West Branch RR: Kicked in the Dairy Air

Cat 4 racers Christine, Emilie, and Laura R left Ann Arbor at dawn on Saturday to represent Pear Tree Pens at the West Branch Classic. Driving through the rain and past the farm machinery emporia of Ogemaw County, each prepared for her upcoming ordeal in her own way: Christine breakfasted on wholesome Greek yogurt, Emilie gulped Day-Quil in the hopes of offsetting an incipient cold, and Laura R munched on a Tim Horton's chocolate glazed donut---a decision she would later regret.

The Cat 4 race was two laps of a hilly (for Michigan) course that climbed 1100 feet in 22 miles. The most serious hills came in the second half of the loop, with the cruelest hill of all---at least a kilometer long and not at all gentle---at the very end. The barely-trafficked roads were silky smooth; they wound through forests and shot by farms. Cows were abundant, as were cow odors.

17 friendly souls started the race. On the back half of the first lap, the field began to come apart. Pear Tree Pens was hanging tough until the last climb of that lap. There, in full view of the crowd (such as it was) of spectators, Emilie and then Laura R threw their chains off in nearly synchronized front derailleur mishaps.

For each of the Pear Tree Racers, the second lap of the race was a lonely odyssey. Back on her bike, Emilie chased down a group of stragglers from the lead pack, worked with them briefly, then set off again on her own. Catching the lead pack just before the final climb, she finished with them. In spite of pedaling hard (for Laura R), Laura R couldn't manage to catch up with anyone, and spent most of the last lap wishing she'd eaten more donuts. Accompanied only by her clicking knee, the valiant Christine battled headwinds on the front end of the last lap and relentless hills on the back end, to finish strong.

The team repaired to West Branch's elegant Lumberjack Tavern, where, heartened by the scientifically balanced recovery foods of jalapeno poppers and pale ale, they expressed themselves pleased at having survived the brutalization that was the West Branch Classic.

New team schemes: 1) Team RV, so we don't have to conduct our pre-race preparations in bushes alongside mosquito infested forest roads.

2) Team training week, or weekend, someplace not too far away, with nice roads and real hills. Does anyone have a lead on a base of operations in the Vacationland part of Michigan?