Race Report: Bubba #2 Sylvan Spring

Sunday's race was at a venue new to me.  I've done a crit there before, so I knew it would be hilly but didn't know what else.  I started the morning by bike marshaling the Rock n Roll half marathon course.  After grabbing breakfast we headed to the park.  It was unusually warm for the day, race time temp was about 80 degrees with lots of sun.  I got a lap and a half preride in on the course and did the rest of my warm up in the field at the top of the park by the barriers.

The course started on pavement before 180ing back to a long gradual climb.  It curved right and picked up an old sidewalk that you could ride most of the way to the top.  From there was a series of switchbacks -- four I think -- up and down.  We then wound around to the bottom of the park before starting the second climb.  The second climb was as long or steep as the first.  It led to the top side of the park again.  There were some curves and turns and a few small elevation changes before heading down to the parking lot.  The course cut across the parking lot before leading back into the trees and the hardest climb.  The beginning of this one wasn't tough, it was the small kicker at the end that hurt.  From there you turned right and had the barriers.  Then it was a bumpy little down hill that led to a hard left to take you back to the start/finish.  

Topping the small kicker that hurt.  *Photo Credit: Don McKinney

We had eight ladies in the A race and 15 in our B race . . . a pretty good size field.  The whistle blew and we took off.  I would say I got my best jump of the season. Liz led out, Britta was right behind and I was sitting third wheel.  I knew someone was right behind me, but didn't know who.  We stayed close and tight until we wound around the top section of the field.  There was a little downhill 180 to a short uphill right.  I was geared wrong for the uphill and had to dab to get around the turn.  Cat passed me at that point.  I got going again, determined to take back third place.  I caught onto Cat after the parking lot and was able to pass her on the third climb.  By this time there was a short gap and Britta had taken over the lead.  By the time we finished the second climb of the second lap. Britta had a small gap on Liz.  I was able to close the ground and sit on Liz's wheel.  We were even through the barriers and she got a jump on the downhill.  I went around her on the pavement.  I know she stayed close to me for the next lap and a half, but I was eventually able to gain a good gap.  We did six laps for the race, but I was never able to bring Britta back.  I think she probably had a 20 second lead on me.  The toughest part of the race for me were the barriers after the climb.  My legs felt a bit jello like every time across them.

The bottom after the gradual downhill.  Courtney hot on me. *Photo credit: Mike Dawson

Race Report: MO State Time Trial and Criterium

It had been a rough few days last week.  I was mentally and physically exhausted and wasn't in the frame of mind to race two courses that I really don't love.  Plus, I hadn't raced since early July in Indy.  I did not have high expectations for my performance.

Missouri State Time Trial

I wasn't focused on this race like I like to be focused on a race.  I haven't ridden a 40k on the time trial bike since August 2011.  That being said, I knew I would regret not doing it.  Plus, the ride to Jeff City was a hoot.  Kate was hyped on her Double Big Gulp and Phil's sense of humor always makes me laugh.  Add in that Adam was a little loopy from sleep deprivation and it made for great laughs.

I got on my bike and warmed up on the outer road near the start.  The weather was beautiful, sunny, light breeze and cooler than it's been in two months.  I took my Gu and headed to the line.  It was quickly my turn to go to the line.  Ron took hold of my seat post and I clicked in.  Mark gave me the countdown and I took off.  I felt like I didn't have a great powerful start.  I was in my 54/23 so it should have been fine.  I added a gear, settled in and kept telling myself to tap it out, tap it out, find a rhythm. I found a good cadence and started singing a montage of songs to myself.  I never did get the melody to Fighter right in my head.  I hit the 10K mark and had originally planned on adding a gear.  While I wasn't fatigued, I didn't think I could sustain anything further.  About 20 minutes in I was passed by the guy who started a minute back.  I had expected that to happen at some point.  I also had to tell myself to hold back and not to try to chase him down, knowing that would cause me to blow up later on.  At 30 minutes I knew I should be getting close to the turn.  I got passed again by the rider who had started further back.  I kept telling myself that was okay.

