Thanks everyone for all the good wishes as you sent me off to USA Cycling Master Road Nationals.  Louisville, Kentucky, has treated me well!  The weather was super hot when we got here, and the road race was steamy, but since then it has cooled down and I even wore long sleeves yesterday before getting ready to warm up for my time trial.

Yes, it was HOT on Sunday for the road race, but that did not seem to stop the women in my group from attacking on every single climb.  We did six laps on a five mile serpentine loop through Louisville's Cherokee Park.  With only one flat section, the rest of the course was a series of short power climbs followed by curving descents.  I was very happy to make the "selection" into the top five, as top five riders receive medals.  The entire race was basically a 1.5 hour interval session, and my legs held up just well enough for me to sprint into fourth place.  It is always great to be able to participate in the medal ceremony :)

Yesterday was the time trial, the event I have been training for for over a year.  The day was actually cool, with high temps only around seventy, so I was thrilled.  The course featured a huge tail wind on the way out, as well as a mile long climb at the start.  After the start, though, it was so very fast all the way to the turnaround.  Of course, as you were flying along you knew that you would eventually turn around and have 6.5 miles of headwind to deal with.   I did my best, pegging my heart rate, and made up time on all my competition on the leg back to the finish line.  I won the silver medal, losing by only 2.83 seconds to a very talented Julie Kaplan -- whom I also coach!  She is also my Team Hammer Nutrition Teammate, so we really looked great on that podium.  Congratulations Julie!

Today is the criterium on the infield of Churchill Downs.  A flat .5 mile lap that we will circle 39 times.  Race report to follow!

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