Race Report: 2025 Tour de Murrieta - Women’s P123
Stage 1 - Crit
Race: 2025 Tour de Murrieta Crit - Women’s P123
Date: April 5, 2025
AVRT racers: Louise Thomas, Robin Betz, Roz Patterson, Sue Lin Holt, Whitney Post
Top result: Robin - 19/32
Course: An L-shape with 5 left turns and one right turn, with turns 5 and 6 in quick succession before a long finishing straight with a headwind.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14091107675
Nutrition: Half bottle of cyclic dextrin (~200kcal) during the race.
Recap: (by Robin)
I didn’t know the race course or any of my competition during this race, but my socal-based teammates provided some helpful hints at the start. There were about 10 call-ups of various champions and winners which made me both nervous and excited, as well as a team of 9 pre-professional juniors which made me more nervous.
Overall the pack dynamics were reasonable for the majority of the race, with the usual accordion effect and subsequent sprinting out of the corners. My typical strategy of moving up through the corners wasn’t as effective as usual due to some of the juniors taking unreliable lines, so I was probably more cautious than I needed to be.
The effort kicked up a bit on each finishing stretch, and I usually sagged this part a bit out of the corner not wanting to spend matches, as it would then slow midway near the start/finish line and I could move up on the right side as the group slowed. Unfortunately the start/finish archway cut into the course a bit here so there was a limit to how many spots I could gain most laps.
I was pleased to find that while pretty nonstop, the pace was something I could sustain without issue, although I was unwilling to work hard on the long straightaway to retain positions at or near the front. I decided to save my matches and then move up more with about 5 to go.
I didn’t really accomplish this (in no small part due to the sudden appearance of a car on the course in one of the corners that really freaked me out). With one to go I didn’t increase my aggression at all and found myself literally last wheel going into the final two corners.
I made the best of a bad situation and let a small gap open so I could corner without losing any speed and gave it max watts in my aero position for the finishing stretch. I actually passed about half the field here with a closing speed of 10-15mph and had the third fastest womens’ lap time of the day.
It was really great to lose a race due to tactics rather than fitness. I’m looking forward to putting it all together one day.
Stage 2 - Circuit
Race: 2025 Tour de Murrieta Circuit - Women’s P123
Date: April 6, 2025
AVRT racers: Louise Thomas, Robin Betz, Roz Patterson
Top result: Louise - 10/36
Course: 10 laps of a 4.3-mile course. For the pro fields, they decided the day before to add an extra climb (0.4 miles @ 4%) to an otherwise flat course, though after doing Cat’s Hill a couple of weeks prior, the climb seemed relatively tame.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14103124200
Nutrition: standard affair for me - a fig bar before the race. A couple of bottles of malto + sugar mix and a couple of handfuls of gummy bears during it.
Recap: (written by Louise)
Never having raced in SoCal (except for the prior day’s crit), I wasn’t sure of the competition’s strength but guessed the hill would be a major factor. I aimed to stay near the front going into it so I could sag the climb if needed. Before the race, Wil gave a pro tip that the first corner had gravel, so positioning there would also be critical. In short, my strategy boiled down to “stay near the front.”
The first lap was smooth sailing. Roz took some strong pulls on the front, and I felt like I was positioned well for both the corner and the hill. I don’t remember much of the second lap, so I assume it was similarly nondescript.
Lap 3 was where things started to fall apart. An attack on the hill shattered the group, dropping me, Robin, Roz, and a bunch of others. I teamed up with a rider from A Faster Me to chase. After half a lap, Robin caught us with a train of 5–6 riders, and we clawed our way back to the peloton just before the climb. Luckily, no one attacked this time and we were back in the game.
I then switched my focus to conserving energy and staying sheltered. Another hill attack came later, but this time I was near the front at the start of the climb and survived with the peloton. Unfortunately, Robin was dropped, but again fought her way back to rejoin the group. What a beast.
For the final lap, Robin and I both found ourselves too far back in the pack, so I pulled through the windy section to get us to the front before the climb. I led into the hill expecting attacks… but nothing. To spice things up, I then launched my own attack on the post-climb rollers. The pack shut it down, but at least it kept the pace high. I then got myself towards the front coming into the final corner, lost a few spots in the sprint, but managed to hold on for 10th. Overall, a fun weekend!