I got to the at 30:03:30ish.  I didn't handle it well.  I haven't done a tt this year with a cone turn, so I was skiddish on speed and ended up sliding my rear wheel a bit.  I took off a gear stood up and got back up to speed.  I added my gear back and put my head down to pedal.  I had hoped for a more significant tail wind on the way back, but that never happened.  At 40 minutes I got passed for a third time.  UGH!  I kept this one in sight a lot longer and was still feeling really strong.  It was about that time that I started getting more and more uncomfortable in my saddle.  I knew I needed a new one on my tt bike, but with only doing shorter races this year, it hasn't bothered me.  There were a few times I had to stand on the way back to ease the discomfort.  I got to the 30k mark and knew I just needed to keep my effort hard and consistent.  I worked to maintain a cadence around 100 and didn't focus on speed.  Overall I felt really good the entire race.  My legs worked, but never felt like I couldn't keep going.  My effort was consistent throughout.  My official time was 1:05:31.  That's two seconds off my best time on this course.  Perhaps a better turn or not standing on the way back could have given me those few seconds--wouldn't have made a difference in how I finished, just a PR for me.  My place was 2nd for Cat 3 Women.  1st for MO licensed racers.

Missouri State Criterium

In spite of the results on Saturday, I still wasn't anymore ready to race Sunday.  I got there and registered and there were three others on the roster.  I was surprised and hoped we'd get more ladies.  I watched part of the Cat 5 race and then got dressed.  I was able to ride a couple of laps on the course before the Master's race started.  Kelly (Momentum) and I rode around for a while after that to warm up.  I attacked a few hills to get my heart rate up and then found Amy.  She and I spun for the last 10 minutes talking about who to watch in the race.  We ended up with 14 girls on the line at the start.  It was a good field, with some strong ladies in it.

The clouds had cleared and it was sunny, warm and humid for us.  The race started pretty quickly.  The first lap was hot.  The second lap eased and we rode about 20 minutes before the first prime.  Several small attacks were attempted, but nothing stuck.  The prime bell sounded and the positioning began.  I felt good and decided to give it a go.  We hit the back side of the course and the hill and Britta took off on us.  She got a great jump on the field.  I wasn't ready to let her have it though.  I went after her hard.  I rounded the last turn on the course and was out of my saddle sprinting as hard.  I think she assumed it was a given and sat up.  We went to the line and it was so close I didn't know what had gotten it until the next lap when I looked at Mark and he shook his head No to me.  I was disappointed, but was happy with my efforts.

Amy doing the work! *photo credit: Don McKinney

I found my smile! *Photo credit: Don McKinney

It was a close finish.  *Photo credit: Don McKinney

We came through with one to go and Britta took off.  She surprised everyone and got a sizable gap.  Emilie, Jamie, Ashley, Renee and I were all up front working to close the gap.  On the back hill Emilie drilled it and Ashley was on her wheel. I followed along.  As we hit the second hill Ashley faded and I tried to jump up on Emilie.  I couldn't grab her wheel and she was off.  I put my head down and knew I needed maintain my gap.  I turned onto the finishing straight and tried to stand on the little rise and my legs yelled at me to sit down.  I did and put my head down.  I could feel someone alongside of me and looked over to see Renee pull even. Shut up legs, we're goin' now.  I got up again and added gear and pushed.  I could see my tire move past hers and looked down to see the line on the road.  I snatched third!  It was a good hard fought race.  Amy worked very hard launching a some attacks and covering others to help me stay near the front and ready.  I was really happy that I was able to focus my mind and shut down the outside noise and get in a race frame of mind and stay there when it mattered.  And lots of friends cheering along the race course was an added bonus.  My surprise came when I went to check results.  Mark said he felt so bad that I didn't win the prime, but I was the Cat 3 state champ so that really mattered more.  It didn't hit me what he meant until Sara said something about getting my medal and jersey when results were final.  I think I squealed.

