Mical Dyck hits the sandpit at the Derby Cup. © Amanda Wakeling
Mical Dyck shared a bit about her USGP Derby Cup experience today, where she finished ninth in the Elite Women’s field. To find out more about the Elite Women’s race, check out our coverage. The men’s race deserves some attention as well, so read about Powers’ victory here.
by Mical Dyck
Oh my, oh my, that one hurt a little more than a little. 55 fast women starters in my largest cyclocross race ever. Third row call up isn’t great for the holeshot, but I have a great start and always got to go for it. I wasn’t able to move my way up to an opening fast enough for the holeshot, but I hit the grass in top ten.
I hit the barriers really fast in the lap, it jammed up if you weren’t in the to 10. Then, just around the next corner you hit the steepest stair overpass I’ve ever seen and it packed up if you weren’t in the top two! It felt like you had to lift the bike over your head just to clear the steps … so glad I’m tall, short people would have troubles climbing this one.
Through the twisty wooded section, out through rough grassy field, through the sand pit, back into the trees section near the end of the course (where all the climbing was), one final steep decent, turn around and run up the last climb and back out onto the start/finish pavement. It is easily one of the funnest and hardest courses around. Nowhere out there to hide, nowhere out there to rest!
I think I went out a little too hard. After settling into my rhythm, Nicole Duke was just out of my reach … couldn’t quite close the gap.
Laps three and four were rather difficult, slowly Meredith Miller passed me, Chloe Foresman passed me, and I couldn’t give the gas to stay with them. It wasn’t until part way through the fourth lap when Amanda Carey passed me that I was able to pick it up a little. I chased her down for the whole last lap, with Sue Butler, Pepper Harlton, Georgia Gould and a couple other girls breathing down my neck. Up the steep hill into the turn around to the run up, I was thinking it was probably my last chance to pass her, so I gassed it and found a line around Amanda (only to have her roll her tire off right behind me).
Finishing ninth place in my first Louisville racing experience. And now I have nasty Gel belly! I had a big salmon dinner, that was funny enough, coming all the way from Canada, with potatoes, salad and chocolate.
And I’m all ready to do it again tomorrow!
