UC Davis Flatlands (Women’s 4/5)

Race: UC Davis Flatlands (Women’s 4/5)

Date: February 1, 2026

AVRT racers: Emily Selman

Top Result: 1/7 (Women’s 4/5); 1/10 (combined 4/5 and collegiate)

Course: 8 laps of a 3.8 mi flat circuit, some newly paved sections

Strava:  https://www.strava.com/segments/6834894

Nutrition: Oatmeal for breakfast; 80g malto/electrolytes and 1 gel

Race Summary:

With a small field, I was hoping to take a shot at the win. I don’t know many racers by name, so I checked the names of the pre-reg women on Strava. Katie Goad had taken 4th the day before at Cal Aggie, so I checked her max watts and figured my best shot was to attack on the final corner rather than earlier. The other racers had some solid training logged on Strava, so I was unsure how well I could hang if there were any early attacks.

The race started at a quicker pace than I’d experienced 2 years ago, but a UC Davis rider was willing to pull for the first 3 laps. At that point, Katie attacked to see what kind of attrition she could get, and a few of us responded immediately and the group formed again pretty quickly. Katie tried to get a paceline going, and it worked relatively well, but I pulled out quickly whenever I was pulling at the front.

With 2 laps to go, I attacked at the start/finish line and saw that almost no one was cornering well on the 3 initial turns on Brooks Road. I decided then that I would start my final attack earlier so I could gain some ground on the 3 consecutive turns leading to the finish. I did minimal pulling on the final lap and was third wheel heading into those 3 turns. I hit the gas and dove into the gutters of the first two turns. When I looked back after the 3rd turn, there was no one even close. I honestly couldn’t believe it.

I have to mention again, I am dumbfounded that I’m able to race and be competitive after a long recovery from back surgery a year ago. I was also embarrassingly older than the field, so here’s to old, persistent cyclists who don’t want to give up!