Race Report: Chicago Cross Cup New Years Resolution

In the spirit of full disclosure, like so many of the out of town races I did this season, these races were no where on my radar at the beginning of the cx season.  My season was going to be done in early December after state, and I then found myself driving north in the rain on Friday afternoon.  I had no real idea what to expect, other than sand because it was on a golf course.  But, I was ready to have fun. 

I got up Saturday morning and headed down to the course to pre-ride it before any of the other races began.  I wanted to make sure I had a good feel for it and got a full lap in prior to my race.  CCC described it as being four sections:  one power followed by one power/technical, another technical, and a final power section.  The start was on pavement and headed up a small incline and past the finish line.  A sweeping left led out to the grass to a few little off cambers and an off camber hill that was going to be muddy and sloppy as the day progressed.  From there it went to "mini Mt Krumpet" that would have been totally rideable in other conditions, but it was thick mud.  From the hill the course straightened out into a true power section, making two 180s before heading by the pits.  After the pits, the course doubled back and headed through two crushed limestone sandpits.  After the second there was boggy mud leading to the barriers. From the barriers there was another sand pit, and an off camber hill and back to the big hill.  After a quick trip through several more sandpits, the course turned 90 degrees and passed back by the pits into a sweeping 180 to the left and back onto the cart path to the s/f.  

I got a good warm up in before the race and headed to staging.  Somehow I had enough crossresults.com points to get a first row spot.  We lined up, got instructions and were off.  I was sitting around fifth wheel as we headed out on the grass.  I was able to ride the first off camber and headed to the big hill.  I was somehow riding it, about 3/4 of the way up, when the girl in front of me when down.  I tried to maneuver out of the way, but the mud took me and I had to unclip.  My foot slid and I bashed my knee.  I shouldered the bike and ran to the top.  I was sitting in fourth as we came down.  I passed the two girls in front of me in the power section, but was geared wrong into the mud after the pit and had to dismount.  They got ahead of me.  I stayed with them through the barriers, the hill, and the sand pits (which were SO much fun to ride).  We wound to the cart path and I added gear and didn't look back.  I passed them both as we headed out for lap two.  Victoria, the girl sitting in third as I passed, later told me "You just took off.  I didn't know what happened."

Descending the mini Mt Krumpet *photo credit:  William Draper

Lap two and three were much better for me as far as execution.  I decided not to try to ride the hill, to run it and play to my strengths.  I also geared better for the muddy sections and was able to ride them without issue.  I was getting time gaps on the girl in front of me and knew I was closing it down.  As I headed out for the final lap, she was close enough that I was keeping her in sight on the entire course. I was heading up the hill as she was remounting.  I jumped on my bike at the top and watched her pull off the course.  She broke her derailleur.  All I had to do was keep it together and the W was mine.  And that's exactly what I did.  I rode smart and clean and crossed the line for the win.  I was still in disbelief as I got on the podium.  My wins in cx have been so few, and this was a big race.

On the podium with Skylar and Victoria.  These juniors are gonna kill it in a few years.  Watch for them!

I hadn't planned on the second race of the day because I was tired after my first run.  But, the numbers were low and I wanted to make sure the ladies at least had five in their race so they could earn upgrade points.  We ended up with seven total.  I did a short warm up to get my legs ready before heading to the line.  Ellie (the broken derailleur) and I were the only two who had doubled up.  The race was set for 35 minutes, but the official let us know to only expect three laps because the conditions had deteriorated so much.  I got a great start off the line and was third heading into the grass.  It was definitely muddier and slicker this time around.  I had to dab to get up the first little off camber.  In the power section I was able to pass the girl sitting in second.  I chased Ellie the rest of the race, closing her gap, but never catching her.  It was much muddier this time through, and the mud was sticking like crazy.  I think I spent half the race out of my pedals.  Getting out of the sand pits was proving to be interesting as well because a nice little lip had formed.  Midway through lap two, I went in for a different bike.  This is the first time I've ever done a bike change in a race.  I felt pretty good about it, but it took me a minute to adjust from Campy to Shimano.  I stayed on that bike through the end, finishing second for the race.

