Photo courtesy of Christian Murdock- Colorado Gazette

On Saturday, May 19^th, Sarah competed in the Women's national criterium event, a race run through the streets of downtown Colorado Springs.  Riders rode the flat 0.9 mile circuit for 50 minutes plus five laps.  Just prior to the event, a rain began, leaving the course very slick and even more challenging than it otherwise would have been for the 94 riders competing in the combined Div. I-II field.  From the start Konrad rode aggressively, moving to the front of the pack by the second lap.  On the third lap she made a solo breakaway, and literally rode away from the rest of the field.  Konrad would have lapped the entire field before with two laps to go in the race but was prohibited from doing so by the race officials.  In a criterium race, lapped riders must end their race on the next lap, and since the Division I title was still up for grabs in the chase pack, race officials worried that if the chasers from Division I were lapped they wouldn't realize their race had been shortened by Konrad's charge and therefore would be unprepared for a field sprint to determine their champion.  By keeping Sarah from passing the group, the Division I riders were able to complete their race in the allotted time for their national title.  Lara Kroepsch of Colorado University and returning Div. I National Criterium champion won the Div I category in a close sprint to the line and finished second overall in the race, 1 minute and 49 seconds behind Konrad.  Kroepsch was followed to the line by riders from the University of New Mexico, Colorado State and Oregon State who rounded out the top five.  The closest Div. II rider finished in 15^th place in the main pack, one minute and 52 seconds behind Konrad. 

Sarah rides alone through the rain.

Konrad won the National criterium championship in convincing style.  After the race, second place finisher and Div. I champion Kroepsch of CU described the race as very hard and aggressive.  "The course was hard," she said. "In a field like this you never really get away- unless you're Sarah."

Sarah Konrad- Woman's National Criterium Champ!

The slick conditions on the course contributed to a number of crashes.  Getting a big lead helped ease Konrad's nerves, allowing her room to maneuver.  "I was a little nervous" she said, "I was wondering how slippery it was out there."  Said Konrad of her winning effort "I wasn't expecting to win by that much. The official on the lead motorcycle pacing me let me know when I was 30 seconds and then 45 seconds out front.  With five laps to go I asked him how close the chase group was and he said 'Keep it constant and you don't have anything to worry about'.  With three laps to go I saw a group of riders in front of me and was asked not to pass them as they were the chase group.  I never expected to win by that much."

Sunday featured a very challenging 9.5 mile circuit around the U.S. Air Force Academy Grounds in Colorado Springs, with a total of 950 feet of elevation gain per lap.  Women had to compete five laps around the course.  Riding in a combined Div. I-II field, 105 riders contested the start.  After the first lap Konrad had moved to the front of the field, a optimal position to control the race. Unlike the day before, however, where she had surprised the field, this day she was a marked woman, with the pack eyeing her every move.  Midway into the second lap, Carolyn Donnelly of the University of New Mexico (Div. I) attacked and Sarah followed, with Karan Bockel of Colorado State (Div. I) in hot pursuit.  Working together, the three women had a 50 second lead over their nearest rivals by the end of the second lap.  By the third lap, the gap had been widened to 2:40 over a chase group of four riders that included Kroepsch of CU, two UC-Davis riders and a rider from Oregon State.  With one lap to go the leaders had extended their lead to 3:36 over the chasers, and Donnelly attacked the group hoping to drop Bockel and thereby cement the Division I win.  Konrad covered the attack, pacing Donnelly to the finish.  Since both riders had clearly won their respective Divisions in this race and the previous day's efforts left no doubt Konrad was the strongest rider in the race, both riders agreed to  cross the finish line together holding one another's arms in the air to salute their victory. 

Konrad and Donnelly celebrate their road race win.

Bockel crossed the line for third overall and second in Div I, 2 minutes 22 seconds behind.  Alice Pennington of Oregon State took third in Div. I, out-sprinting Kroepsch to the line.  Kate Sherwin of Dartmouth was the second Div. II rider to finish, in 9^th place overall, 9 minutes and 14 seconds back of the winners. 

After the race, Donnelly, the Div. I winner was gracious in her praise for Konrad, "Sarah was the strongest rider out there," she said.  I knew she was the one to work with and I just went when she did."  

Konrad was pleased with the way she had won her Collegiate Road Racing National Championship and second national championship in two days. "The three of us moved to the front of the pack and pushed the pace from the beginning.  I really thought I had a chance to win this thing and felt really confident. Everything went according to script out there today.  Carolyn (Donnelly) and I decided to cross the finish line together because we like each other and helped each other out all day. It was almost like having a teammate out there."

For her efforts- the two dominant wins in the road and criterium events, Konrad was also crowned National Omnium (overall) champion, giving her all three Div. II National women's titles.  Donnelly, who had finished second in the Division I criterium standings, was crowned omnium winner in Div. I after wining the Div. I road National Championship. 

Konrad's dominance over the weekend, however, left no doubt who the fastest female collegiate road cyclist is in 2001, and she has earned the right to wear the stars and stripes jersey (awarded only to national champions and only allowed to be worn by them in events the year following their championship) proudly.      

On the Men's side, due to the large field sizes, Division I and II traces were held separately.  Peter Robinson, a junior in English from Casper represented UW and competed on the men's side.  In a race marred with crashes in the slippery conditions, he rode strongly to a 13^th placing overall in the criterium on Saturday in the Men's Div. II race.  In the road race Sunday, he rode in the top ten for the first five laps of the 7 lap race on the 9.5 mile course before leg cramps slowed him.  He managed a strong 20^th placing in the field of 55 starters and in which only 41 finished.

Peter sitting in fourth position with 2 laps to go in Saturday's crit.

Final Results:

National Collegiate Championship Criterium: Saturday May 19^th, 2001- Colorado Springs, CO.

Division II Women (50 minutes + 5 laps):

1. SARAH KONRAD (University of Wyoming) at one hour and 35.6 seconds; 2. Michele Smith (University of Rochester) @ 01:53.60 back; 3. Alison McNulty (Washington University) @ same time; 4. Kate Sherwin (Dartmouth College) @ same time; 5.   Lauren Gaffney (Vanderbilt University) @ same time

Division I Women (50 minutes + 5 laps):

1. Lara Kroepsch (University of Colorado-Boulder) at one hour, two minutes and 24.4 seconds; 2. Carolyn Donnelly (University of New Mexico) @ same time; 3. Kirstin Fisher (Colorado State University) @ same time; 4. Karen Bockel (Colorado State University) @ same time; 5. Alice Pennington (Oregon State University) @ same time