Whitney Schultz racing into downtown Fort Collins with teammate Emma Grant. Photo by Peter DiscoeGrant: We are here with local Whitney Schultz of Team Colavita, we are just going to run through what happened out there today. What was the course like today and what was it like to race on some of your home roads?
Whitney: It was definitely a lot of fun getting to race at home, ultimately ended up in a little grupetto with Amanda Miller, who used to live in Fort Collins and we definitely shared a moment, giggling about being able to ride at home and see so many people cheering us on. So that was really special.
Grant: What was it like to be able to see your fiance up on Bingham Hill, did that add to it at all today or was it just another bike race?
Whitney: He (Zack) is in a Hawaiian shirt today as usual so he was easy to pick out (laughs).
Grant: So what was the hardest part of today’s race?
Whitney: It definitely started off with a bang with the sprint point being 7 to 8 miles in, it was super crosswindy so people were pretty much guttered and just popping off, you know every minute so it was just super duper hard and then you hit the climb and that was also crosswindy so riders were guttered again there was a break up the road so it was Exergy’s job to really bring that back so they kept a pretty high pace until the move came back.
Grant: So there were riders getting popped off left and right from the beginning with that early sprint point?
Whitney: Ya, I mean by the time we got over the first kicker in Buckhorn the group was probably down to maybe thirty riders maybe, pretty selective.
Grant: Was there any special team tactics for you being the local today or just a normal day at work?
Whitney: I was supposed to try and get into an early move but I missed it, it went really early. Then it was just to help Katie, our climber, out as much as possible. Eventually I fell off right before the school.
Grant: So, all in all, how have you enjoyed this first edition of the women’s pro challenge?
Whitney: I love not having to put it together, its nice to just be a participant and enjoy. I couldn’t ask for a better place for the first town to have a road race. I think we have an incredibly supportive community no matter your gender. That’s something really to celebrate.
Grant: Any big plans for tomorrow, what’s the team trying to do?
Whitney: I don’t know, I haven’t seen the course yet. I know that there is supposed to be a good climb in each lap so we’ll see what happens!
Grant: Well good luck from everyone in Fort Collins!
