As Paul and I headed out to Indiana that morning, we both sat in silence listening to the pounding of the rain, wondering if it would stop. It had rained all night and relentlessly the entire way there. We wondered if the event would be cancelled. Upon arrival, however, the rain let up and there was no mention of cancelling or eliminating any leg of the race.
My preparation for my first open water swim was meager at best. I had attempted to swim at Crooked Creek Lake a couple weekends prior but that experience left me feeling even less confident than I had been before. The water was completely brown and I could barely see my hand in front of me. I could only swim about 20 yards before freaking out, having to return to the beach. All my swim training so far had taken place in the pool, and even that training was limited; I could count on both hands the number of times I had actually gone down to the pool to swim. I hoped that on race day I would leave all my insecurities behind and my competitive spirit would take over.
Needless to say I felt underprepared for the race, but there was nothing else that I could do at this point but to dive in. We started with a passive start and I walked out to the front of the pack. I knew I would be passed, frequently, but I needed as much an advantage as I could get. I started out strong for the first 20 yards or so and then I blew up…I couldn’t believe it was happening so quickly – how can I blow up after 20 yards? I couldn’t get a rhythm and was just thrashing about in the water. I’d swim a few strokes and then have to bob around to catch my breath. I’d like to say that I was doing the breaststroke in between my crawl, but that would be, as Paul says, “polishing a turd”. I was keeping myself from drowning while slowly moving forward, and I think even that was debatable at times.
By the time I exited the water I was nearly in last place with only about 3 people behind me. With my poor performance on the swim, you’d think I’d be anxious to hop on the bike, but I wasn’t. I knew what was in store for me next; at least, I thought I did. I knew that I would work the hardest during the race on the bike because that’s my strong suit and where I can make up some time. The first part of the course starts out on a gravel climb. Immediately I began passing people. With each person I passed, my spirit lifted and confidence crept up. I entered the single track and thinking back now may have even started to enjoy myself, until I got to the first climb. There are really only 2 or 3 tough climbs in this race – I knew that coming in since I had pre-ridden the course with some friends and the race director. The first major climb is incredibly steep with few switchbacks, not really providing any reprieve to the steepness of the climb. During the pre-ride I made it nearly to the top but had to dab on one of the switchbacks, and once you touch down, it’s nearly impossible to jump back on. I was dreading this climb but knew that once it was over it was “mostly downhill” from there.
Nothing could have prepared me for the conditions of the bike course. We’ve had a pretty muddy racing season but this was by far the worst. Being that I started the bike leg so far back, with about 70 riders tearing up the trail in front of me, it just made it that much worse. I didn’t get far on the climb before my legs and tires were spinning but I was going nowhere fast. I had no choice and had to jump off the bike. This was going to be a long hike. I would much rather ride my bike up any hill than hike it up. Give me the burn in my legs any day rather than the aching in my back. I pushed, and pushed, and pushed my bike, and then I pushed some more. Even after the big climb was over, what I thought was going to be “mostly downhill” was not and any slight increase in grade required 50 times greater effort in these conditions than it did dry. I could not believe the amount of effort that was required for me to pedal my bike. At least 3 different times during the race I had to clear out the mud that had clumped up in between my front tire and my fork, as my tire would get jammed up and refuse to move.
Even still, I was passing people. I had to seize every opportunity I had and go as fast as I could on the descents. Mud was flying up in my mouth and in my eyes, since I had broken my glasses and didn’t have any eye protection, but a little mud in my eye wasn’t going to stop me. I came to a flat section and came barreling through, still passing people. I passed one guy and came up to a 90 degree bend shortly after. There were big ruts in the bend and I took it too fast, and face planted right in the mud – great, just what I needed. I don’t know what it is, but that seems to be a reoccurring theme for me this year – pass someone, get ahead, gain some speed, lose control, face plant, humiliation, repeat.
I quickly hopped back on and flew back down the gravel road, again, mud flying in my eyes. Towards the end I was riding with one eye open since there was so much mud in my eyes. Fortunately the transition area wasn’t much farther and I hosed my eyes out with my water bottle once I got there.
