(From Right to Left), Collegiate Criterium: Jackie Crowell (University of Florida), and Jackie Kurth (Marian College) sprint for the silver (Photo by Keith Creeden)

Race Report written by Jackie Kurth
Sat/Sun, February 6/7, 2010

COLLEGIATE TIME TRIAL and  CRITERIUM

As I’m writing this, I am sitting in the airport watching Super Bowl XLIV. This weekend I left the Midwest snow for some milder temperatures in Gainesville, Florida.  On Saturday I competed in the nine painful miles of the Collegiate Time Trial of which I placed 2nd. It was a fast downwind on the way out but on the way back it was a fiercely strong headwind. I felt like I was going about fourteen on the way back. After it was done I was very relieved. Thanks to my hard effort I now have a cold cough. After my race I had a nice long endurance ride with my dad and went back to the hotel to rest and prepare for my criteriums that waited on Sunday.

I woke up early on Sunday to temperatures in the forties Fahrenheit, which was disappointing, even though it was significantly warmer than in the State of Indiana.  My first race was the collegiate women’s race. I love the criterium course in which this race is held on. It is a rectangle shape with a hill to the finish and a downhill on the back stretch. The first two corners are old cobble stones which add to the fun and the last two corners are on the downhill making it fast and technical.

It was pretty slow the first couple laps so I decided to make an attack up the finish stretch which had a little hill. Three other riders came with me and we worked together for five laps. Jackie Crowell (University of Florida) and her teammate bridged up and her teammate immediately countered. I was caught off guard and missed the move. I knew if I attacked Crowell would sit on my wheel and counter when I caught the other rider so I watched first place ride up the road. Soon after the University of Florida (Alexis Dabroski) rider was out of reach the field caught our group. There were some other attacks but the group stayed together until the finish. After the last corner I was sitting in about third position. I knew I needed to jump before Crowell did or I wouldn’t win the field sprint. I jumped out of my saddle when I though the time was right and powered up the hill as hard as I could. Crowell started coming up beside me but I came in just ahead of her at the line. I wasn’t thrilled with second place in my race but I had a race later to make up for it.

WOMEN’S RACE

After completing the Collegiate criterium, I waited for three hours to compete in the the women’s race. We lined up with over twenty five riders and four national champions including myself. It was going to be a solid women’s race. I went with almost every move. A couple of times I thought the break were going to stick when it consisted of Jackie Crowell (University of Florida), Tina Schofield, and me. The other riders, however, knew this was a dangerous mix and would not let us get away. The race again came down to a field finish. Tina was leading out the field with her teammate on her wheel and I was following close behind. I needed to jump again before anyone else did. In a similar spot as the previous race I launched out of the field to the inside and this time finished first with a decisive win! It felt really good to finish my first race with a win. What a great way to start the season!