Race Report: Dash for Cash Women 1/2/3/4/5

Date: June 6, 2026

AVRT racers: Cat 1/2/3: Louise Thomas, Sue Lin Holt, Katie Monaghan & Cat 4/5: Orthja Efinger, Samantha Dewees, Sandrine Veillette

Top Result: Cat 4/5: Orthja Efinger (1st), Sandrine Veillette (2nd)

Course: A flat, 4-corner clockwise loop. 45min

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/18812723946

Nutrition: 50g Carbs before race

Recap: written by Orthja

Last weekend, six of us lined up in Pleasanton to represent Alto Velo in the combined Women’s 1/2/3/4/5 criterium. I was especially excited to race in such a fast field with Cat 1/2/3s and to learn from Louise, Katie, and Sue Lin.

Our strategy was to cover any attacks during the first 20 minutes or so, then start launching some of our own. It worked pretty well. Whenever a Terun rider attacked, Katie, Louise, or I would immediately get on their wheel and make sure they didn’t get too far up the road.

In the second half of the race, we started attacking ourselves. Both Katie and Louise managed to get clear and hold breakaways for more than a lap. The strong headwind made it difficult for anyone to stay away solo, but their efforts kept the pressure on the field.

Eventually, the race came down to a sprint finish. Our plan was for Louise to lead me into the final sprint, but once we entered the last corner, chaos erupted as everyone fought for position. I knew there were at least two riders I needed to watch closely: one who had beaten me in the sprint at the Santa Cruz Crit, and another who had already collected several primes earlier in the race.

As soon as we exited the final turn, the sprint was on. It was a looooooong drag race all the way to the finish line. Luckily, some of the competition faded halfway through, but I kept fighting and managed to sneak into 3rd place overall by probably less than an inch.

All in all, it was a big day out for Alto Velo—strong teamwork, aggressive racing, podium finish and a bunch of cash for some!