Starting out on the run I felt pretty good. I knew that I just had to make it another 30-40 minutes and I would be done. I threw in my ear buds, put on my XTERRA race mix, ate a Hammer Gel and was on my way. The first half of the course was the most difficult with some really steep climbs, some I ran up, some I walked up. I’d like to think I gained some time with my unique downhill running style …you just let your body go and run like hell. Hopefully you don’t have to stop because there’s no controlling your body once you get going! About half way through the run, I was going through a grassy field and took my second face plant of the race when I tripped on a root that was disguised by the grass. It didn’t hurt really, just knocked the wind out of me. After about 35 minutes, I came out onto the road to the final stretch, picked up some speed, and sprinted to the finish.
Race Stats: 4th Overall, 1st in Age Class
Course Length: 15.5 miles
Finish Time: 2:14:40
Splits: Swim 24:28, Bike 1:15:15, Run 34:57
Heart Rate: No data for this race
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Shannock Valley Mountain Bike Race, Rural Valley, PA, 7/18/2009
If you asked me today how the Shannock Valley mountain bike race was, I’d tell you excitedly that it was a great race and I had a lot of fun! If you asked me 3 days ago how the race was, I’d tell you eh, it was ok. If you asked me right after the race how it was, I’d tell you it sucked and it was a painfest and uphill battle.
It’s funny how our perception of pain changes with the passing of time. I think that if people were able to vividly recall the amount of pain they experienced in any particular situation, athletes would no longer race, mothers would never have more than one child, and you would never drink more than 2 martinis in a night!
I started fairly close to the starting line, learning from prior races this year. I knew that the field would spread out after the first hill and if there were guys behind me that were faster than me, it would be easy for them to pass before we got to the single track. The race starts out on the road on a fairly flat section for about half a mile, then takes a sharp turn up a steep hill for another half a mile before we turn onto the access road. I was feeling pretty good, ok, actually, I was dying, and I see Ruthy just ahead of me. I knew Ruthy was a strong rider and I wanted to keep her in my sights. Ruthy and I went back and forth a few times up the hill and on the access road, before she pulled ahead of me right before we entered the single track.
We started down the first descent and everything is going fine; Ruthy is keeping a fast pace but not unmanageable. As we approach a 180 degree turn in the descent, my legs start to tremble uncontrollably. I’m not sure if it was nerves or adrenaline, but I knew it wasn’t good. As I come into the turn I pop my right foot out for balance but I lose it and come falling down with my bike on top of me, jamming my pedal into my right calf. The pain shoots through my leg but I hop back on the bike as quickly as possible. 4 or 5 riders pass me and I jump back in line, losing only seconds.
We come across a small bridge and the trail turns up a steady gradual hill. The grade should be a piece of cake but I am struggling to keep up. I can feel my calf throbbing and I start to wonder if I should finish the race. I know what’s coming next; one of the steepest hills in the race. It’s a short hill but if you don’t approach it right you’ll be pushing. During my pre-ride with Paul I had to go back for a do over to get up this hill without pushing, and I knew I had to get my gearing just right. Unfortunately the trail was a little wet this day and there was a pile up starting about half way up as other people were pushing their bikes. I made it ¾ of the way up until I finally had to jump off and push. As soon as I stepped down, a sharp pain shot through my calf. I never realized how much you use your calves when you push your bike up a steep hill, until now. I thought again about quitting, but remembered hearing about guys in the Tour that would finish a stage after crashing and breaking bones. If they can do that, I can live with an hour of pain.
As long as I kept riding really hard and didn’t let my heart rate recover, I couldn’t feel the pain as much. This wasn’t a problem considering the amount of climbing there was. The course took us on hill after relentless hill; our only reprieve being the short sections of single track in between the access roads and quad trails. Most of the descents were sketchy with massive ruts due to the fall line or ATVs. I was careful not to go too fast to avoid getting stuck in one of those tracks.
I rode with Paul for awhile until he passed me heading into a section of single track. Then I rode with my Dad for a bit until he passed me as well. I kept him in my sights for almost the entire ride. He was ahead of me by about 15 seconds with the gap slowly increasing. The race finished with a section of double track that took us across a 30 foot mud puddle; what mountain bike race is complete without a little bit of mud? I finished with a time of 1:03:46, just 3 minutes later than Ruthy who came in first.
