All In at Momentum Indy: From Flyers to Finish Lines
By: Katelyn Madsen
Living in Indianapolis for 5 years now, IU Health Momentum Indy feels like a hometown race. I really wanted to make an impact on the races this weekend and felt more confident having two strong teammates going into the weekend. For Mass Ave Crit on Friday, I planned to try something new and attempt a 2-lap flyer for the race win. I thrive on technical courses and knew Friday would be my best opportunity to attempt something new. After a hard-fought race, I was exhausted, but when I saw 2 laps to go, I knew it was now or never. I attacked out of the first corner and left everything out there in an attempt to cross the finish line first. I quickly extended my gap through the winding corners and grew more confident in my ability to grab the podium’s top step. With 500m to go, my legs were burning, and I was gasping for air. Losing speed quickly, I worried if I would be able to hold on for the finish. Fortunately, as I started to fade, it was my teammate who found strength. Dorothy flew past in the final 100m to snag the win while I rolled in for third. Despite the chaos, our third teammate, Chloe, rolled in for fourth place. I couldn’t believe I had the power to even attempt a 2-lap flier and was even happier to see Apex take the win for the first day of Momentum Indy.
Going into Saturday, Dorothy, Chloe, and I were feeling confident with our results and teamwork from the previous night on Mass Ave. Saturday’s course was a whole different animal and promised to be a sprint finish. Knowing that, the team planned on leading out Dorothy for a powerful sprint and positioning to win the omnium. When Dylan proposed this plan to the team, I was uncertain if we’d be able to execute a lead-out. This would only be the second time Dorothy, Chloe, and I had raced together as teammates. Executing a lead-out requires perfect communication and experience riding together. Asking new teammates to execute a lead-out correctly would be no easy ask. During the race, I found myself staying near the front and neglecting to save energy in the draft. Following a recent crash at Tour of America’s Dairyland, I was worried to sit in the pack and hide in the draft. Thankfully, being around my teammates brought me some peace and calmed my nerves in the peloton. As the laps counted down, my teammates did an amazing job staying together and communicating through the race. Just as we discussed, with one lap to go, Chloe began the lead-out for the sprint finish. She did a phenomenal job of starting the lead-out and keeping the last lap hot. When Chloe peeled off the front, it was my turn to keep the pace fast through the final corners. With Dorothy on my wheel, I emptied the tank to give her the best chance in the final meters. Dorothy took the win with a strong sprint and further secured her first-place position in the omnium! To say I was proud of my teammates is an understatement. Chloe and Dorothy have raced only a handful of criteriums before this weekend but raced like they’ve had years of experience.
Our last day would finish at Marian University racing up the Cold Springs Rd climb. If I’m honest, I was not looking forward to this race and having a big hill to battle each lap. Today, we planned to give Chloe the opportunity to go for a win. She thrives when the gradient gets steep, so a course with a climb is perfect for her. In my mind, all I wanted to do was help my teammates as much as possible and try and finish the race. While I did not like going up the climb 10+ times during the race, I did enjoy the newly-added technical corners in the back half of the course. Throughout the race, the girls did a fantastic job of riding smart and efficiently. The peloton stayed together throughout the race, and Dorothy fought hard to snag second with Chloe close behind in third. With all the climbing, I celebrated finishing the race with the peloton and not getting dropped.
In review, the team podiumed every race of the weekend with Dorothy winning the overall omnium! This team achieved more than I could have expected, and I was so grateful I could play a part in our team’s success. Next stop, Whiskey City with the gals!
