Bend, Ore. – Kori Seehafer’s bid for a solo victory at the USA Cycling Elite National Championship Road Race came up a few miles short Thursday.The Team Type 1 rider was caught and passed by a group of four riders within three miles of the finish of the 67-mile (107.5 km) race that was run on the challenging Awbrey Butte circuit around Bend, Ore.
Seehafer finished fifth as Meredith Miller (Team TIBCO) soloed to the win, ahead of Christina Ruiter (ValueAct Capital Cycling Team) and Kristen Lasasso (Team Lip Smacker).
Amy Drombroski (Webcor Builders Women's Professional Cycling Team) earned the Under 23 national title while Team Type 1’s Jacquelyn Crowell finished third in that category. The elite and age group categories competed together on the course that included more than 1,000 feet of climbing on each of the four laps of a 17-mile (27 km) circuit.
Seehafer said she did what she could to hang on after attacking with 15 miles to go and building a 35-second gap that forced a reaction from the field and the formation of the eventual four-rider chase group.
“I got caught at the right turn at the base of the last climb,” Seehafer said after her best finish at road nationals since a sixth-place in 2007. “I stayed with them until you take the right turn – about five kilometers from the finish. At that point, I was hurting and got dropped on the little climb. Then I caught up with them, only to watch Meredith attack and get off solo. Then I got dropped again.”
Initially, the group chasing Seehafer numbered five and included Team Type 1’s Jen McRae, who – like teammates Alison Powers, Samantha Schneider and Crowell – had been monitoring riders trying to mount the chase.
“I ended up covering the decisive move that went to Kori, but I just couldn’t say with them on that climb,” McRae said.
Seehafer said if she had to do it all over again, she would have kept riding hard after catching the four.
“My mistake was that when I caught them after chasing back, I should have gone straight through them instead of sitting up,” she said. “I just don’t have the acceleration after an effort like that.”
Crowell, who finished second in the USA Cycling Collegiate National Road Race Championships earlier this year, was pleased with her third-place finish among riders 23 or younger. More important than a strong finish, she said, was to try and help Seehafer get the win.
“I saw the attack with Amy (Drombroski) go and my teammate, Jen (McRae), was immediately on it,” Crowell said. “Once you see your teammate on an attack you can’t do anything. So I just let it go and hoped it would come back.”
Powers, Seehafer and Crowell will compete in the individual time trial Friday. Team Type 1’s Jeff Bannink is entered in the Elite men’s division. He was one of eight riders who have Type 1 diabetes who competed in – and won – the Race Across America (RAAM) in June.
No comments:
Post a Comment