Race Stats: 2nd Overall
Course Length: 10.5 miles
Finish Time: 1:03:46
Heart Rate: 23 minutes in Zone 4 and 41 minutes in Zone 5! Time for a retest of my threshold.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Renfrew Ras, Butler, PA, July 12th, 2009
I competed in the Renfrew Ras this past weekend, a 33 mile road race in Butler, PA. This was my first USAC sanctioned event and I was thoroughly impressed. The race had a "full rolling enclosure", meaning there was a motorcade leading the way in front of the first rider, and support vehicles in the back following the last rider. The motorcade led us through the intersections, pointing out road hazards along the way. The intersections were staffed with at least 3 or 4 volunteers at each one, waving us through as we rode by. Now this, is what a race is supposed to be like!
There were about 8 or 9 girls competing in the Open Women classification. 3 or 4 were from Steel City Endurance, a local Pgh cycling team. Upon registering I saw that I was up against Cat 2 and 3 riders so I knew the competition would be stiff. At the starting line, I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins. I anxiously waited for the count, and before I know it we're off! I immediately took off, thinking the rest of the pack would be right behind me, but to my surprise they weren't. I held a steady pace: fast, but comfortable, yet still no one is gaining on me. I told myself before the race that this is exactly the position I didn't want to be in; out there in the front, on my own. I should hang back with the pack and let them take the lead, but I didn't feel like I needed to slow down. I knew they must be thinking I'm such an amateur, attacking at the beginning like that. They were probably back there thinking, "she can't keep that pace the entire race, it won't be long before we catch her". And, catch me they did.
The course was an 8 and a quarter mile loop which was mostly rolling with one killer climb, 5 miles in. The climb was a 250 foot vertical ascent over half a mile, and right as I was beginning the climb I heard them coming behind me; the dreaded click, click, click, click of their gears shifting. They're close now and I can hear someone breathing down my neck. I wanted the King of the Mountain points at the top so I stood up and picked up my pace, trying to stay ahead. After just a few seconds though I couldn't hold it any longer and didn't have any gears left. I sat down and tried to shift into my small ring and suddenly my legs started spinning uncontrollably..NO! I tried pedalling backwards to see if I could get my chain back on but no such luck. I had to jump off my bike and put my chain back on. As I'm doing so the group goes flying past me. I jump back on as quick as I can, as the last rider is approaching. So much for the KOM points.
I spent the rest of that loop trying to catch up. I caught one rider, Sharon, and rode with her until we caught up to the Steel City girls, Patty and Barb. Soon after we caught them we were at the hill again and they completely dominated us. I was taken by surprise at how fast they climbed this hill. I thought I was a strong climber but I didn’t seem to have near the power they were producing. No chance of me getting any KOM points this time around either. Since they put a distance on me on this hill, it took another half a lap just to catch them again. I left the rider I was working with and chased them down. It wasn’t easy, but I knew I had to do it. When I finally caught them I was so relieved; I needed the help. We worked together well for the next lap and a half. I stuck with Barb on the hill the next time but right as we approached the KOM line, she sprinted past me. I was impressed with the explosive power they had.
I had the rest of the third lap to think about my strategy. It was great that we were working together but at the end of the day this is a race and I want to improve my standing (I knew 1st was already gone as we hadn’t seen the leader, Grey, since that very first climb). I decided to make my attack after the last killer climb. I stayed on Patty’s wheel the whole way up, and right when she let up, I took off. I hammered as hard as I could for as long as I could, until Patty caught me. We worked together for the remainder of the lap until the final turn to the finish line.
Patty was in front and as soon as we made that turn, she took off up the hill. I sprinted after her, staying close to her wheel, but just couldn’t close the gap. As the hill leveled off there was about a 100 meter sprint. I put my head down and rode hard but Patty took 2nd, by about 5 seconds.
Race Stats: 3rd Overall
Course Length: 33 miles
Finish Time: 1 hr, 40 minutes
Heart Rate: Mixed – some in Z3, Z4 and even Z2. About 6 minutes in Z5.
I wonder if I could have finished higher / faster if I had been working on my own. Should I have left the comfort and safety of the group I was working with? Could I have maintained a lead on them? I suppose as I get more experience racing I’ll begin to be able to assess these situations and make the right decision at the time. But for now, I’m happy with my results!
