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Holly Breck’s Day in the Sun
From Sunrise Struggles to Sunset Victory
by Holly Breck
Redlands is the longest ongoing stage race in America, and notoriously challenging. To put the difficulty into perspective, this year marked my sixth time starting the race, but only my third completing all stages. Even in years when I had finished the race, I had never been able to finish with the leaders on the infamous Sunset Road Race, which is a brutal circuit that culminates in several laps on the criterium course from earlier in the week. In the team’s pre-race meeting, I was instructed to "follow, follow, follow," and to "fight like hell" to stay in contention for the final crit laps.
Once the race began, my Legion teammates maintained a steady pace and controlled the peloton, quickly responding to any attacks. With only a few laps remaining on the circuit, a significant attack occurred on the climb, splitting the group into three. I was in the second group, "fighting like hell" to rejoin the leaders. By the start of the final lap, we had regrouped.
The final lap of the road circuit was ridden at a consistent pace as we began to position ourselves for the criterium laps. Once we entered the crit course, there was an initial sprint for green jersey points, followed by three closing laps. I focused on staying tucked in near the front while my team once again controlled the race.
Coming into the last lap, I was in fourth wheel and had identified my moment to attack. With one turn remaining before the chicane leading to the finish, I sprinted as if it were the final turn. I safely navigated the corner and chicane, and, unsure if anyone was on my wheel, continued to push. All I could hear was the announcer calling my name over the loudspeaker, and when I looked to my right, I saw that I was still clear of the group. Crossing the finish line, I felt shocked, surprised, and incredibly thankful that this dream had become a reality. Winning the Sunset stage was beyond anything I could have imagined.
From a nutrition standpoint, I drank a bottle of EFS-PRO prior to the race to help me "pre-hydrate," since it was the fourth day of racing. I started the race with another bottle of EFS-PRO and a bottle of water. After those were finished, I consumed three Liquid Shots per hour with water, totaling 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour.
