By John Bohnenkamp
Rylee McMullen is a sprinter, so the Women’s Category 1-2-3 Pro Race of the Friday Night Fever event in Burlington was perfect for her.
McMullen got the best of the field in the closing stretch of the race down North Fifth Street, edging Elizabeth Dixon in a photo finish.
The 45-minute event came down to the final seconds, and McMullen was just a bit faster.
“I knew it was going to be a fast sprint,” said McMullen, who is from Vancouver, British Columbia. “I wanted to go a little bit early, but I ended up going late and I wasn’t sure I was going to make it to the line.”
The field consisted of only 11 entrants, but that pack stayed together throughout the race.
“I’m a sprinter, so I wasn’t too worried if it came down to a sprint,” McMullen said. “I tried to get away a few times, but it’s windier than it looks.”
It was McMullen’s second time in Burlington for the Snake Alley Criterium weekend, and she said the experience gained in the last season helped her.
“As a sprinter, I’ve learned a lot in the last year, just how to position and what to do in the different scenarios,” she said.
Dixon, from Chicago, was making her first appearance in Burlington.
“I didn’t pre-ride the course, but I knew it was a fairly straightforward course,” Dixon said.
Dixon said the key for her was staying patient, and conserving energy because it’s a busy weekend of racing in the area, with Saturday’s Snake Alley Criterium, Sunday’s event in Muscatine, and Monday’s racing in the Quad Cities.
“I’ve been trying a few new things this year, so I thought I would make a move earlier,” Dixon said. “But I’m like everyone else, we’re racing tomorrow and then Sunday and Monday, so I just tried to stay calm and just follow other people’s moves. And it worked out, and I was pleased with it. I wanted to ride, stay on people’s wheels until we came around (for the last lap).”
Dixon said there were certain areas of the course where there was plenty of action.
“They’re all really strong women in the field,” she said. “I know you couldn’t see it from here, but on the back side there were really strong attacks throughout the race, but we always seemed to come back together for the most part. It was a testament to the field, but I think we were all saving our legs a little bit for tomorrow. So I didn’t want to burn out on a big move or a breakaway.”
Jane Tullis finished third. Dahlia Kissel was fourth.
Camille Wirkus of Madison, Wisconsin won the Category 3-4 event. Jordan Gwyen Austin of Orland Park, Ill., was second. Isabelle Jensen of Leavenworth, Kansas was second.
