Miamisburg — It was a scene women’s cyclists all over Ohio have been familiar with.

Team Dayton’s Secret Cycling’s duo of Elaine Schaaf and Erika Howard delivered their usual one-two punch to the field of the Tour d’Burg women’s open class, the grand finale of women’s races on Sunday.

Howard would bolt to the front repeatedly throughout the race, leaving the field in the dust and struggling to catch up. Once the pack caught Howard on the last lap, Schaaf would take over and use her sprinter’s speed to overcome them all.

Schaaf finished first and Howard was 15th. Overall, five Secret Cycling riders, a part of the Team Dayton cycling group, finished in the top 15 thanks to the strategy and skill exploited by Schaaf and Howard.

It’s why Schaaf finished first in the Ohio Spring Road Race Series this year, with Howard placing second.

“We ride with a lot of guys,” Howard said. “Their packs tend to be bigger and more advanced. So whenever we get into a women’s pack we feel like we have a hold of it.”

The two come from different backgrounds and different parts of the state. Schaaf ran track in St. Marys and did triathlons when she began medical school at Wright State. Howard lives in Athens and was in band in high school. But her first time on a bike she knew she was hooked.

“I went on a ride,” Howard said. “I got my butt kicked, but I couldn’t stop.”

Schaaf started the sport because of her boyfriend.

“I did triathlons out of high school, but cycling was my boyfriend’s passion,” Schaaf said. “I couldn’t do multiple sports while in medical school, so I went the biking route. It offers a lot of competition for adults, which a lot of other sports don’t have. I have something I can train for and race that keeps me exercising.”

The two look at cycling as an investment. With some bikes costing in the thousands, the sport isn’t cheap, but the two found ways around the price through purchasing used equipment or borrowing parts from fellow bikers.

“I started out with a $75 steel frame,” Schaaf said. “Once I realized I enjoyed doing it I felt it was worth spending more money on. As part of a team, you can get benefits to reduce pricing, but you are also investing in your health, which is also a good investment.”

That investment has the two pedalling into the future, with no plans to stop. “I’m still a baby, cycling-wise,” Howard said. “But I’m addicted and I’m going to keep it going.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2455 or bjbethel@DaytonDailyNews.com.