This past weekend I drove the "short" (4.5 hrs-not bad for a National) way for the 4th race on the Nat'l Mountain Bike Series at Deer Valley. This is by far my favorite venue of the series. The trails are great fun, the lodging is close by and the vibe is positive. I had the good fortune of staying in a condo a stone's throw away from my team tent thanks to my friends at Peaked Sports in Driggs, ID.
I arrived at this race with some hesitation: I broke a rib in a crash right off the start line at the last national and had only raced once at the Teva Games (total disaster) in the past 6 weeks. After 2 days of pre-riding the xc course and having the Kenda/Titus/Hayes' new team mechanic, Paul Clark, fiddle endlessly with my mystery shifting problem I was feeling good and ready to go. Praise be to Paul! He's a phenomenal mechanic and a really nice person to boot. We're lucky to have him.
XC Race: The Good
Well, the start wasn't so good...I missed my left pedal 4 times at the start. (New shoes 2 days earlier-rookie mistake.) I tried to stay calm as everyone charged past me up the grueling opening climb. When I got to the bottom of the final 1/4 of the climb, I was greeted by a rabid cheering section (thanks Pete, Kayla and Jess) screaming, running and letting loose on the cowbells. Go time! I hit the gas, passed a bunch of gals and made it to the single track in about 17th position. I spent the entire next lap tailing much slower descenders, unable to go for the pass on the single track. Argh.
I just couldn't get my legs going in the first lap. By the middle of the second lap, however, my legs finally started to come around. I finally passed the gals who were gapping me on the climbs and slowing me on the descents 1/2 way through the 2nd lap. As the race went on I just started feeling better and better and the girls behind me seemed to be fading. They were no longer making up time on me on the climbs. I cruised into the finish line in 10th place, my career best in a National. The real victory for the day? It was the first time in 6 weeks that I wasn't riding in agony-I could breathe, stand up and pedal and let 'er rip on the descents without feeling like someone was poking me in the side with a branding iron. Priceless.
Short Track: The Not So Good
Not my best effort. I had a bout of bad luck on the opening climb-the girl in front of me came to a dead stop on a steep loose climb and I had to get off my bike, run up the hill and got passed by almost the entire field. My bad. I should have chose a more conservative line, but short track is all about gambling...My legs were like wet noodles and I didn't have the mojo to chase back on. I was pulled for the first time ever about 1/2 way through. Lesson learned and excellent motivation for the next one. Getting pulled blows.
Super D(ownhill):The Randomly Really Good
Why so random? I had only done one Super D in my life (Sea Otter) and it wasn't really part of the weekend's game plan. This one was rumored to be super gnarly with about 50 feet of pedaling total. I sealed my own fate before I rode the course - I had to sign up Friday morning to get a ride up the lift and I'm not one to waste and entry fee. Then, after my sub-par short track performance I was looking for redemption. I mounted a pair of 2.3 Kenda Nevegals and went for a practice run. The conservative XC racer weenie in me should have packed it in right then and there. It scared the bee-jesus out of me but what else did I have to do on a Sunday afternoon besides loosening my fillings on a stupid-technical Super D course?
I went to the start and started having doubts: a photographer from cyclingnews.com begged me to ride back down the lift with him. That's when I realized I was the ONLY person on the hill on a hardtail-most had downhill or 5inch+ bikes, pads and full face helmets. Good Lord. I lined up on a titanium hardtail in a skinsuit and got nothing but looks of sympathy (and perhaps some giggles). Even the official made me promise to him that I would at least have fun. Right. I nailed the running start, kept with my mantra "smart and fast", didn't scare myself too badly and got 5th. I got to share my first National podium of my career with a bunch of downhillers. Totally random and really, really fun.
Next up: The Firecracker 50, the Marathon National Championships in Breckenridge, CO. 50 miles at elevation 9500-11,500 feet. What a way to ring in the 4th of July! I'm hoping that my endurance background will help me survive this sufferfest. It usually takes me a good 2 hours to warm up on most courses, so that should give me almost 3 hours to catch back on.
1 comment:
Awesome!
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