Well, it all started with a drive to a neighboring town in a big red truck. In the bed of the truck there were 4 kids bikes, 2 mountain bikes and 2 double trailers. That means that there were 6 helmets, 4 kids, and 2 mommies. The excitement started when we got off the freeway at the start of the race to find MASSIVE headwinds. Wind must have been blowing 25 +++ miles per hour. We were dressed in tank tops and shorts. Not one sweater or jacket among us. At Starbuck’s we asked around for a thrift store- only to find none. On a whim, I walked into Walgreen’s- hoping to find something to put on the kids and us- cause we were freezing…As luck would have it, they actually sold sweatshirts there. And to the tune of 3 for $10!!!! What a score, Team Walgreen’s here we come. Completely outfitted in cheap, warm sweatshirts.

The Redlands Classic started at 930AM for the women and 10 AM for the men. The women’s start was a massive sprint straight into the wind. Those girls were strung out all across the road trying to stay out of the wind. From what I’ve heard, the peloton was going 45 miles per hour at the START. From the starting line, we headed out to the KOM (King of the Mountains). The women’s race was going to be doing 3 laps and the men 5 laps. This was going to be a huge sufferfestival.

My buddy and I parked our car at the bottom of the hill, hooked up the double trailers and headed up the hill to the KOM. We were each carrying two kids (80 pounds for me- 65 pounds for her), my big back pack that weighed at least twenty pounds plus the weight of the trailer. HOLY COW. The length of this hill is probably 3/4 mile and it’s a steep mother of a hill with switchbacks. As we were riding up, the few spectators that there were –were giving us big cheers and atta girls. Crap! I climbed the first half of the hill in the BIG RING. Shifting down to an easier girl made it a lot more enjoyable- but the whole time I was laughing- OMG this is so heavy. We hit the 200 meter to the KOM sign and were still getting lots of cheers from the crowd – when the kids started yelling at us- “Go faster Mommy!” again and again…Penny picked it up. So, I followed suit. If you’re sprinting, then I am too. We sprinted ALL OUT over the KOM. To the witness of the 25 people waiting at the top cheering us on. Amazing. I completely maxed my heart rate out for this sprint. There is a photo of this..hopefully I’ll have it in my hands SOON. In the meantime you’ll need to use your imagination on who won (my buddy is an ex-pro world champion downhiller)…

This is the women’s field on the first time over the KOM. Columbia Highroad completely dominated the sprint and were protecting their winner (Ina Tutenberg). After this the field was split into multiple groups- due to the severity of the wind and the speed of the racers…

My three year old on the starting line of his very first bike race ever. 50 yard dash. He was asking for his medal as soon as he finished. He did great. If you ask him, he went “swoosh” straight down the course!

My five year old incredibly excited to be doing his first race on a big boy bike. All the other moms and dads were holding their kids seat (I wasn’t). Since, my kid only learned how to ride that bike yesterday, he had trouble pushing off. Thankfully, some other race marshall helped him get going and kept him going straight to the end! And as soon as he finished, he was asking for his medal! And, he thinks he won. I didn’t tell him otherwise.

Great view of the men’s start of the criterium today. It was a 90 minute seriously fast- lots of attacks- very exciting race.

This weekend will be an all family affair. Tomorrow before most of you will be awake I will have finished my criterium race and hubby will race much later in the day. The Redlands Classic is a fantastic event and I’m happy to be a part of it. The course tomorrow is wicked. 7 turns, uphill, in the wind, fast, and aggressive. Wish me luck!