Sunday's weather was just awful.  I went down early to preride the course.  It was snowing with incredible winds.  The only changes to the course were that the 180s after the hill was removed and so were the barriers.  The rain and snow made it even soupier than it had been the day before.  I got a bad jump off the line and couldn't find my pedal.  I was sitting in 7th when we went into the grass.  I knew I would have to run more than on Saturday.  I rode down the off camber hill and dismounted and run up it.  I decided to run up and down the big hill and had moved into fourth by that point.  I passed two more girls as I headed into the mud.  Again I was geared poorly. I hopped off and ran through the first sand pit and got back on.  I rode into the second sand pit and mud that followed to where the barriers had been and couldn't ride through it.  I ran it and tried to remount, but the wind was so forceful I struggle to get on my bike.  I lost second place there taking three tried to get going again.  I finally ran a little ways and remounted.  I changed bikes on my second time past the pit in lap one.  I bobbled a few turns in lap 2, actually getting caught on one of the plastic stakes in the third section of the course.  I switched back to my Ridley as I went by the pit again because it's a better fit and I'm more confident on it.  My third lap was cleaner for me in that I didn't make as many riding errors.  My lines were better and I rode all the mud and the sand.  I finished third on the day, but this one was definitely not a great performance for me.  I was tired and let myself get pretty sloppy in execution.  

Overall these were great events for me.  I've had enough practice in the mud this year that I was confident in my handling.  That being said, I still learned some lessons about my gearing when I ride it.  I also got some great advice (from the "most influential person in cx") on my positioning in regards to dropping my heels a little more and pulling my knees closer to the bike to add some power.  I also got to meet some really cool people (people I follow on Twitter!) and catch up with some old friends.  For me, that's been the highlight of my cross season . . . new friends across the country.

Kyle Bainter Video of Saturday's Elite Races

This video is beautiful!  It shows the course conditions when the Elite Women and Men raced.  My second race was after the Elite Men.  Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy!

Race Report: Veldrijden Columbia

I remember when I first saw Jim's post about a cx race in Columbia.  I was in disbelief!  Shocked, excited.  A cx race in the city park.  I do my cx skill workouts there . . . it was too good to be true.  And somehow, someway it all came together.  And it was everything I could have hoped for.  Someone on stlbiking.com posted this description of the course: Take the stairs from Hermann, the run up from Mt. Pleasant, the sand and woods from St. Vincent, the boggy zoysia and long stretches of pavement from Spanish Lake, throw in some tundra and a creek crossing and you have Columbia.  That sums up the course perfectly!

Lined up with the boys!  EEEK!

I actually did get my act together, packed my backpack and rode to the course. I got there early enough to ride the course before any of the races began.  I wanted to watch all the races and truly enjoy the day.  If I have one small down side of the day, it was the turnout.  None of the races had a great turnout.  By 12:30 there were only two of us signed up for the 1/2/3 race.  Larry talked to Beverly and me and decided to combine us with the Elite men's race.  I think the men had about 17 in their race.  We lined up at the back, but got the ok to go with the men at the whistle.

We got the whistle and I jumped in with the boys and was mixing it up.  I held with them through most of the first lap.  My goal was to stay with them through the first lap so that I could see the lines they were taking on the course.  Beverly was no where in sight.  On the second lap, I headed down into the woods and rode through the creek--splash, no problem.  I headed towards the little culvert and decided to try to bunny hop the drain pipe.  I'm assuming I landed wonky because within a pedal stroke I came to a grinding halt.  My tire was off the rim.  WTF!  I shouldered the bike and took off running/walking.  It didn't take long until Beverly passed me.  The worst thing was, I was going to have to run most of the course to get back to the pit. F! F! F! F! As I was running up the hill, I started to take my wheel off so I would be ready to change it when I hit the pit.  I was holding the wheel and BOOM!  I realized that if I let a little air out, I would be able to pop the tire back on the rim.  DUH!  I tried it and it worked and I hopped back on.  I knew I would need to be careful with cornering, but at least I was back on and riding.  I set off to try and catch Beverly . . . and never made it.  I eventually closed the gap to about 45 seconds, but finished 2nd--which was DFL for this race.  Still, I had fun the whole time.  

