before Scott broke away with Stroh and further stretched out the field. Jules was working with the chase group fighting for 7th position and Kerry caught Scott in the front group. That group of three riders stuck together on the front for a couple laps before in the final half of the last lap stretching out with Stroh leading Kerry with a small gap on Scott. Scott finished with a third place to land him third in the overall standings of the USCX series. Jules’ strong positioning in the early stages of the race paid off well, after working hard in the chase group he had another top ten finish, landing in ninth and taking home a few more UCI points for the final day of the USCX season. He also came away with ninth in the USCX overall standings!
Possibly the biggest highlight of the weekend was the arrival of new team sweaters from Donkey Label and the subsequent photoshoot. All riders and staff received a Sancturary Hoodie customized with our initials and Cervelo Orangeliving logo, safe to say we were pretty stoked on it. We decided to go take group pics on the dock at the airbnb which eventually evolved into a how-awkward-can-we-make-these-photos competition. Inspired by prom poses and insta influence we had fun posing with our new hoodies and showing off our great new look for the chilly days and race mornings. We’re thinking the awkwardest photos will become our 2024 rider cards (but we’ll also have to make mechanic cards because Charlie and Chris both nailed the shoot and these images MUST be shared). Thank you Donkey Label for the great new hoodies! Look cool, feel good, hell ya bud.
-Sid
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