There were about 8 or 9 girls competing in the Open Women classification. 3 or 4 were from Steel City Endurance, a local Pgh cycling team. Upon registering I saw that I was up against Cat 2 and 3 riders so I knew the competition would be stiff. At the starting line, I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins. I anxiously waited for the count, and before I know it we're off! I immediately took off, thinking the rest of the pack would be right behind me, but to my surprise they weren't. I held a steady pace: fast, but comfortable, yet still no one is gaining on me. I told myself before the race that this is exactly the position I didn't want to be in; out there in the front, on my own. I should hang back with the pack and let them take the lead, but I didn't feel like I needed to slow down. I knew they must be thinking I'm such an amateur, attacking at the beginning like that. They were probably back there thinking, "she can't keep that pace the entire race, it won't be long before we catch her". And, catch me they did.
The course was an 8 and a quarter mile loop which was mostly rolling with one killer climb, 5 miles in. The climb was a 250 foot vertical ascent over half a mile, and right as I was beginning the climb I heard them coming behind me; the dreaded click, click, click, click of their gears shifting. They're close now and I can hear someone breathing down my neck. I wanted the King of the Mountain points at the top so I stood up and picked up my pace, trying to stay ahead. After just a few seconds though I couldn't hold it any longer and didn't have any gears left. I sat down and tried to shift into my small ring and suddenly my legs started spinning uncontrollably..NO! I tried pedalling backwards to see if I could get my chain back on but no such luck. I had to jump off my bike and put my chain back on. As I'm doing so the group goes flying past me. I jump back on as quick as I can, as the last rider is approaching. So much for the KOM points.
I spent the rest of that loop trying to catch up. I caught one rider, Sharon, and rode with her until we caught up to the Steel City girls, Patty and Barb. Soon after we caught them we were at the hill again and they completely dominated us. I was taken by surprise at how fast they climbed this hill. I thought I was a strong climber but I didn’t seem to have near the power they were producing. No chance of me getting any KOM points this time around either. Since they put a distance on me on this hill, it took another half a lap just to catch them again. I left the rider I was working with and chased them down. It wasn’t easy, but I knew I had to do it. When I finally caught them I was so relieved; I needed the help. We worked together well for the next lap and a half. I stuck with Barb on the hill the next time but right as we approached the KOM line, she sprinted past me. I was impressed with the explosive power they had.
I had the rest of the third lap to think about my strategy. It was great that we were working together but at the end of the day this is a race and I want to improve my standing (I knew 1st was already gone as we hadn’t seen the leader, Grey, since that very first climb). I decided to make my attack after the last killer climb. I stayed on Patty’s wheel the whole way up, and right when she let up, I took off. I hammered as hard as I could for as long as I could, until Patty caught me. We worked together for the remainder of the lap until the final turn to the finish line.
Patty was in front and as soon as we made that turn, she took off up the hill. I sprinted after her, staying close to her wheel, but just couldn’t close the gap. As the hill leveled off there was about a 100 meter sprint. I put my head down and rode hard but Patty took 2nd, by about 5 seconds.
Race Stats: 3rd Overall
Course Length: 33 miles
Finish Time: 1 hr, 40 minutes
Heart Rate: Mixed – some in Z3, Z4 and even Z2. About 6 minutes in Z5.
I wonder if I could have finished higher / faster if I had been working on my own. Should I have left the comfort and safety of the group I was working with? Could I have maintained a lead on them? I suppose as I get more experience racing I’ll begin to be able to assess these situations and make the right decision at the time. But for now, I’m happy with my results!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Fat Tire Challenge June 21st, 2009
The Fat Tire Challenge is a 14.5 mile mountain bike race in Clear Creek State Park, located in Brookville, PA. It’s the first of three in the “Bike the Wilds” series that my Dad, Paul and I are doing this year. That Sunday morning, we surprisingly left the house only 10 minutes later than we intended too; much better than our standard ½ hour late. 2 hours we finally made it there and I could feel the butterflies building up in my stomach. We registered, got ready, and went to wait in line for the race to start. I was at the front of the pack and had noticed that all the female riders had moved towards the back of the pack. Fine by me; I’m still going to start as close to the front as I can.