Climbing that effing hill!

Highlights of the race included:

• My mom and brothers came out to watch me race!
• Jim waving his skirt at me . . . and then wearing it.  I didn't get the full HAWT leg look though.
• Riding the hill on the backside of the football field every lap. (except for the lap sans tire).
• The stairs.  I love running those stairs, always have.
• Racing for a full hour with the boys -- women never get to race that long.  I was zapped afterwards though.
• Pedaling through all the corners.  I still have a long way to go on handling, but I'm starting to get there.

Hittin' the creek! *photo credit: Mike Dawson

Things to work on:

• Riding the sand.  I tried to ride the pit during warm-up and fell right over.  I ran it every lap.  I need to head over to the park and practice.
• Off camber turns.  I rode the turn over the ties the first lap, but my line sucked.  I dabbed the subsequent times, and only two of those were smooth.

I have next weekend off racing before heading to Chicago for the UCI New Years Resolution races.  Three races left in this years cx season!

Race Report: Boss Cross 4 & Missouri State CX

Another weekend, another road trip . . . this time it was for Boss Cross and the Missouri State CX championships in KC.  Cory and I had the pleasure of having the Sass as our travelling companion.  After a quick S'bux stop, we headed west.  Sass was out cold by the time we went Wentzville.  Cor & I kept ourselves entertained with great stories and Twitter pics from Jim. I was able to add two new Coryisms to my list . . . that blog post will come out post Madison--be warned it is not for the faint of heart.  We hit KC about nine.  After unloading and grabbing Jim, we headed to North to meet G and Trent.  Dinner was great and Patrick joined us after he got settled.

Saturday morning I could hear the rain pouring down outside my window.  It was going to be a nasty race.  We actually found a freestanding Starbucks, with no u-turns, and made it to the race course without incident.  Not so for Jim.  I'm not really sure what happened, but between Patrick and Cory they guided him in.

At the start of our race, it was wet and soggy with temps in the high 40s, low 50s.  The rain had briefly stopped, although it spit on us intermittantly through the race. The race was held at a BMX park, but we weren't actually using any of the course.  Most of the course was held in two large open fields--the upper section was flat with some easy corners, the lower section had a nice grade to it.  In addition, the north part of the course went near the BMX track.  It was the technical, muddy section with two down and backs, a muddy run up over a log, off camber mud and a sloshy mud pit that led out to a long slow uphill grinder.  Fun times!  There were ten women in the open field and we were on course with the Master's 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65 riders.  We got the whistle and I was fourth off the line.  We hit the back section and I was able to pass the third place girl on an uphill.  I could hear someone behind me but was able to hold her off until we got to the muddy run up.  She passed me there.  I rode the muddy off camber well the first lap.  I dismounted and ran the second mud pit and headed up the hill.  I was able to catch the girl who passed me at that point.  I added gear as I passed her and started looking for Karen.  I think I got within about 10 seconds of her during lap two.  I hit the muddy off camber and it just went all to hell.  I let Patrick and John distract me (they were heckling and I was laughing) and I went straight off the course, at Patrick, into a tree.  I jumped off, untangled myself and went back at it.  I lost time on Karen through that whole fiasco.  I have to admit that the other passes through the muddy off camber were no better.  While I didn't run into the tree or go off course anymore, I was never able to completely ride it.  I should have been smart and shouldered the bike and run.  Lesson learned!  The rest of the race was great for me.  I talked myself through any muddy sections with "pick a line and pedal.  pick a line and pedal." It seemed to work.  I must have looked like I was having fun because I got multiple comments during and after the race about smiling.  In the last lap, I came up on Guillarmo, he didn't seem to be having as much fun as me, so I gave him a little butt smack as I passed . . . almost taking myself down as well. I ended up holding onto third without a problem.  My highlight for the race was not freaking out in the mud.  I worked on spinning and finesse.  Even through the off camber mess, I didn't get uptight.  My point of improvement is recognizing my strengths.  I should have improvised and run instead of thinking I needed to try to ride it each time.

