Race Report: Early Birds #2: Women’s Cat 4/5

Race: Early Birds #2: Women’s Cat 4/5 

Date: January 18th, 2026

AVRT racers: Meghan Kransz, Apoorva Setlur, Sandrine Veillette, & Milinda Lakkam (AV)

Top Result: There is no keeping score at Early Birds :)  

Course: We raced a flat route around a building with plenty of space for practicing pacelines and turns. Conditions were windy with temps in the high 40s to low 50s. 

Nutrition: This was a practice race but we made sure to stay fueled with plenty of snacks/drink mix/water. Thank you Meghan for always having a gummy worm handy!!

Recap (written by Sandrine Veillette): 

For this Early Birds clinic we had the privilege of learning from our mentors; Helena, Gabby and Robin. 

We started with two drills. First, we practiced cornering in a single line focused on following outside-inside-outside best practices. For the second drill, we practiced cornering in a double line formation, rotating one by one to each get a chance to experience different positioning, while leaving way for the rider on the inside.

Next, we did 5-6 race laps. The goal was to gain confidence and try new things including approaching the corners at different speeds, cornering lines, moving up and down the peloton. Although Early Bird races are not technically scored, each practice race finished in a sprint. Jayce (Monarch) took the win each time, with Sara (Super Sprinkles) and myself battling for second.The last race was plenty of fun, Sara and Milinda (AV) forming a successful break-away with 3 laps to go. Ultimately, each of us were riding and cornering notably better than at the start of the session!