Just standing there, my heart rate is rising: 115, 117, 120, 122. The race director gives us the usual info: some of the trail marked w/ pink ribbons, some of the trail marked w/ orange paint – got it. And 3, 2, 1, GO! I have a little stumble at the start with getting clipped into my pedal which costs me a few seconds and 1 female rider passes me; shoot. I manage to hang on to the front group as we turn from the gravel / dirt road and onto the trail. Immediately we are met with section after section of mud, a result of the prior weeks worth of torrential downpour. Still in the pack, mud is kicking up in my face from the riders in front of me and splashing up on me as I ride through. It’s in my face, my eyes, my lips and my mouth. It’s slowing me down and I’m wishing I hadn’t put 50 pounds of pressure in my tires prior to the race.
I try to make up for lost time once we reach a semi-dry, flat section. I pick up the pace, pass a guy on my right, and hit a slick patch. My bike goes down and I literally fly out of my pedals, face first onto the trail and slide into the mountain laurels. I quickly get back up, embarrassed that they guy I just passed is now passing me, and get back into it as fast as possible. This sets me back and I’m now riding with the middle group. They’re going pretty slow through a very narrow, slick, technical section. I can’t keep momentum but keep trying to get back on my bike. In hindsight, I should have just run my bike through that entire section. As we come into a clearing, I settle into a moderately fast pace, cautious of what happened previously when I tried to go all out. I pass one or two people and then hear someone coming up behind me. I hear a female’s voice call out, on you’re right! NO WAY, I am NOT letting her pass. I immediately pick up the pace and start hammering, putting a good distance between me and her.
I have a good rhythm now and am feeling more confident. I come to a bridge that’s bottlenecked because it’s slick and everyone is walking their bikes across. I make it over and get back on quickly, hoping I still have a gap on the chick behind me. I was following a group and as we came up to a stream crossing, everyone started turning around; they thought they may have missed a turn. I couldn’t understand why because the trail clearly went across and I could see trees marked with orange paint, so I continued across, as did a few other guys.
What came next would be the most grueling climb I never want to experience again on a mountain bike. The approach was steep and narrow and I couldn’t maintain any momentum coming in; I pushed as hard as I could but had to jump off. As I turned the first corner I saw in the distance that the trail went up and up, seemingly endlessly. There were parts that I could ride but many that I had to hike. At one point the trail was so steep, I had trouble even pushing my bike up. Just hiking, my heart rate was near threshold. I continued looking back and saw only one guy behind me. I started to become concerned that I was on the wrong trail. How could they possibly expect people to ride up this? This may be an awesome downhill, but up? No way. It was discouraging not knowing, not seeing anyone, not having anyone to talk to. I finally reached the top after what had seemed like miles and saw riders coming from the right, which confused me. Was there a loop I was supposed to follow to the right that would bring me back around? Were these expert riders? I asked a few passing by if there was a loop I had to take but none of them knew, so I followed the race course to the left.
I didn’t know what had happened but taking the wrong turn threw my entire game off for the rest of the race. I battled with myself about whether it brought me out ahead or behind where I should have been. I would have to disqualify myself for going off course. The race didn’t really mean anything then, it wasn’t really a race anymore, I was just going to finish. I was torturing myself, riding mainly alone, for the rest of the race. Occasionally a rider or group of riders would pass me and I’d ride with them for awhile, only to be dropped when we got to a muddy or rocky section. I really need to work on my technical skills; even when (and maybe especially) it’s wet.
I came through the last major rock garden and there were people there snapping pictures. I managed to push through long enough so they could take my picture while I was still on my bike , until I couldn’t hold the line anymore and had to run through. “Just about a mile to go”, they said, YES! I was so relieved to have this race over with. I came back on the gravel road, gave it all I had left and sprinted to the finish.
I finished 2nd overall in the female sport division with a time of 1 hr 53 minutes. After speaking with the race director, they decided that I didn’t need to be disqualified for the route I had taken and my points were safe for the Bike the Wilds series. This was a very challenging course, both mentally and physically. I look forward to facing it again and winning it next year!
Race Stats:
Standing: 2nd overall female sport
Course Length: 14.5 miles
Finish Time: 1 hr, 53 minutes
Heart Rate – The majority of the race was spent in zone 4 with 23 minutes spent in zone 5.