Up and over the log on the run up. *Photo cred: Jon Peck

Off camber, downhill and mud.  -Yikes!- *photo credit: Jon Peck

Podium -- Congrats to Sarah and Karen. *photo credit: Jon Peck

Our St. Louis contigent caravaned to the car wash to rinse off the bikes.  It was a sight to see.  The rest of the day was filled with washing kits and shoes, great food, laughs and shopping.  A perfect day in my mind.  Our evening plans took us back to La Bodega--we had dinner there our first KC road trip.  The boys all joined us, including Peter and Travis who had just gotten in, and Cory's teammate Chris.  The food and sangria were outstanding and the laughs were never ending.  Although I do think we made Trent shake his head at us quite a few times.

By Sunday morning, the rain had stopped.  It was still muddy and was cold...34 degrees with a wind chill of 29.  The course was almost identical to Saturday with the exception of it being run backwards and the muddy off camber was taken out.  Instead of climbing the grinder out of the mud, we went downhill into the mud and circled around to the run up and log.  The course conditions had also deteriorated quite a bit.  There was very little solid grass left, and was what there was saturated.  I made a costly clothing mistake for Sunday.  I let the cold scare me and I decided to wear my knickers instead of my skinsuit.  With the weight I've lost this season, the chamois in the knickers is a bit saggy.  I also almost let my head get in the way of me racing well.  I saw one of the ladies I had yet to beat this season and I started to get nervous.  I literally banged my head on the dashboard telling myself to get my head in the race.

We again had 10 ladies at the line.  Sunday we only had Masters 50, 55, and 60 on course with us.  The whistle blew and we took off.  As I raised out of the saddle, my chamois caught on it. EFF ME! I was immediately sitting 6th wheel.  I kept telling myself to calm down and to just stay in contact with the lead five.  Within two turns I was able to pass the girl sitting in 5th.  We were all together through the barriers and down the hill to a muddy 180.  The lead women, as did I, tried to ride it.  (So were some of the men we caught).  Everyone got bogged down and had to do an unplanned dismounted creating a bit of a jam.  Karen and Sarah were able to take advantage of that and get away from us.  We climbed up out of there and headed down to the mud.  As soon as I hit the deep stuff, I dismounted and shouldered the bike.  I sloshed through and decided to keep running.  There were two short sections I may have been able to ride, but I didn't know if it was worth it.  After the log I got on and went after Britta.  I was able to pass her in the upper section of the field and caught up and grabbed Cory's wheel. I know Cory is a good handler through the mud, so I stayed on her wheel and watched her line.  As we turned out of the mud and down the hill, Cory went into the tape and off the course.  I was able to go around her.  At that point, I didn't know where Sarah and Karen were and who was sitting in what place. I crossed through start finish and saw we had four to go.  That lap I tried to ride the muddy 180 again and only got halfway through.  Two guys standing there told me that everyone was having better luck running it so I made up my mind that was my plan the next lap.  I headed off towards the mud pit.  A bunch of the Big Shark guys were there and told me that Sarah wasn't that far ahead and that I could go after her.  I again ran the bike the whole way, ignoring John who told me it was a bike race, not a run.  I tried to remount after the log and again caught my chamois.  I finally got going and headed after Sara.   I saw her when I got into the upper field.  She had about 30 seconds on me at that point.  I put my head down and rode my bike.  I tried to keep a high cadence, but stay relaxed through the mud.  By the time I saw the boys again, they were telling me I was closing the gap.  I asked them to count time for me.  I was close enough to Sara at the point that I could see she was trying to ride part of muddy section where I ran.  I told myself to stick with my strengths and I slogged through.  The boys had moved to the top section by this point and told me the gap was at 15 seconds.  When I rounded the corner, Guillarmo was there telling me it was at 13 seconds.  We headed back through the lower section, down to the mud and out in the open field again.  The gap was around ten at this point.  When we wound towards the start/finish, I made my move.  I added gear and pushed.  I passed and didn't look back.  The cool part of it was the play by play from the announcer as I did it.  We had two to go and the boys were telling me that Karen was catchable, so I kept pushing.  They gave me a gap of 15 seconds and I could see her through most of the lap.  As we headed through the upper half of the field, the men's leader passed me.  It meant that I was now on the last lap.  Try as I may, I couldn't close it down on Karen and ended up with second.  I was pretty happy with my decisions on the course.  I played more to my strengths and stayed relaxed even when my line choice wasn't the best.  I've also learned my lesson about clothing.  

