COUNTDOWN - TO YOUR FIRST CRIT

ONE INTREPID MEMBER, ONE WORLDCLASS COACH, ONE INCREDIBLE BIKE-THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME.

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YASMIN BOAKYE HAD JUST FINISHED THE 2024 Mid South Gravel race in Stillwater, Oklahoma, when she heard about a unique opportunity with Bicycling With three years of gravel and triathlon experience, the 33-year-old Baltimore resident was fired up and looking for a new challenge. We were offering an exclusive chance for a Bicycling member to train with us for our hometown race, the Easton Twilight Criterium. Each Memorial Day weekend, the race attracts the best riders in the country to Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. The course is a short, technical, and relatively flat 0.71-mile circuit with six turns. Thousands of spectators line the route, and many watch from the city's downtown bars and restaurants.

Signing up for any race, especially if it's your first time, can feel intimidating. But with the right preparation, training, and gear, racing your bike can be a rewarding chance to challenge yourself. That's why Boakye didn't hesitate to submit an application. And when she found out she'd been selected, she couldn't wait to get started.

"Getting to train in a really focused way was very exciting to me," she says. "I figured I can figure out the racing part." We set her up with one-on-one access to Bicycling editors who ensured she had everything she needed for success, including a personal coach-21-time national champion and Pan American gold medalist Daniel Holloway-who designed an 8-week individualized crit training plan for her to follow.

Legendary Italian bike manufacturer Pinarello donated a brand-new $6,000 Pinarello F5 105 Di2 to ensure Boakye had the right bike and the best riding experience while training and racing.

With her coach, Bicycling staff support, and new road bike, Boakye was more than ready to take on her first criterium. Here is how it went--and why she would do it again in a heartbeat.

5 BIG TRAINING REVELATIONS