Just standing there, my heart rate is rising: 115, 117, 120, 122. The race director gives us the usual info: some of the trail marked w/ pink ribbons, some of the trail marked w/ orange paint – got it. And 3, 2, 1, GO! I have a little stumble at the start with getting clipped into my pedal which costs me a few seconds and 1 female rider passes me; shoot. I manage to hang on to the front group as we turn from the gravel / dirt road and onto the trail. Immediately we are met with section after section of mud, a result of the prior weeks worth of torrential downpour. Still in the pack, mud is kicking up in my face from the riders in front of me and splashing up on me as I ride through. It’s in my face, my eyes, my lips and my mouth. It’s slowing me down and I’m wishing I hadn’t put 50 pounds of pressure in my tires prior to the race.
I try to make up for lost time once we reach a semi-dry, flat section. I pick up the pace, pass a guy on my right, and hit a slick patch. My bike goes down and I literally fly out of my pedals, face first onto the trail and slide into the mountain laurels. I quickly get back up, embarrassed that they guy I just passed is now passing me, and get back into it as fast as possible. This sets me back and I’m now riding with the middle group. They’re going pretty slow through a very narrow, slick, technical section. I can’t keep momentum but keep trying to get back on my bike. In hindsight, I should have just run my bike through that entire section. As we come into a clearing, I settle into a moderately fast pace, cautious of what happened previously when I tried to go all out. I pass one or two people and then hear someone coming up behind me. I hear a female’s voice call out, on you’re right! NO WAY, I am NOT letting her pass. I immediately pick up the pace and start hammering, putting a good distance between me and her.
I have a good rhythm now and am feeling more confident. I come to a bridge that’s bottlenecked because it’s slick and everyone is walking their bikes across. I make it over and get back on quickly, hoping I still have a gap on the chick behind me. I was following a group and as we came up to a stream crossing, everyone started turning around; they thought they may have missed a turn. I couldn’t understand why because the trail clearly went across and I could see trees marked with orange paint, so I continued across, as did a few other guys.
What came next would be the most grueling climb I never want to experience again on a mountain bike. The approach was steep and narrow and I couldn’t maintain any momentum coming in; I pushed as hard as I could but had to jump off. As I turned the first corner I saw in the distance that the trail went up and up, seemingly endlessly. There were parts that I could ride but many that I had to hike. At one point the trail was so steep, I had trouble even pushing my bike up. Just hiking, my heart rate was near threshold. I continued looking back and saw only one guy behind me. I started to become concerned that I was on the wrong trail. How could they possibly expect people to ride up this? This may be an awesome downhill, but up? No way. It was discouraging not knowing, not seeing anyone, not having anyone to talk to. I finally reached the top after what had seemed like miles and saw riders coming from the right, which confused me. Was there a loop I was supposed to follow to the right that would bring me back around? Were these expert riders? I asked a few passing by if there was a loop I had to take but none of them knew, so I followed the race course to the left.
I didn’t know what had happened but taking the wrong turn threw my entire game off for the rest of the race. I battled with myself about whether it brought me out ahead or behind where I should have been. I would have to disqualify myself for going off course. The race didn’t really mean anything then, it wasn’t really a race anymore, I was just going to finish. I was torturing myself, riding mainly alone, for the rest of the race. Occasionally a rider or group of riders would pass me and I’d ride with them for awhile, only to be dropped when we got to a muddy or rocky section. I really need to work on my technical skills; even when (and maybe especially) it’s wet.
I came through the last major rock garden and there were people there snapping pictures. I managed to push through long enough so they could take my picture while I was still on my bike , until I couldn’t hold the line anymore and had to run through. “Just about a mile to go”, they said, YES! I was so relieved to have this race over with. I came back on the gravel road, gave it all I had left and sprinted to the finish.
I finished 2nd overall in the female sport division with a time of 1 hr 53 minutes. After speaking with the race director, they decided that I didn’t need to be disqualified for the route I had taken and my points were safe for the Bike the Wilds series. This was a very challenging course, both mentally and physically. I look forward to facing it again and winning it next year!
Race Stats:
Standing: 2nd overall female sport
Course Length: 14.5 miles
Finish Time: 1 hr, 53 minutes
Heart Rate – The majority of the race was spent in zone 4 with 23 minutes spent in zone 5.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Dash for Cash, Sarver, PA June 6th, 2009
I had a much different attitude starting this race than any other mountain biking race I’ve done before (and there haven’t been many). This race was different. This season is different. Before I had been racing just to see if I could finish, I was now racing to win.