Nothin' but muddy goodness.  *Photo credit: Jon Peck

Yesterday was the second state medal I earned.  This one, although the same place, means much more to me than the crit medal I have.  CX is not my strongest discipline.  I've really worked to improve.  I analyze my races, think through where I need to improve, and then go out and practice those skills.  Sure I do the same thing with road races, but that just seems to come easier.  Some day, some how, I'd really like to win the state jersey.  For now I'm happy with the silver medal.  It is what it is.

Race Report: Bubba at the Fort #3

I started my warm up a little early on Sunday . . . I accompanied the lead vehicle for the Rock N Roll marathon on my cx bike.  I got to ride the course, work on dismounts/remounts while moving cones and barriers,and sprinting to catch up to the lead vehicle.  It was a fun way to be involved in the race.


I went straight from the marathon to the cx race at Fort Bellefountaine.  It was a beautiful day, sunny in the 70s.  The course was physically, but not technically, challenging.  It was about 1.3 miles in length. This is Mike Bobelak's video of the race course.  Bumpy, tall grass, and hilly sum it up well.

I warmed up about 20 minutes before our race, just getting my legs loose again.  We got the whistle and I got the hole shot.  That didn't last long though.  Britta, Cat, and Teresa all passed me before the officials' table and the grass.  This time I didn't let them go though. I stayed right up on Teresa's wheel until we got to the long climb.  I was able to move around her at the point.  She stayed with me until the barriers, but the three of us gapped her on the run up afterwards.  Lap 2 and 3 I stayed with Britta and Cat.  I had to really talk myself through it because I was working hard.  It was the long climb on Lap 3 where I passed Cat.  Again I focused on staying with Britta instead of looking back at Cat.  I was right on Britta's wheel until the long climb in the 4th lap.  My right quad started screaming at me and I eased up a little and lost her wheel.  She was able to put daylight in between us there.  I pushed through the rest of that lap and the final one, holding on to 2nd place.

I had a few handling mishaps, mostly trying to take some corners too hot or choosing a poor line.  I held the bike up though and didn't make the same mistakes twice.  It's also feeling easier to make myself suffer, if that makes sense. 

I still get nervous when I'm in front of people.  I refuse to look and see how close they are.  *Photo credit:  Dennis Fickinger

So happy our cx order came in . . . Mich Dark skin suit! *Photo credit: Dennis Fickinger

Gaining Perspective

I've trained hard this season. My focus in life has been family and racing. I get up early on weekend mornings and spend long hours in the saddle. I've raced in rain and blistering heat. I watch what I eat and drink so that I can perform well. I schedule social events around my racing and workout schedule. None of this is because anyone is making me. I don't want people to admire me because of my passion for my sport. It's the lifestyle I have chosen because I love to race my bike.

