Chasing Big Goals - Caitlin Bernstein at Rooted Vermont
Chasing Big Goals - Caitlin Bernstein at Rooted Vermont
Caitlin Bernstein recaps her experience at Rooted Vermont 2022 for the Easton Overland Community. Taking part in the Saris Women's Forum the day before the race, she relives the highs and lows of this Vermont gravel classic.
"This course has a brutal start, after less than 10 minutes of neutral roll out, you hit a super steep wall of a hill and everyone immediately goes as hard as they can,” recalls Caitlin. “The top guys were able to create a bit of separation here, but the hard charging women’s field caught back on (or at least yo-yo’d off the back) of the lead men for the first hour. I was really doing all I could to barely hang on, motivated by the women around me who relentlessly kept on holding the wheels of those in front. At this point I wondered a few times “why am I already going this hard? Is this smart?” but just went with it because I’m competitive and well, it’s a race so I wasn’t going to slow down.
"Eventually this led to a small group of just Maghalie Rochette, Regina Legge and me off the back of the top men, with two women ahead and no one behind in sight. These are strong women I admire and love to race with, so I was excited that we found ourselves together. Maghalie, despite recently recovering from COVID was pushing hard and the three of us started working together. Without them, I definitely wouldn’t have pushed so hard!"
After they hit the first Class IV section, Caitlin pushed the pace into the singletrack where she was hoping to catch the leaders. She knew these sections well from the previous year and had pre-rode the 2022 course, giving her a leg up on the competition.
While Caitlin left the first section and didn’t see anyone behind her, Maghalie bridged back on the next steep climb. Caitlin knew the downhill that followed, which she rode hard, only to find herself solo and without any of her friends to ride with.
"This is why I’ll never be a road racer,” she says. “I just kept pushing, no one in sight for many miles, maybe a smarter tactical move would have been to let up and find a group again, but instead I pushed on thinking maybe I’ll catch someone ahead. I spent what felt like forever riding alone, which did have one advantage. I hit the singletrack segment with a clear path and got my one QOM of the ride, tied for 2nd on the Men’s leaderboard, my proudest accomplishment from the race. Ha!"
It was an entirely different experience from last year’s Rooted where she was lucky enough to have her Overland teammate Caroline Dezendorf by her side, along with 5-6 men working together in a group for nearly the whole race.
Around the 50-mile mark, Caitlin was caught and swallowed up by a large, fast-moving group that included two women. She did everything she could to hold on, using the downhills to her advantage and managed to stay in contact for about 20 more minutes before her legs were unable to stay on pace.
"I was running low on water and I knew I needed to conserve a bit to make it to the end in one piece," says Caitlin. “I was able to keep it mostly together, with an aid station stop, where I received a stocking full of ice to put in my jersey. I’m convinced that brought me back to life. With about 20 miles left I put my head down and got to work. This became another solo pursuit until I looked over to find Regina pedaling next to me on an 11% wall. I was inspired to see her pull back after three hours, but I was also determined not to let her go. We rode to the finish together, attacked each other on the final singletrack trail and I just barely managed to pull ahead and finish in 5th. Honestly, at this point, I’d had such an epic day out there fighting so hard to keep pushing on, I was relieved to be done and proud of the effort no matter where I placed. I was SO ready for a maple creamee and to spend time with friends!”
Caitlin's Equipment Check:
Caitlin Bernstein recaps her experience at Rooted Vermont 2022 for the Easton Overland Community. Taking part in the Saris Women's Forum the day before the race, she relives the highs and lows of this Vermont gravel classic.
"This course has a brutal start, after less than 10 minutes of neutral roll out, you hit a super steep wall of a hill and everyone immediately goes as hard as they can,” recalls Caitlin. “The top guys were able to create a bit of separation here, but the hard charging women’s field caught back on (or at least yo-yo’d off the back) of the lead men for the first hour. I was really doing all I could to barely hang on, motivated by the women around me who relentlessly kept on holding the wheels of those in front. At this point I wondered a few times “why am I already going this hard? Is this smart?” but just went with it because I’m competitive and well, it’s a race so I wasn’t going to slow down.
"Eventually this led to a small group of just Maghalie Rochette, Regina Legge and me off the back of the top men, with two women ahead and no one behind in sight. These are strong women I admire and love to race with, so I was excited that we found ourselves together. Maghalie, despite recently recovering from COVID was pushing hard and the three of us started working together. Without them, I definitely wouldn’t have pushed so hard!"
After they hit the first Class IV section, Caitlin pushed the pace into the singletrack where she was hoping to catch the leaders. She knew these sections well from the previous year and had pre-rode the 2022 course, giving her a leg up on the competition.
While Caitlin left the first section and didn’t see anyone behind her, Maghalie bridged back on the next steep climb. Caitlin knew the downhill that followed, which she rode hard, only to find herself solo and without any of her friends to ride with.
"This is why I’ll never be a road racer,” she says. “I just kept pushing, no one in sight for many miles, maybe a smarter tactical move would have been to let up and find a group again, but instead I pushed on thinking maybe I’ll catch someone ahead. I spent what felt like forever riding alone, which did have one advantage. I hit the singletrack segment with a clear path and got my one QOM of the ride, tied for 2nd on the Men’s leaderboard, my proudest accomplishment from the race. Ha!"
It was an entirely different experience from last year’s Rooted where she was lucky enough to have her Overland teammate Caroline Dezendorf by her side, along with 5-6 men working together in a group for nearly the whole race.
Around the 50-mile mark, Caitlin was caught and swallowed up by a large, fast-moving group that included two women. She did everything she could to hold on, using the downhills to her advantage and managed to stay in contact for about 20 more minutes before her legs were unable to stay on pace.
"I was running low on water and I knew I needed to conserve a bit to make it to the end in one piece," says Caitlin. “I was able to keep it mostly together, with an aid station stop, where I received a stocking full of ice to put in my jersey. I’m convinced that brought me back to life. With about 20 miles left I put my head down and got to work. This became another solo pursuit until I looked over to find Regina pedaling next to me on an 11% wall. I was inspired to see her pull back after three hours, but I was also determined not to let her go. We rode to the finish together, attacked each other on the final singletrack trail and I just barely managed to pull ahead and finish in 5th. Honestly, at this point, I’d had such an epic day out there fighting so hard to keep pushing on, I was relieved to be done and proud of the effort no matter where I placed. I was SO ready for a maple creamee and to spend time with friends!”
Caitlin's Equipment Check: