On a borrowed bike that she had never ridden, while still nursing aches and pains from an Ironman less than a month ago, my friend Anathea decided to race her first cycling-only race, the Hunny Bop criterium in Suitland, MD. Not only was the field stacked, but since most of these women have been racing since the end of March, several will be upgrading to Cat 3 soon. Of course, I failed to mention this to Anathea. I figured the less she knew about the field, the better.
Lining up at the start. Anathea is in the middle - red and white #92
Hangin' tough in the field
After a prime, the field splintered and Anathea worked together with 2 other riders to chase back on a larger group ahead.
Taking turns at the front to chase back on.
Success! They caught back onto the group in front of them. Excellent job pace-lining and working together to get back on. That's what it's all about.
The group continues to chase.
The finish - way to go Anathea! Hope to see more of you at the races in the future.
