Epic Rides’ Whiskey Off-Road 50 Proof Pro Race Weekend (whew!)

Wild Wild West!

Here we are in beautiful downtown Prescott, Arizona on the famous Whiskey Row prepping for a weekend of epic riding, racing and a little bit of suffering. This will be my first year to compete in the Pro race held on Sunday after Saturday’s Amateur open. I did the 50 miler last year for the first time, I know what I’m in for as far as the course is concerned; the difference this year is I will be competing amongst a highly stacked field of some of the best female mountain bikers in the world and I will need to compete in the fat-tire crit on Friday evening to avoid any time penalties at the start of Sunday’s race. I’m as ready as I can be at this point and I’m ready to get out there and shred some dirt!

FAT-TIRE CRIT:

OhMyGosh! This was the most fun I’ve had racing on the road maybe ever!
I wasn’t taking this part seriously, I didn’t feel nervous, I was just doing this so as not to get a time penalty in the real race on Sunday. I had no intention of wasting my legs on this part of the event. However; even tho I had watched the crit last year, I had no idea the state of absolute giddiness that I would experience actually participating in it!
It’s all about the fans. They totally make the race! All the spectators..yelling, heckling, handing out beers and dollar bills..dressed up as gorillas and human GU packets..it was truly spectacular!
Despite the fact that I had every plan to pull myself from the crit early, I just couldn’t do it, I was having too good a time! Don’t get me wrong, as each 1 km lap passed by, the giant hills got harder and I suffered just a little bit more; but all the motivation from the people on every corner completely overshadowed any pain. Each lap I would say “ok, I’m gonna pull myself this lap” and then I’d hear the roar of the crowd, the cowbells from every direction and squeeze myself thru the people like I was topping out Alp d’huez in the TDF and simply keep on going..I couldn’t help it! Each lap after the ridiculous monster-climbs, I would scream downhill faster and faster careening around the right-hander at over 30mph..it was absolutely exhilarating!

zoom-zoom

In the end, I was able to put in 5 laps and raced for 15m21s (a crit consists of 20m plus 3 laps) before getting pulled off. I was nowhere near the front of the pack, I was nowhere near the back of the pack. I am extremely happy to be in the middle..right where I belong right now. This shed a whole new light on what I was doing. This crit race wasn’t for us, it was for the spectators, all the people who continually support our mountain biking; but rarely get to see us race. It is hard work to watch a mountain bike race, you need to either hike or bike yourself out onto the course somewhere to watch racers go by once or you typically only experience the start and finish. This was different, this you could actually get involved in all the action. This was pretty awesome.

THE DAY BETWEEN:

Not having to race until Sunday, Saturday came as a nice little respite and the chance to support and cheer on the racers out there doing the Open race. I was going to the T-intersection aid station to hand up bottles to Kevin. I got in a great little in-between-day workout and experience the other side of racing. I stood out there waiting for Kevin to arrive and clapped and cheered and talked up a little motivation to the other riders. I got to see friends coming thru and root them on…seeing their smiles when they heard a familiar voice felt great! Once Kevin came thru on his singlespeed and successfully obtained his bottles of GU Brew, I hung out a bit longer and then slowly climbed back up alongside the others. I chatted for a few minutes with racers on the way up and then hung out at another intersection for a bit again cheering. It was a lot of fun to support all the people racing…and I know from experience, sometimes that can mean the difference between cracking and not out there. Riding back out and making it to the finish line for Kevin’s finish. He did awesome out there on that tough singlespeed course! We had a ton of OVB racers out there, a successful race for the team as a whole..way to represent guys and gal!

Kevin ready to get his race on!

Cassi ready to shred!

Paul making his way thru the start.

THE MAIN EVENT:

I’m not so nervous today, I have lucky number 13 to ride!  I’m ready to ride my own race today. I’m not worried about the other women or where I’ll be in comparison. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely have goals set for myself; some definitely attainable, some maybe a little steep, but all doable. I want to enjoy my Whiskey and be proud of how I finish!
I get to chat a bit at the line with Georgia Gould, such a nice gal she is, and wish Chloe a great race. I can see my heart rate is below 100…a good sign I’ve got the nerves channeled and under control and it will be the last time I look at it throughout the entire race. I’m as ready as I can be for this. Lets go!

The Start!

The road out of town is a killer climb right off the bat. With a police escort, we all ride as a group until he pulls off..then it’s all on, baby! I’m thrilled to be in the main pack until after hitting the dirt. It’s pretty cool to be able to ride along side some of the best female mountain bikers in the world! I still can’t believe sometimes that I am part of this elite group!
Once we’ve hit dirt, the group really starts to get strung out. I’m happy being in the position I’m in, somewhere in the middle. The climbs are tough, the singletrack is fun and the descents are a bit hairy in spots. I pop off a couple a times, some by my own missed step, some no fault of mine; but overall I feel I’m riding well and most importantly, I’m really having a lot of fun!

