Race Report: Winchester Circuit Race – Women’s 3/4/5 & Masters 40+/50+/60+ (and a little of P/1/2/3)

Race Report: Winchester Circuit Race – Women’s 3/4/5 & Masters 40+/50+/60+ (and a little of P/1/2/3)

Date: May 10, 2025

AVRT Racers: Alex Cameron, Kristin Hepworth, Robin Kutner

Top Result: Kristin Hepworth – 4/17 overall, 2/6 in Cat 3

Course: The course is a ~4.5 mile road loop with excellent pavement and a series of rolling hills. There are only two 90° turns on the course. Though steep in some sections, no hill is longer than a couple minutes, and are all followed by fun, fast, and safe descents, so momentum can be carried into the next climb. The biggest descent (segment title “Tuck and Lol”) is a bit over 1 minute and is fast! A series of undulating climbs (~350ft gain total) takes you up to the finish, which is located roughly half way up the steepest and longest climb. 

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14438010422

Nutrition:  Oatmeal 3 hours before the race. One gel 10 minutes before the race. The race is only an hour, so I didn’t eat anything during. One bottle of water with electrolytes during the race.

Recap by Kristin: After a neutral rollout from the parking lot, the 17-rider field stayed together for most of the first lap. Things started to break up on lap 2, before the longest climb. I was able to stay with the front group, but just as the effort began to string us out, a neutralization was called by the moto guy due to an incoming men’s field. The timing worked against us, allowing a few dropped riders to recover and rejoin. That left about 7 or 8 of us heading into the final two laps. 

Robin: feeling physically poor, I got dropped on the long climb at the end of Lap 2. But in hindsight - as always - if I had managed to hang, I probably could have stayed with the main group because of the untimely neutralization. I redirected my race purpose to teamwork with Alex, so I softpedaled early in Lap 3 until she appeared.

Kristin: As the only AVRT rider in the front group, I focused on positioning and marking the two other Cat 3 riders I knew would be competitive — Sofya (Terun) and Shannon (unattached).  Sofya tested the group with a few hard efforts on the climbs during lap 3. I followed each move, unsure whether she was trying to split the field or simply animate the race. Each time, the group came with me. She mentioned not feeling well, but it was hard to tell how much of that was real and how much was tactical.

Alex: After battling through the first 2 laps and getting dropped by the main group sometime during the second lap, I was trying to come up with a plan for how to make the most of the final 2 laps while riding mostly solo. A couple minutes into the 3rd lap though, I come across Robin all but stopped and waiting for me! This was a massive boost for me, because I had expected to grind through the second half of the race alone with my own thoughts. Robin was immediately helpful and told me to sit in her draft while she worked. She would end up pulling me all the way to the finish line - I never took a turn. My hero! We had a fun back and forth with a Davis rider who we would pass on the hills, but then would pass us (me) back on the descents. After going back and forth a couple times and sitting in her draft for a little, we made our move going into the final climb of the 3rd lap and dropped her for good. This was such a massive learning moment in the race for me - it showed me there are little races that can still be won within the bigger race, and that there is always a way to push yourself, even if you’re not with the top riders. My teammate saved me out there, and I felt like I learned so much!

Kristin: Going into the final lap, I knew Shannon had consistently beaten me in previous races, and I let that get into my head more than it should have. I stayed alert and in position, but didn’t take any risks or initiate any moves. Ultimately, the race came down to the final climb. I held my own, but it’s a short, explosive finish — not my strength — and I came through 4th overall, 2nd in Cat 3. Shannon beat me again, but I did finish ahead of Sofya.

Looking back, I finished with more in the tank than I expected, which tells me I raced too conservatively. I doubted my fitness and hesitated to commit when I should have. It was a missed opportunity, but a useful one — next time, I’ll be more confident in making decisions and taking initiative.

This is one of my favorite courses, and while the result wasn’t quite what I hoped for, I always enjoy racing alongside my positive and supportive AV teammates.

The pack on Lap 1. Photo credit: Greg Beliera

“Race” Report: Winchester Circuit Race – Women’s P/1/2/3 

AVRT: Robin Kutner

Recap written by Robin: I had pre-registered for the P123 mainly because I was excited to finally - on my first outing as a cat3 - have the opportunity to do a second race. I obviously didn’t know that I would end up sick / in sleep debt / undertrained in the weeks before Winchester. So after feeling crappy in the first race of the day, I was not about to do a longer race in a tougher field in scorching heat, but I was still hanging around the race area. I was chatting with Gwen (Revolution) and Shannon P before the race and they pointed out that if I just started it, it was looking like I would be racer #5 and therefore upgrade points would be available for the field. I have been frustrated showing up to a race to find that 1 person’s DNS eliminates the opportunity to get any upgrade points, so I didn’t want to be that person. It was over 100°F on the tarmac, so I rode second wheel in our small field’s single-file line. As soon as Shannon P (eventual double winner) put in a smidge of effort on the finishing climb at the end of Lap 1, I saw myself out and hung out under the finishing area tent with some pals. Friendly USAC ref Carlos even gave me a veggie burrito. No regrets.