Sara Claffery is like a kid on Christmas morning, bursting with enthusiasm.

Listening to her over the phone I pictured her bouncing in place as she spoke to me about her elite cycling team and their success this season.

The Annapolis Bicycle Racing Team has been around long enough that most local residents have come across a member at one point or another. But even among the most avid cyclists in the area, the fact that there are women on the team and not just tagging along or bringing up the rear in a pace line, seems to be a well kept secret.

Though many female members of the ABRT are still working their way up in the ranks by competing in Cat 4 races, there are a handful of women in the Cat 2 and even one in the Cat 1 division.

These women make up the Elite Team for the ABRT.

Clafferty, a Cat 2 rider, is among them.

Having rowed in college, Clafferty came out knowing she needed to do something to stay fit. Her first inclination was to try her hand at running.

After only a few races, she quickly found that running was not for her.  She needed something more. So she saved up enough money to buy her first road bike.

For many riders that first time out on a road bike is discouraging. It is harder than we expect. We want to be better than we are.

But for Clafferty riding the bike was like coming home. She felt like she belonged. She was faster than she had expected and she wasn’t afraid of the speed.

In her very first race she came in 5th. As an athlete, competition flows through Clafferty’s veins. Realizing she could do well after that first race, she wanted to do even better.

At the time, she was living in Vermont and involved with an active cycling community. She made a point of riding with the men. Of latching onto a pace line, pedaling her heart out and keeping up until she just couldn’t anymore.

“After 30 minutes or so I would get dropped,” Clafferty said. “But that was only encouragement to keep at it. I would go back the next time and hold on a little longer and then a little longer and eventually I could keep up.”

She credits this perseverance with making her a stronger rider and is quick to tell me that any woman can ride fast if she is willing to put in the work, ride with faster riders and keep going back.

After moving to Maryland, Clafferty found the ABRT and began joining in the weekly rides.

As part of the Women’s Elite Team, she has found the competition she needs to continue to grow as a rider.

This year the team, captained by Janet Olney and anchored by Christine Fuentes, Sue McQuiston and Clafferty, won both the overall omnium at Page Valley 2011 and the General Classification at the Tour of Washington County.

Clafferty said, because the Washington County race is the Mid-Atlantic Bike Racing Association's only stage race each year, it has the fiercest competition in the region.

Though the team is pleased with their performances this year, they are looking to race on the regional and national level next year.

For Clafferty, the racing is as much about pushing herself as it is about winning with her teammates.

“It is all about improving,” Clafferty said. “The more we compete, the better we get. The more we improve, the more fun we have.”

Clafferty is not an official spokesperson for the club or the team but after a few minutes of speaking with her, I began to wonder whether she should be.

Her enthusiasm was contagious.

As we said goodbye, I began planning my next ride.