The first aid station comes after a lofty climb at about 16 miles in. Kevin is there ready to hand up bottles. I feel pretty great still and as always I’m happy to see him there. On to the descent into Skull Valley…which is not really all downhill, but the climb out is brutal.

Hitting aid station 1. The steepest parts of the course. Thanks for cheering there, Nicole!

I get in a pull line with a couple other ladies on the way down, fun stuff! And at the turn around, I grab up a neutral bottle and douse my back with the cool water. I already know the climb out is going to get warm with total exposure to the sun. Climbing out I feel pretty good still. I make sure to drink, using GU Roctane really helps keep the body fueled and engine fires stoked. I push hard when I can and push thru when it hurts. A couple of girls pass me, but I keep them in site and use them as my carrot. Then a little over a mile before hitting the aid station back where Kevin is, I start to get overheated. My pedals are barely turning over and I’m riding at 4mph at times. I’m starting to really suffer. I keep talking to myself and try to keep my mantras going. That last mile is the steepest and seems to never end. I finally see Kevin just coming into the station and I  so so happy to see his face! I get completely drenched with water, so much my socks are soggy and squishing! But holy cow, it feels fantastic and both the cold shower and Kevin’s uplifting encouragement give me a push and I can continue the climb to the top..pedaling just a little bit faster. I am 30 miles in and 4 miles from the top: Sierra Prieta Overlook.

Close to the top!

On the way, I see familiar faces and hear voices call out my name, it keeps me going & makes me want to push harder. My friend Steph follows me up the road a bit urging me on. And the next intersection is filled with more people cheering. It’s so wonderful to have excited spectators hootin’ and hollarin’, keeping the energy flowing!

I finally hit the top and start some gnarly, rocky, arm fatiguing descent.  Holy crap! I decided to race my new Specialized Fate, my first real hardtail and am still learning to descend on it..not quite just running down everything in your path like on the Epic…but still the right bike choice for today’s big climbs. I make it thru with a hefty dose of fear and no other issues, take some big cleansing breaths and move onto the mini enduro and super fun singletrack..waiting for what I know is coming..cramp hill, as it is so affectionately known as. On some of the of the fun, sweeping singletrack I am surprised by more friends rooting me on..seriously wonderful! So, not once in the 2 years I’ve done this race have I made it thru cramp hill without doing exactly that and having to get off my bike. Today is going to be different. Today I’m riding on Sunday and today I’m going to make it. I try to pedal as often as I can on the downhills beforehand, keeping the muscles from locking into any constant position. And then, cramp! Before the hill! Argh! Ok, it’s not so bad. I spin the legs, I talk to my muscles, it gets better. And I see it. I gear down, ready myself both physically and mentally and spin into it. The legs start to whine a little, I keep spinning them. They protest a little more, I am not going to let you get the best of me Hill! And I make it up! This is it! I’m so happy and the final stretch is here! There is some sketchy downhill singletrack, I falter a little thru it and Tracy Thelan catches me, this is the second time she grabs me on a descent today. I was really hoping to keep my position,  but she comes around and is riding the lines better than I today. I try to stay close. Thru the water crossing and I nail it perfectly, I hear more familiar cheers and Cassi runs along after me “You can catch her! You look great!” What motivation! I keep it up and then come up on Tracy off her bike fixing her chain. Oh, man! I feel for her, but without being a serious injury that needs my attention, this is still a race and I have to continue on past.

Entering the creek-crossing..fun stuff!

Now, I’m looking for the off-shoot onto the road. 4 miles of pavement. If I can hit it, I know I can stay ahead.
There it is. And I push hard giving whatever I have left down the pavement. And, after 48.1 miles and 6800 ft of gain, I cross the finish line in 4h15m59s, positioning me in 32nd out of 51 starters and 44 finishers. I am happy! For the first time this year while playing with the big dogs, I have finished mid-pack; make that twice if you include the Crit on Friday. I am stoked to have had the mental strength to push thru the pain, the suffering and the ebb and flow of emotions out there. To know that whatever training I did or didn’t do, I physically could still maintain. I am thrilled to feel absolutely proud of how I raced today….for myself and no one else. No expectations of grandeur. No pressure to do what I can not do and I did what I could do..race hard, keep pushing and enjoy the journey. And I certainly did enjoy myself out there!..most of the time! Today I became an elite mountain biker.

Worked-Over!

Even my toes hurt! Ha!

Thank you so so much to my friends for being out there in all those tough spots and in the random ones! You all are what kept me going! The spectators who were just out there cheering and having fun-it’s you who helps keep the mind running strong! Again, the fans really make this race what it is!
Also, I have to thank Kevin for always being my rock and my biggest fan! Keeping my bike in perfect condition! Standing out there for hours to hand up bottles! Seeing him there gets my heart pumping and the legs spinning  faster again!

