Back in the UK, I race for Wolverhampton Wheelers, where I pretty much ride for myself. I am my own domestique and my own lead out train. There are no team tactics. No pre-race discussions and nobody to work for but myself.
Yet, here, in the US, for two weeks at least, I had the absolute pleasure of riding and living with 6 wonderful women. Granted, we still mostly rode for ourselves, due in part to a vast gap in experience and strength, but spattered around the fortnight were fleeting glimpses of cohesion.
We had plans. Tactics were discussed. Lead outs arranged and although futile, 6 diabetics and one director came together to form Team Type 1.
Ladies and Gentlemen I introduce to you Team Type 1:
From left to right:
Erin 'young un' Ball - The baby of our team. At 15 years of age, Erin held her own in the 3/4 races.
Mandy Marquardt - The 'trackie' of our team.
Me
Anne Findlay - Super strong Anne is the most meticulous diabetic I have ever met.
Becca Schepps - New Yorker Becca is super talented and uber strong.
Kori 'director' Seehafer - Kori's palmares is far too long to list but suffice to say a long career in europe, numerous world championships, and representing the US means she is fantastically positioned to teach us aspiring diabetic racers how to race.
Sarah Burkett - DC cop by day, runner and cyclist by night! Sarah has a vast array of comical cop stories that sent us into fits of laughter.
The best part about having these team mates - they, with the exception of Kori, have diabetes. These are the people who understand what I go through just to get to the startline with a good blood sugar because they have to go through the same stuff too. We don't just ride together because we're in a team, we ride together to prove that we can beat diabetes and compete with the best.
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