After spending most of the winter training indoors, I headed out to Tucson, Arizona, to race. My fitness felt solid leading into the Valley of the Sun stage race, and I was thrilled to be back in action. Coming from the snow and cold in Washington, the sunny and 70+ degree days were quite the change.
The first stage of the race was a ten-mile time trial. Despite not riding my time trial bike since the World Championships in Zurich due to Bellingham’s weather, I felt great and managed to set the course record! I was ecstatic, especially since some of the best U.S. pros were on the leaderboard.
Going into stage two wearing the leader’s jersey was a bit stressful, as everyone expected me to pull back any breakaways. I tried to keep the race together, but a breakaway got up the road, forcing me to spend the last lap chasing down other contenders for the general classification (GC). Although we didn’t catch the breakaway, we closed the gap to thirty seconds, allowing me to retain the leader’s jersey heading into the criterium. I finished 8th on that stage.
In the criterium, I knew my competitors wouldn’t let me break away. So, I raced smart, staying mid-pack for most of the race. With five laps to go, Team California attacked, and I moved to the front of the peloton to capitalize on the situation once the breakaway was brought back. With two laps remaining, I attacked and quickly gained a gap. I managed to hold off the peloton, securing my second stage win and taking the general classification. This was a fantastic start to the year, significantly boosting my confidence.
This coming week is the second race of the season, the Tucson Bicycle Classic (TBC). I am excited to compete against some of the top teams in the U.S. and give it my best shot. I hope to win the U23 jersey in the race. Unlike the Valley of the Sun, TBC has four stages: a prologue, criterium, road race, and circuit race. While the stages may not suit me perfectly, I am still eager to compete and gain experience in the pro field.
I decided to stay an extra nine days after the race to train in the sun. I hope that this mini-training camp in Tucson will help progress my fitness for the rest of the season.
