Alison Dunlap wins Most Aggressive Rider at US Gran Prix Planet Bike Cup Cyclocross Race
Monday, September 28th, 2009Planet Bike Cup: USGP # 1 and 2 Sept 27-28, 2009
This past weekend was the first and second round of the US Gran Prix cyclocross series in Madison, WI. The USGP has become the premier national series for the cyclocross community. And thanks to my teammate Georgia Gould’s persistent lobbying, there is equal prize money for the top three men and women. With the UCI, the governing body of cycling, being run by a bunch of stodgy European men, the prize money has always unfairly favored the men. Even the official regulations for UCI elite races mandate that the prize money for women be less than the men. Thanks to some forward thinking promoters, many of our top races are giving the women equal prize money. Unfortunately there are still events, like last Wednesday’s Cross Vegas, that haven’t jumped on the bandwagon. For example, the pro men paid $2,000 to win and the pro woman got a paltry $250. It’s insulting.
Anyways, the race in Madison was a first for the USGP series. I was fortunate to have a large cheering section made up of many of the women that came to the mountain bike clinic I ran in Madison back in May. The weather forecast wasn’t good for the weekend. Luckily the rain held off all of Friday night and by race time, the course was mostly dry.
Having been sick all week I wasn’t sure how my body would respond to a heart pounding, lung searing effort. In the past five days I had spent more time in bed than awake, and my only training consisted of three very slow recovery rides on the bike path. If anything I was going to be fresh. Being my first year back doing cyclocross I have no UCI or world ranking points. So what does that mean? In all of the national races we do, the start order is determined by your UCI points. So not having any means I get to start in the back row. When the race is only 45 minutes long, the start is crucial. Without a good start you end up fighting to get around slower riders, usually missing out on the lead group. Luckily another elite rider, Alison Sydor, is also without UCI points, so I was able to line up right next to her and take advantage of her uncanny ability to find her way to the front within seconds of the gun going off.
Saturday’s race was a test of mental toughness. Starting in the back row didn’t help. From being sick and not training my body had completely shut down. The intensity of the first two laps was overwhelming and I suffered immensely. I moved into 8th place after the first lap and ended up staying there the entire race. I rode alone, not gaining on the group in front of me, yet strong enough to hold off the two local girls chasing from behind. My technical riding was ok, not great. The legs were marginal at best. But I rode as hard as I could and finished in 8th. It was a solid effort. The prize money for these races is extremely top heavy, so for my efforts I received a check for $84. Wow.
Over my many years of racing I have found that my body often times comes around for the second day and I usually have a much better race. Unfortunately the UCI points aren’t updated until after the weekend’s races, so I was again starting in the back row. Being opened up from the day before, my body wasn’t nearly as traumatized with the start, and I was able to move up into the top ten before the first turn. After making some aggressive moves to get around slower riders, I found myself with Amy Dombrowski, a talented young rider from Boulder. I quickly dropped her and started chasing down Sue Butler and Alison Sydor. I made it up to them a lap later. Sat behind them for two laps and quickly realized that I was overextending myself. I couldn’t quite match their pace on the flats, and slowly lost contact. I rode alone for the remaining two laps, holding off a late race charge by Amy Dombrowski, and finished in 6th. My efforts were further rewarded with the Most Aggressive Rider award; a check for $250! Yesterday I was merely surviving. Today I finally felt like a bike racer. The legs were strong and the head, even though still a little congested, was into the race. I also rode much better technically and had fun on the course.
Today we’re back on a plane headed home. My husband and I drive to Moab, UT this coming weekend for our five day Moab mountain bike camp. I’ll join the team again in late October for the 3rd and 4th races in the USGP in Louisville, KY. I don’t think I’ve ever raced in Kentucky. Until then it is more training and more races with the local men back in Colorado.
Happy trails!
Alison
