Tough racing in Roswell
-by Laura Weislo
Historic Roswell Criterium, Pro/1/2/3, April 26, 2009
The second race of Speed Week went down in Historic Roswell. Davis, Blakely and Martin focused, not on their battle scars from the night before at the Athens Twilight Criterium. With their various bumps, bruises and pollen infested bronchi, these BMW-Bianchi and argyle clad ladies enthusiastically inched their way to the line for the most optimal starting position. Relieved to see the fresh legs of Whitmore there, the squad rolled out to tackle this fast course. With 5 left hand turns and a grinding gradient on the backside of the course, Davis and Blakely held solid positions at the front while Martin and Whitmore worked to cover gaps in the pack.
With one lap to go, Blakely signaled for Martin to grab her wheel for a lead out. As they set up for the field sprint, Martin worked to match Blakely's power but just could not exceed it as Blakely burst over the line 28th with Martin in her draft for 29th. Consistent with her finishes among the pros, Davis burst out of the saddle like a rocket to snatch 17th place.