I finally had my comeback year in cycling. Due to working the Olympics and moving to Boise, I only started training on the first of May. In March and April, I trained 20-30 hours per month; my normal training consists of 15-20 hours per week. Luckily I made up ground quickly. At the end of 2001, I joined Team Goldy’s (a breakfast bistro in Boise, ID). It’s ironic that Goldy’s was based out of Boise since we didn’t even know we’d be moving there until three months later! Brooke Blackwelder was heading up the team and was gracious enough to let me ride for them. Many teams would not even look at me because I had been off the cycling scene due to illness for several years. The first weekend in May I participated in my first race. Luckily it was a local race. It was my first race with Team Goldy’s. Brooke had already given me a spot on the HP Women’s Challenge team, so this was my chance to prove myself to the team. Once the pace accelerated, I was the first person dropped. I ended up riding most of the race by myself. I was really humiliated by the end of the race. I am sure my teammates were wondering what drugs Brooke was on putting me on the HP Women’s Challenge team. I was able to pull my fitness together for the HP Women’s Challenge in June. That is a 9-day stage race that is based in Idaho; it is a women’s only event that many cyclists plan their year around. I ended up being a team player and having three days of rotten luck. I had two days in a row that I did 55-mile time trials off the back. The first day I was caught in a crash. The next day I dropped back to help Kristin Armstrong, who flatted. The pack was flying. I pulled for a long time and then blew up. I salvaged my race by finishing third on the final day. We finished in Hyde Park, right in front of our sponsor’s restaurant and I was able to win the sprint from the chase group I was in for third.

My biggest success came at the end of July at a race in Altoona, Pennsylvania called The International. It was a seven-day stage race. I went into that race with a goal to win the overall and the mountain jersey (best mountain climber). The first day was a short time trial. I finished in 6th place, 20 seconds down. The next day was a 73-mile circuit race (three laps of a 24-mile circuit). They had two mountain sprints. I easily won both sprints. In the finish, I started my sprint too early and finished 5th. The next day was the make or break stage; it was a 101-mile point-to-point race with a lot of climbing in it. My teammates weren’t strong enough to really help me, so I told them about my plan for the next day, so they wouldn’t work against me. I told them my plan was to attack at mile eight (according to the race profile, that is where the first real climb started) and not look back. I told them one of two things would happen: 1) the pack would chase madly and shatter the field, or 2) they wouldn’t chase, thinking I would die and they would catch me in 40 miles or so. My teammates weren’t really sure I could do it, but they agreed to just let me ride away. Our support person listened carefully and just hoped I wouldn’t be so fried when the peloton caught me that I would be shot out the back.

The following day, it was extremely hot. Mile eight came and there was no hill. I suddenly became concerned about my plan. Finally, at mile 15 the hill came. I attacked up the hill, and no one could follow. I rode as hard as I could. I got reports from the motorcycle support that no one was really chasing. I heard from my teammates that they tried chasing at first then gave up, deciding that I couldn’t hold it. The community really supports this race, so they have live updates every day as the race progresses. I had the media vehicle right in front of me. I rode alone for 86 miles. Every crowd that I passed would cheer, “Go Heather!” Some of them even had signs with my name. It took me a while to figure out that they knew my name because it was being broadcast over the radio. It was very invigorating to have everyone cheering for me. I was lucky to have a follow car behind me that gave me water whenever I needed it. However, it was so hot that it became difficult to take in enough food. The last 6 miles were torture. I hit “the wall”.

I kept thinking I was going to get caught at any minute. I kept thinking no one was giving me time splits to the pack because they were so close to catching me. I was so sure they were close to me that I sprinted across the finish line. I felt so awful after I finished the race. I went to the food station and sat there. Many reporters wanted to talk to me, so I had to ask them if they could wait for a bit because I felt sick. Then I started watching the clock. The next two riders crossed the line seven minutes later. The next small group came across 7:45 minutes later. My win put me in the overall lead (yellow jersey), the mountain jersey (red jersey), and I even won the sprint jersey (blue jersey). I was definitely the talk of the race. I managed to hold onto my lead until the end of the race, and I finished in the top ten each day. I ended the race with the overall title (8 min over 2nd place and 15 min over 3rd place), the mountain jersey, and in third place in the sprint competition. Our team finished in 4th place in the team competition.

I had one other great race. I went to the Mercy Criterium in Fort Smith, Arkansas. I traveled with Nicole Freedman, so we acted as teammates. My plan was to get off by myself (I like the solo breakaways). A few laps into the race, there was a prime (prize they give to the first person across the finish line the next lap). I won the prime and kept going. For the longest time, the pack was only seven seconds behind. Then I started gaining time on the pack. With two laps to go, I knew I would win. I started thinking about how I would ride across the finish line with my arms raised. I turned a corner with 1.5 laps to go, and there was the pack. I caught the pack with one lap to go, so I ended up sprinting to the finish, to lead out Nicole. I won and Nicole got 2nd. They had an awesome awards ceremony. Each of the top five received a big check (three feet long), flowers, a bottle of Champaign, and I got a leader’s jersey. After they took photos, they had us spray each other with the Champaign, for the big show. I ended up getting the worst of it, so my clothes reeked of Champaign. I decided that was the way to end my season, on the top of the podium.