Always one to take advantage of the situation, Emily was able to fit in some racing while she spent two weeks in St. Paul, MN for some coursework. The first weekend she jumped in the Women’s Amateur Open Criterium as part of the North Star Grand Prix series in Mankato, MN. Fortunately her acclimation to North Carolina temperatures gave her the edge during the 85 degree heat advisory that weekend! Emily picked up a mid-race prime and placed 2nd overall.
The quite impressive Tour of America’s Dairyland race series was occurring around the same time and since Milwaukee was “on the way home” it only made sense that she stopped to catch a race. The venue for the Downer Classic was amazing and the field was packed at 63 riders. Emily got caught up behind a crash that split the field for the remainder of the race, but she was able to finish strong with the chase group sprinting for a 4th place pack finish. This race series will definitely be on the radar for next year!
Thanks to CEP recovery tights for making the drive back to North Carolina a little more bearable post-race!