Standing in line to pick up my packet and number, I perused the crowd to see what other female cyclists were there. Other than my two friends who were riding in the beginner race, I didn’t see a single other woman. I got to the front and they told me I was the only female racing in the sport division. I was a bit disappointed to not have any competition. A few minutes later I look up at the line and see this chick totally decked out in her Trek racing gear and accompanying Trek bike. She totally looked the part and I was intimidated! I decided rather than gawking from a distance that I’d introduce myself, so I walked up and said “Hi, I’m the competition!” After talking, I later found out that she was racing expert, not sport. I have to say I was a bit relieved but also bummed at the same time. I did find out later that there was one other woman racing in the sport category, so that gave me some incentive, but mainly I wanted to ride the race as fast as I could. My goal was to finish the race in under 2 hours.
As we were standing around at the pre-race meeting, I heard a pssshhht coming from Paul’s bike; he got a flat just standing there! What luck. He ran over to the tent and changed his tube in record time, and minutes later we were both standing at the starting line. 3, 2, 1, we’re off!
Immediately we both took off and headed out toward the trail. We were on the road for a short stretch, about 25 meters, and I happened to glance down at my heart rate – 170 – just 15 beats below threshold and we had just started! As we entered the single track I told Paul good luck, I knew there was no way I’d be able to stay on his wheel and didn’t want him to hold anything back.
The first 5 miles of the trail is extremely technical. I discovered this, thankfully, during the pre-ride. Rather than taking my time though over the obstacles, as I had done during the pre-ride, I continued to go as fast as I could, riding recklessly and falling often. I soon realized that while I wanted to go fast, it was much slower and painful to fall and have to pick myself back up, click back in, and get going again. I was losing a lot of time this way. So, I decided to take it a little easier over the hard stuff and go fast when I felt more comfortable. It wasn’t long before I came up to Paul on the trail changing his tire; I felt so bad for him! On one hand I wanted to stop and see if I could help in any way but on the other hand it was a race and I knew he’d want me to keep going. He said he was ok and I flew past, hoping he would catch me soon. Shortly after that I came up to a bridge leading over a mud bog. I didn’t recall having any issues with this bridge during the pre-ride. With no one in front or behind me, I came barreling down the hill at the bridge but as soon as my tire hit, it slid from underneath me, throwing me into the bog below! The entire right side of my body was covered in mud; sloppy, stinky, disgusting mud! I love mountain biking and enjoy getting dirty when I ride but this was like nothing I’d experienced before. Fortunately I had no time to think about how disgusting I was and just looked forward to that first stream crossing so I could rinse some of the slop off my body.
Before I knew it, I had gone across the first stream crossing and came out to the road where the beginner course ended. Only 10 miles to go! I looked down at my watch to see how long it had taken me but my stopwatch had stopped after 13 minutes. Oh well, should have attached it to my handlebars. Heart rate in the 180’s for the first 5 miles; I wonder how long I could keep this up? I started in on the first climb up an access road, about ½ mile climb. This is where I started making up time and gaining on riders. My strength is in the hills and in endurance and boy, did it feel good to be passing the guys! I passed a few riders on the hill and more as I rode along. I must have passed 10-15 guys during the course of the race, and not a single one of them passed me again! This was my favorite part of the race and kept me going strong. As I came upon a hill I would see a rider in the distance, attack the climb, and set my sights on passing him.
Not once during the race did I let up. I remember as I passed two guys standing on the side of the trail, they were commenting on how most guys start out strong and die down half way through because they can’t keep the pace they set, “except for her!” they said, as I passed them! I am proud of my performance and how strong I rode. I didn’t walk down a single hill, which is a great achievement for me – there were some sketchy descents. Yes, there were some technical sections that I had to push my bike through, but I ran, rather than walked. And at the end even though I had to push my bike up many sections of that last killer climb, I still kept getting back on and riding strong to the end and sprinting to the finish.
Race Stats:
Standing – 1st overall women’s sport division
Course Length – 14.9 miles
Finish Time – 1:58:30 (yea!)