Thank you Oro Valley Bicycle for helping get my bike race ready so quickly and for all your support that never stops coming!
Thanks to GU for keeping me stocked in the best bike nutrition out there! No bonking allowed!
Thanks to ProGold for having the best stuff to keep the chain running smoothly and the bike sparkling at the start of each and every race. And thank you to Northern AZ Gastroenterologists, PASA, and The Heart Center for helping fund my adventures in mountain biking..without whom, participating in some of these races wouldn’t be possible!

What an Epic weekend! Whiskey Off-Road, I’ll see you and all the brutal sun, dirt and sweat you can throw at me again next year!

A Marathon…MBAA Prescott Punisher

I have been contemplating moving away from the shorter distance XC races and going more towards endurance or even ultra-endurance events. Already having my race season planned out this year and not having the time or training to switch it up this Arizona season, the only race left on the schedule at this level is the Whisky Off-Road. This has now become my focus. I have definitely noticed that all the training geared for the XCT races has not exactly helped my endurance…or my climbing, So I need Whiskey training! Already registered for the Pro race for MBAA’s Prescott Punisher, I am thinking about switching categories to do the marathon and when I found out about the change to a much later start time of the pro race, I opted last minute to go ahead and follow my gut and just do it.
Am I taking away from what I’ve set out to do with this whole pro journey by skipping the pro race & choosing to do marathon today?  No, I don’t think so. This is my first year in the big girl scene…I’m learning this year. It takes time to understand how to race at this level of play; however, not being a tender age of 25 anymore (I know, can you hardly believe it?!), I also need to go after what I enjoy doing most right now and to stay where my strengths lie. I believe this comes down to the challenge of longer endurance racing. I can better teach my brain to enjoy pain & suffering for longer periods of time then teach my body to be a sprinter for short ones. This is just who I am..and there are plenty of endurance events out there.

GU me! My day’s nutrition.

So there it is. I again find myself standing on a start line, this time lined up with both men and women seeking to ride as much as possible before the 3.5h time cut-off. This course- or so I’ve heard, not having pre-ridden it, I will just be surprised- is not technical and has a lot of climbing. Good. A perfect jump into marathon, a perfect training tool. I feel calm and collected, talking with Katie Ellis, waiting for the start whistle. Katie is always fierce competition and with her and Liz Vito usually battling it out on course, I am sure to have a tough race ahead of me. I am ready to just roll with it. And we’re off!

Lap 1: Too hot as always! I really try to hang back at first and think I’ll just ride with Katie and Liz for awhile, try not to kill myself too early in the day; but as always, that doesn’t sit well with me and I am off and around them searching for the next rider ahead to catch. The hills on the first half of the course are killer and I decide early on how long I will try to keep myself in bigger gears grinding away at them. Most of the course is jeep road, a little rutted, a little loose; but I have recently learned a new cornering technique I have found extremely useful and decide to focus on doing this. Once you plug away to the top of the saddle and thru the first tunnel under a road, the course becomes quite fun. Twist and turn downhill and a sharp left turn onto the singletrack. Here it flows. I concentrate on pushing into my handlebars into the turns and pointing my belly button thru it. I’m having a ball! The singletrack turns upwards and switchbacks to another saddle. A local racer catches up and motivates me thru the trail. Down and around thru the second tunnel, one more short singletrack back to the jeep road thru the venue. An incredible lap time! Boy, I hope I can keep that up…

Lap 2 is much of the same. I descend faster now knowing what is ahead and I’m climbing well. Now, just keep hydrated and the nutrition going…its still early on a long day in the saddle.

Lap 3 is when I hear the SNAP! What the..? And as soon as I feel myself pogo-ing off the bike seat, I know. I have just busted my rear suspension! I feel myself bouncing all over the bike every time I run over a little rock or bump in the trail and as I climb I’m sagging towards the ground. Ugh, I have to figure out how to manage this. I get to a spot I can get off and assess things. I turn the Brain’s rebound all the way to slow and the shock is already as firm as it will go, so not much else I can do..I am assuming, because in all honesty, I’m not completely sure of what I’m doing. I get back on the bike and keep going. It feels weird back there. Like I’m smashing my rims into everything, I know its really just me bottoming out the rear shock that no longer works, but I can’t get my mind back to the task at hand, so I get off the bike a second time and make sure there isn’t a flat back there, too. Nope, just a busted oily mess. Ok, keep going. I come thru the venue and yell out to my teammate Tom if there is anything else I can do to help it and he basically shakes his head no. And so I deal.

Busted! Dirty, Oily Mess.