Last season was a challenge. I didn't see a lot of success in racing in terms of results. I learned from my races, my mistakes, and I grew as bike racer. I hated crit and road racing. I struggled through them because I wanted to get better at them. I loved time trialing because it was me against a clock and I didn't have to worry about anyone else. Still, my results were weak. I decided to take up cyclocross so that I could maintain fitness over the winter. I didn't want to lose the physical gains I had made. Something changed during the fall. While cx races are similar to crits, they're very different as well. I fell in love with cyclocross. My results in cx were no better than my results in crits, but I was having fun. I looked forward to Sunday at noon. I had withdrawals when the season ended in December. It propelled me enough to keep riding, it kept me going in 12 degree weather. I trained through the cold. I was ready for Froze Toes. I actually made the break on that race. The first crit of the season arrived and something was very different. I was competitive and I was having fun. All season I've built on my successes. I still don't like road races, but have grown to love the fast-paced tempo of the crit.

I've planned this season with the end in mind. I had two goals: win the mobra competition and take home a state jersey. I didn't care which of the three state jerseys I took, I would be happy with any of them. The state road race was first, and I bonked terribly. That was okay because there was still two to go. Then I crashed last week. I have put pressure on myself to rehab and recover from it so that I could be my best. I skipped no workout and took more acetomeniphin and ibuprofen than I have in the past year. I raced the time trial yesterday and did the best I could. I knew going into the race I hadn't focused on training for time trialing, so my goal was to be strong. I was. But I didn't win.

It all came down to today. I felt great this morning, nervous, but great. I got to the course, registered, dropped off my wheels and got ready. I got a great warm up and pulled to the line. There were only four of us: Britta, Kate, Nicole and me. Instructions, whistle, go. Kate and I sat on the front for about half a lap and Britta pushed passed. She wanted to work, fine with me. She pulled three laps before she sat up. I moved in line and took a lap. Kate took her turn. Somewhere Nicole fell off. And that's how it went. We took our turns, did our work and went round and round. Six to go, five, four, three, two and I took my pull. We came around the last turn on the course and I sat up to let Kate take her pull. I moved in behind Britta. We went past the start finish, around turn one and into turn two and Kate took off. I stayed on Britta's wheel and she reacted well to Kate. She was back on Kate's wheel by the bottom of the hill. The pace stayed high as we climbed and did the small descent before the steep climb. On the climb, Britta went around Kate. I stayed on her wheel. I was going to let her lead me out. We zigged through the parking lot portion and made the final turn. I went close on the inside. Scraped, slide, fear. My pedal hit the curb. My back tire fishtailed. I held onto the bike and recovered. I went wide and came close to the curb on the other side but straightened out. Britta was riding away with it. I was up and working. Spin and gear, spin and gear. I was gaining. Spin and gear. I was driving that bike as hard as I could. I was on her wheel. Up to her pedal. There's her fork. There's the finish. I didn't make it.

I dropped my head in disbelief. All of this for second; no jersey. My spirit dropped. I congratulated Britta and Kate for good racing. I smiled as I talked to teammates who told me I raced well. But it wasn't what I wanted. I text and emailed the people who needed to know my result and headed up for a medal. I pushed Kate to check about the jersey from yesterday and she won it. I'm so happy for her because she'd focused on the tt all season and her work paid off. I'm glad she and I rode to the race together, because it would have been a long two hour drive home alone in the mood I was in. I put my bag down when I got home and pouted. Klucker tried to boost me. He and Steph had already reminded me that I have a strong, solid lead in Mobra and that's more impressive than one race. Yeah, whatever. I was still down. I wanted the win. I wanted the jersey. (Maybe I should have listened better to that "Thou shall not covet" message in Sunday school.)

I finally went to shower and put my wet clothes away. As I was cleaning out my bag, I grabbed my medal to show the kids. They love any bling I bring home and are always happy for me. Then I went to hang my medal on the mirror where I keep them. Wow, so that's what I've done this season. And oh my, those are all from this season. Ok, so today didn't end how I would have liked. I wanted the jersey. I may never win one, I realize this. For me, this seemed like my best chance. What I did do today, was race well. I held a wheel and worked how I wanted to work. I positioned myself where I wanted to be. I answered the attacked. I held through a skid and recovered. I sprinted like I stole the bike. I will be ok. I will race Gateway Cup and finish my season strong. And, barring something unforeseen, I will win Mobra. It's a good perspective to have.