Heart Rate - Don’t know because my watch stopped 13 minutes in, but every time I looked down it was at or near threshold, in the 180’s and sometimes 190’s.\
Standing in line to pick up my packet and number, I perused the crowd to see what other female cyclists were there. Other than my two friends who were riding in the beginner race, I didn’t see a single other woman. I got to the front and they told me I was the only female racing in the sport division. I was a bit disappointed to not have any competition. A few minutes later I look up at the line and see this chick totally decked out in her Trek racing gear and accompanying Trek bike. She totally looked the part and I was intimidated! I decided rather than gawking from a distance that I’d introduce myself, so I walked up and said “Hi, I’m the competition!” After talking, I later found out that she was racing expert, not sport. I have to say I was a bit relieved but also bummed at the same time. I did find out later that there was one other woman racing in the sport category, so that gave me some incentive, but mainly I wanted to ride the race as fast as I could. My goal was to finish the race in under 2 hours.
As we were standing around at the pre-race meeting, I heard a pssshhht coming from Paul’s bike; he got a flat just standing there! What luck. He ran over to the tent and changed his tube in record time, and minutes later we were both standing at the starting line. 3, 2, 1, we’re off!
Immediately we both took off and headed out toward the trail. We were on the road for a short stretch, about 25 meters, and I happened to glance down at my heart rate – 170 – just 15 beats below threshold and we had just started! As we entered the single track I told Paul good luck, I knew there was no way I’d be able to stay on his wheel and didn’t want him to hold anything back.
The first 5 miles of the trail is extremely technical. I discovered this, thankfully, during the pre-ride. Rather than taking my time though over the obstacles, as I had done during the pre-ride, I continued to go as fast as I could, riding recklessly and falling often. I soon realized that while I wanted to go fast, it was much slower and painful to fall and have to pick myself back up, click back in, and get going again. I was losing a lot of time this way. So, I decided to take it a little easier over the hard stuff and go fast when I felt more comfortable. It wasn’t long before I came up to Paul on the trail changing his tire; I felt so bad for him! On one hand I wanted to stop and see if I could help in any way but on the other hand it was a race and I knew he’d want me to keep going. He said he was ok and I flew past, hoping he would catch me soon. Shortly after that I came up to a bridge leading over a mud bog. I didn’t recall having any issues with this bridge during the pre-ride. With no one in front or behind me, I came barreling down the hill at the bridge but as soon as my tire hit, it slid from underneath me, throwing me into the bog below! The entire right side of my body was covered in mud; sloppy, stinky, disgusting mud! I love mountain biking and enjoy getting dirty when I ride but this was like nothing I’d experienced before. Fortunately I had no time to think about how disgusting I was and just looked forward to that first stream crossing so I could rinse some of the slop off my body.
Before I knew it, I had gone across the first stream crossing and came out to the road where the beginner course ended. Only 10 miles to go! I looked down at my watch to see how long it had taken me but my stopwatch had stopped after 13 minutes. Oh well, should have attached it to my handlebars. Heart rate in the 180’s for the first 5 miles; I wonder how long I could keep this up? I started in on the first climb up an access road, about ½ mile climb. This is where I started making up time and gaining on riders. My strength is in the hills and in endurance and boy, did it feel good to be passing the guys! I passed a few riders on the hill and more as I rode along. I must have passed 10-15 guys during the course of the race, and not a single one of them passed me again! This was my favorite part of the race and kept me going strong. As I came upon a hill I would see a rider in the distance, attack the climb, and set my sights on passing him.
Not once during the race did I let up. I remember as I passed two guys standing on the side of the trail, they were commenting on how most guys start out strong and die down half way through because they can’t keep the pace they set, “except for her!” they said, as I passed them! I am proud of my performance and how strong I rode. I didn’t walk down a single hill, which is a great achievement for me – there were some sketchy descents. Yes, there were some technical sections that I had to push my bike through, but I ran, rather than walked. And at the end even though I had to push my bike up many sections of that last killer climb, I still kept getting back on and riding strong to the end and sprinting to the finish.
Race Stats:
Standing – 1st overall women’s sport division
Course Length – 14.9 miles
Finish Time – 1:58:30 (yea!)
Heart Rate - Don’t know because my watch stopped 13 minutes in, but every time I looked down it was at or near threshold, in the 180’s and sometimes 190’s.\
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