Killington Stage Race 2011 - one down, two to go

Audrey Scott, KSR Memorial Day Weekend 2011 Stage 1 Circuit Race; 3 x 18 mile loop; 2:18:19; place: 55
I did this race last year, and managed to do pretty well. This year the field is much bigger and even more competitive, including a full contingent of 9 riders from Juvederm-Specialized, and multiple riders from many other teams. There are maybe 3 or 4 of us total out of 67 who do not have teammates in the race. I was 2nd in the TT last year, and was hoping to improve on that this year. Well, more on that later.
Start time was 9:35, which came early after driving up here after work yesterday. It was cool and damp, with a light foggy drizzle hanging over Killington Valley. Luckily, it never really rained and the roads were never soaked, but it was enough to make it drip off of sunglasses and cover legs and shoes and bike in road grit.
As I said, I hope to do pretty well in tomorrow's TT, so my goal was to stay as stress-free and do as little work as possible in the circuit race today. So, I hung out mostly near the back, sticking to wheels and trying to stay out of any wind. Veronique Labonte of Juvederm-Specialized, who was 2nd last year just ahead of me on GC and Lindsey Myers of the new team Danbury Audi broke away early, and though we actually saw them at one point, bringing the gap down to 25 seconds or so, apparently despite the number of teams with multiple riders either no one cared enough or could break the stranglehold that Juvederm had blocking on the front, so we never brought them back. They finished a minute up, and I cruised in pretty much at the back of the pack in 55th, which finished pretty much all together, having lost a few people early on.
So, it seems last year's winner of the GC and the TT Sue Schlatter of the Stevens team had the same plan as I did, and although I knew she was there with me at the finish, I failed to realize the consequences of finishing right behind her today: she starts 30 seconds after me in the TT tomorrow.
Motivation, I guess.
Start time is 11:46.
Hope you all are having a great Memorial Day weekend!
More tomorrow.
-A