Welcome to day two of racing which contained two fun filled stages of racing and a transfer to a new part of the Dominican Republic. We faced a morning stage of 104 km and an afternoon jaunt of 54km. Just to fill you in, I officially finished stage 1 in 12th, so was very excited for the next day of racing.We also found out that the transfer would only be for one night, so we had to move all items that we wanted to leave in Santo Domingo into one room. So not only did we have to pack for two stages of racing, but also all our personal items and valuables and clothing, food and water for the next 48 hours. We actually managed to handle things pretty flawlessly and were able to pack the car to the brim.
As we started our ride to the start, we rolled out a little later than all the other teams and the directions were not clear at all. As we made it to the main avenue we did see a Guadeloupian team on their way and let them lead us there. Sign in went rather flawless, but the start was delayed by about 45 minutes. Once we got rolling it seemed we had a neutral zone the whole city and as we were heading to the highway, we got red flagged and had a nice 10 minute break about 5km into the stage and then we started for real.
We rolled on to the ocean highway and were battled by a brutal cross/head wind the entire way. This meant a lot of single file riding in the gutter and trying to avoid any sort of crazy pot holes and obstructions. As the kilometers counted down, the early break was caught with about 20km to go and almost instantly it started to rain. As if the stage was not nervous enough in the wind, we now had to face rain.
When we hit about 15 km to go, the road shifted and we were riding on rocks and dirt. It was unreal, being strung out, raining and the end of the stage with everyone fighting for wheels. The chaos continued as no team took responsibility. With 10km, Josh attacked and was in a small break until 7km to go. In the last 5km it felt like a war zone, with the crazy roads, crazy riders and crazy roads. The sound of crashes behind me gave me motivation to stay near the front. With 2km to go the sprint initiated and I managed to come across right behind Josh. I believe we were both inside the top 12. It was the most chaotic and nervous finish I have ever been a part of.
Immediately after a change we headed to a plaza for our race provided lunch, which was amazing! The beef and chicken were amazing. After stuffing our faces, we had about 25 minutes of down time before getting ready for the next stage. Heading to the start, I was sure my GC spot was solidified and was really worried about the length of the second stage of the day. I felt like it was so short that it would be very dangerous and had no idea how it would turn out.
When we got rolling, we had another two part start and right after the second start it was single file. I knew position was going to be beyond important at this juncture and made it imperative to stay in the front 20. As we continued on a the highway from La Romana to Huguey, the road was beyond horrible. It was like someone dropped grenades off their car.
About 20ish km into the race as we hit the first climb I managed to hit something and had not one but two flats. With my arm in the air, it took me over a minute to get to the back of the bunch and then actually stop and wave my arms screaming until I got some wheel support. Half way up the climb, my replaced rear wheel went flat. I got a change and put my head down for what seemed to be the worst 40km in a race I have ever had.
Being super upset and making the time cut where my main objectives. With a stage so short, the window of opportunity is nothing. It was a full out effort. I passed lots of dropped riders and found myself weaving through traffic most of the time. The funny thing was that every small city I would roll through, the Vuelta Theme song reigned supreme, as did the spectators cheers. Seeing 5km to go was breath taking and even more exciting to hit Huguey with 3km to go and hear everyone scream for you. The most annoying thing was that I was getting a front flat. I managed to make it to the finish as best I could, only losing 10 minutes (estimated). Getting to the car I was full of emotion, but my teammates had a fresh coconut ready to go for me. I did get my wheels back and it seemed that for flatting, they decided to take my skewer as penance. It seemed to keep piling up
I know with that distance, you are on your own with mishaps. The best thing you can do is take it on the chin. I know I will be contending for the stages that suit me and will work my teeth to the bone for our GC riders.
As we transferred to our new hotel, it was a complete love grotto, which is hilarious putting a bunch of 20 something cyclists into a couples retreat. The rooms were quiet the upgrade, our only drawback was a 2 hr late dinner, but it was nothing a few Presidente’s didn’t cure…
Hope tomorrow my luck is a little better.
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