Here are some photos from Continental Championships.
I got smoked!
Here's the nitty-gritty:
The race started pretty fast, and a couple South American women attacked on the first climb- I wasn't too worried because we were racing 5 laps plus a start loop and I was pretty sure it was going to be a long, hot race. Anyway, Mary went to the front shortly after that, and she led for the rest of the start loop. I passed her on the first climb, then Catharine passed me just before the trail got steep. I was right behind her at the top of the climb, but I was hurting. In fact, for the first 2.5 laps I had the boo-boo lip. My legs hurt, it felt like they weren't clearing out, I was hot, and I felt slow on the steep climbs. Poor me.
Catharine got a gap on the first lap and I didn't really see her after that. Too busy feeling sorry for myself- I don't know if was the heat or what. I took some ice on the 3rd lap and stuck it in my bra- that seemed to help a little bit, and I started to feel a little better.I was riding the downhills better every lap (except the last downhill which I (like a good portion of the Pro men's field) was choosing to run down. Or stumble down.) Not a very eventful race- pretty much rode by myself the whole time. So I ended up 2nd, 5 mins back. Then another 3 mins back to Heather who finished 3rd. Not my best race ever, but not my worst either. And I didn't break any bones or need any stiches- always a good thing. I know my fitness is good right now, so I'm not too worrried and I'm looking forward to racing again this weekend in Fontana.
After a bunch more traveling I am finally here- in Napa Valley for our Team Camp and Photo Shoot. It's beautiful and green and nice and cool. We got our new team kits- they are a little different this year- they have a bunch of white on them (which will be awesome come 'cross season. Luckily not much white on the shorts....) Bikes look the same as last year- except shiny and new. Pictures soon, I swear.
We arrived in Chile yesterday morning, which gave us plenty of time to unpack bikes, eat lunch and check out the course. I was riding like a ninny- lots of travel and lack of sleep don't really do much for my technical skills...
Our hotel is way up in the moutains and the road up has more twists, turns and switchbacks than any road I've ever been on. It takes about 40 minutes of coasting downhill to get to the course- and it's a beautiful ride (which would probably explain the hundreds of cyclist we passed riding up and down the road on our way to and from the course). The mountains are huge and there aren't really any big trees to obscure the view. It's nice and cool at the hotel, but a little hotter down my the course- luckily Willow and I scoped out the creek that runs through the course for post-race cooling off...
The course is challenging- there is a ton of pretty steep climbing and a few sketchy descents. It's very dry and the climbs and downhills are pretty loose and dusty. There's a ton of singletrack (almost the whole course now that I think about it...) so the start will definitely be important. In any case, I am expecting a good, tough race, and hoping to avoid running into one of the many different kinds of cacti and thorn bushes that line the trail.
My legs are felling pretty good, and my loose-sketchy-rut-riding skills are coming along...
Just wanted to encourage all Colorado residents to contact their state representative and ask them to support Bill 148. This bill would require drivers to give cyclists at least 3 feet when passing. More information can be found here. It sounds like there is some opposition to the bill, so every email or phone call counts!
So here we are at the beginning of a new season. It seems like a long time since I've raced- even though it was only 6 weeks ago. It has been really nice to have some time at home; I feel rested and ready to jump into a new MTB season.
The weather has certainly made training a lot easier- mild temperatures and not much rain/snow have allowed us ride trails almost all winter. Ben and I have been mixing it up with some road rides and group rides too. Overall I've gotten in some great training and I've been feeling really good.
On Thursday I head down to Santiago, Chile for the Continental Championships- my first MTB race of the season. I'm excited, but it will be a short trip- arriving Friday morning and leaving Sunday evening. From there, I head straight to the Bay area for our Team Camp/Photo shoot, and then it's down to Fontana for the first US Cup race. After that I have a few weeks at home before Sea Otter.
This year, I will be skipping the first World Cup (in South Africa). After last year's monster travel schedule (all the National Series races and all but one of the World Cups) and looking at the schedule, it just didn't make much sense. Sea Otter is an important race for the team, so I would have had to race in South Africa, California, Germany and Belgium on back to back weekends. After talking to Waldek and Ben, I decided that I would rather focus on having GREAT races at the 2nd and 3rd round of World Cups instead of a bunch of potentially mediocre races because of extra travel, fatigue, etc. We'll see how the new plan works. This is a good year for trying a little bit different strategy and seeing how it pans out.
