"Yeah, but the best part was being next to my mom at the start line," Caitlin told Cycling News, although she obviously didn't have to look far for cycling inspiration.
"My mom was the biggest inspiration in my life, and I always wanted to race and be like her. So she is my biggest driving force and motivation to keep me going. I want to reach the level she is at now and the level she was at when she was racing professionally overseas."
Unfortunately for Caitlin, although she was racing alongside Ruth, it was only her second time competing in the National Road Series and her first time in the South Australian arena. The Townsville native was involved in a crash early in the race. Towards the end of the race, she continued to chase in a small group and tried to increase her pace in an attempt to shorten her time. Unfortunately, that was not to be.
"It was a good experience," she said. I really enjoyed today's race.
And while Caitlin tackled her first experience of racing in a large, competitive group in South Australia, her mother stayed up front, not too worried about her daughter's rear.
In the last kilometer of the first stage of the Santos Festival of Cycling, Ruth joined a three-man breakaway to the finish line. Then on stage 2, with Caitlin cheering her on from the roadside, Ruth was consistently aggressive and made several attempts to break away.
"I raced in my hometown last year, but I hadn't raced at this level in five years, so I wasn't sure how I was feeling," Ruth told Cycling News before putting on the mountains jersey on stage 2. I don't know if I'm back to my old self, but it's great to be riding with some of the best riders in Australia."
Her performance at the Santos Festival of Cycling came after she finished sixth in the women's elite U23 road race at the Australian National Road Championships. In fact, this was the race she had wanted to run with one of her daughters as well, but this time she was going to line up with 20-year-old Stephanie.
"At first I said, 'No, no, I'm happy just to watch you two.' But then I thought it would be special to race together. 'So we decided to run one race together in the Queensland Road Series, and that first race was very special, and it was the three of us racing together.
"Stephanie invited me to race with her at the All-Japan Championships in January. She is under 23 now, so we were supposed to race together, but then her accident happened."
Stephanie was hit by a car while training 10 weeks ago and suffered a fractured C7 vertebra, broken ribs, facial fractures, and a concussion. According to Ruth, who was there, fortunately her daughter is recovering well and will be back on the bike soon.
Stephanie was also watching from afar as the race unfolded at the Santos Festival of Cycling, and if all had gone as planned, Ruth would have participated in the race with her two daughters.
However, the trio will likely get that chance later this year, as Ruth has promised to race with her daughters in 2022 with VA Pro Racing.
"After that, I don't know. Stephanie is already trying to convince me to race with her at Nationals next year. 'Next year Caitlin will be a freshman under 23. Next year Caitlin will be a freshman under 23, so they're saying, 'Let's all three of us go to Nationals together. I don't know what's going to happen."
"There's still a lot of convincing to do," Caitlin said.
But Corset, it seems, has two daughters who are good at persuading.
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