Colavita, and the wind, stuns women’s field at Gila

On Thursday the wind turned the SRAM Tour of the Gila into a survival test for many women. The Colavita-Baci team stunned the competition — and seemed to surprise themselves a bit — by taking the top three spots on the stage podium and (unofficially) moving Andrea Dvorak into second place behind Mara Abbott (Peanut Butter& Co.-Twenty12).

Carmen Small continued on her successful return to the sport, working with Dvorak to open a huge gap over the peloton in the final miles, as many riders struggled in the wind.

Abbott used her powerful team to maximum effect, shedding some teammates in the final miles as the team worked to preserve Abbott’s leader’s jersey.

Abbott: ‘We’re not dead yet!”

The women finished more than an hour after the men’s, and in that time the wind increased even more. Many riders struggled in alone, and even some top riders were forced to step off their bikes after being blown off their line.

The stage route’s challenges can be neatly described in three parts: the mountains, the valley, and the windy rollers.

The first third was dominated by the Vera Bradley Foundation team. The team’s Robin Farina attacked on the climb to the Continental Divide near Pinos Altos, and was joined by Dvorak. The two rode through the mountains together and stayed together down the treacherous Sapillo Springs descent.

Behind, Vera Bradley’s ex-alpine ski racer, Alison Powers, attacked on the Sapillo descent with teammate Alexis Rhodes. Colavita’s Small latched on and the three joined Farina and Dvorak soon after the descent. The five-woman break thus contained three Vera Bradley riders and two Colavitas.

Abbott, meanwhile, was nearly isolated after the descent, which tends to shred packs into many tiny pieces.

“It was not ideal,” Abbott said. Her only nearby teammate was Shelly Evans. Evans took the lead and one-by-one, other Peanut Butter & Co. riders latched on, and the second third of the race began: the chase down the Mimbres Valley.

“(The Peanut Butter & Co. riders) came up, and they went up to the front, and it was so beautiful,” Abbott told VeloNews. “It was absolutely one of the most bizarre experiences, because we are going across this barren valley and their team is out front, time trialing against us, and we are in the back, time trialing against them … it was like being in some kind of game of chase, and it was silent, and desolate and windy, and just being at the front with my team was so special, it was so cool.”

Up front, the five breakaways rotated through together, and the gap was often close: 30 seconds, 45 seconds … with time splits delivered by officials on motos, with the radio band in effect.

The breakaway was within sight at the end of the valley, when the exposed rollers — the third and final challenge — begin, starting with a long climb with the day’s final feedzone.

Dvorak attacked on the feed zone climb and Small sat on Powers and the others for a spell before bridging to her teammate. Powers and the other breakaway members faded back to the chase.

Up front Dvorak and Small worked together as well as they could. “We were moving across the road (because of the sidewind),” Dvorak said. “We saw large men walking with their bikes,” she said, referring the age group riders struggling to finish their events.

Coming in, Dvorak conceded the win to her teammate. About a minute later, Colavita’s Cath Cheatley led in the chase group containing Abbott. “Carmen did so much work, so I was more than happy to give here the win. It was a great team effort either way.”

During the chase, Peanut Butter & Co. had to burn its matches protecting Abbott. The team’s Alisha Welsh was forced to stop after being blown around 180 degrees on the highway. She held her bike with two hands as the wind lifted both wheels off the ground. She, like the others, remounted and soldiered on to Fort Bayard, where an emotional Abbott thanked them profusely for their work.

Friday’s time trial will be critical. Winds are forecast to be even stiffer than Thursday. “It’s going to be an exciting race,” Abbott said.

On the podium after receiving her second leader’s jersey (she also leads the young rider competition) Abbott overheard announcer Dave Towle remark on Colavita’s domination of the stage. She yelled toward him with a smile, “We’re not dead!” The yell, however, was into the wind, and it’s likely Towle never heard it.

Complete results

FILED UNDER: News / Race Report / Road TAGS: SRAM Tour of the Gila