Cherry Pie Race Report from Gwen (2022)

Cherry pie race report (my first race!): As I was shivering waiting for the start of the race, I realized my asthma lungs were not going to be happy. I would have done a few more laps if I realized we were starting so late (I had done a nice warm up but the 20 minutes of waiting and the 39ish temperature made me cool down). The BBC cheer squad was strong as Steve came with his kids. So that made the long wait more fun!! Finally the race started and I was at the back almost the last :) person. I was in the second row so It was hard to fight my way up. But I knew the back is the worst. The constant yo-yo was tough, and some women were pretty bad with corners. I finally made it to the middle of the bunch which was easier but still there were two women who would take the insides inside inside of corners and one nearly took me down as I was yelling I'm on your inside.. but with maybe 6 laps to go I made my way up to the front bunch. And things were easier but then the 3rd lap to go came and I didn't realize what a prime lap was. So that confused me... (the 3rd lap turned out to be the prime lap).  The person at the beginning of the race said we might have a prime but he didn't say anything else about it. Anyways then the last lap to go came and I was in a good position and I tried to sprint but my stomach turned sour, and I thought "oh no!! At least try to get top 5 so I can get a prize!" I managed to hang on to get 5th without my lungs collapsing or throwing up. So I was happy, turns out no prizes for 4th/5th :( but I then got to explore Napa on a nice ride through vineyards. It was gorgeous, and I got a QOM on a random bridge segment . I also got a laugh when I got home and showed my boyfriend rohan the crit ride and he said "what you just rode around in circles"

Race Report from Gwen

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