Lap 4: I’m just getting used to the feel of the bike. The longer I go, the less I seem to notice the bounce and sag. It does make climbing just a little more difficult…

Lap 5: How am I ever going to be ready for the Whiskey??! This is the thought that plays on repeat in my head. These climbs are killing me. I’ve been down to my little ring since last lap on most of the hills and they just keep getting harder. Stop thinking about it and focus on the task at hand. Pedal thru. Keep pushing. Good job. One more hill ’til a bit of relief. Oh, the fun part is coming up! I’m good, feeling better. Singletrack! Keep practicing your cornering, focus on that. Here comes the last bit of climbing. CRAMP! AHH! Ok, I know how to deal with this. Spin thru it, easy gears, keep the legs moving. Gone..for now. Better drink more…its only lap 5 and I should have two more to go at these times..

Lap 6: Getting closer to the finish, I know I will be going out for a 7th. I have no idea where any of the other women are. My last couple of laps have been fairly consistent in time, but I am afraid with being on the verge of cramping and already using easier gears, I will be slowing. I try not to and just keep talking to myself, keeping it going. More hills, more descents, having to work harder to keep focus on each individual aspect I’ve given to different parts of the course to manage my mind and my body. Then in the same place as lap 5, cramp. This time a little worse. Oh my god, my adductors! I shed an invisible tear at the shearing pain and talk myself thru it…aloud, for the brush and dirt and world to hear. Spin, move the legs, easy gears, don’t stop. Oh the pain. Ok, its better. Oh the pain!  I get to the second tunnel and the tearing in my legs has dissipated. Whew. Let’s go. My lap time wasn’t too off the previous ones, a good sign and with 8 minutes remaining before the cut-off, I head out to…

Lap…

Lap 7: Throwing down my Camelbak as I ride thru the venue, it’s empty and I have no desire to continue carrying it, my neck is sore and the removal of it sends relief thru my shoulders. Teammate Tom is (and has been) yelling out encouragement as I roll thru, grateful for the mental support! At this point, if I had actually heard someone telling me that I needn’t go out on that 7th lap, I probably wouldn’t have; but I didn’t hear that and I still didn’t have any sign of where any of the others were and knowing Katie if she had the ability to go out again, she would; so I did. Honestly, I’m glad I did. I didn’t come here today to stop just because I could; but now I just want to get thru this lap. I have hardly any liquid left. I’ve eaten my final GU. Its fine, 30+ minutes and I’ll be done. I push as best I can and just try to keep a grip on where I am and what’s next. The hills are a bitch, but I climb them all. The juniors are out there and I see them climbing, motoring themselves up those hills as if they were floating feathers, as I crawl around them filled with lead. I send them encouraging words as I pass at the descent. My arms are fatigued from descending, but I roll down them. I forget that my rear suspension isn’t working, but am reminded with the occasional buck off the seat. Out of fluid now, I’m almost 3/4 way to the finish line. The fun sections, the singletrack and that’s it. Luckily there are still other riders out there as the other races have continually been sent off while we strive on thru the day. As I hit the singletrack, I see him coming up from behind and move over to let him pass. Hunter Keating, the men’s marathon leader, laps me. He finishes his 8th lap about 2 minutes before I will cross the line. He looks and sounds like its lap 1! Amazing! Sweating up the last hill, it hits again. Cramp! I am talking to my legs out loud pretty much continuously. I come up on riders who look at me wildly and get out of the way of the crazy girl talking to herself. I try to reassure them, but it doesn’t matter. The pain is tremendous with every push of the pedals. Again, spin, move, go. And again, just as the other laps it vanishes as I get to the final descent on the jeep road into the finish line. I am done! “You looked strong out there all day!” I hear…yea, no one but a select few riders lucky enough to be out there were witness to the agony in my legs..it always dissipated before lapping thru the venue.

I managed to win the marathon doing 7 laps. This equals out to 50.7 miles and just over 4500ft of elevation gain (only about 3/4 of the Whiskey gain!). I see Katie at the finish line and talk with her. This is when I finally learn that none of the other women made the cut-off to get a 7th lap. I am happy with my performance and how I managed the day..altho I do need to work on that cramping issue.  Maybe I am not quite ready for the big Whiskey as a pro this year. So..tomorrow off to Mt Hopkins to get in another big climbing day and on fatigued legs.

1-Beth, 2-Katie, 3-Liz

After finishing, I get to see Kata and Chloe before their race. I was there to cheer them on as they lapped thru the venue. The smile on Kata’s face when we stood there screaming at her, trying to motivate her was priceless. Did I miss being out there with them? Yes, there are some great girls racing the pro category here in Arizona and I’ve had a blast competing with them. Am I glad that I listened to what I need and went forth with the marathon? Yes, definitely yes.

Team OVB had a great day out there, as well! With Kit earning himself a 1st place and Cassi and Caiden working hard for 2nd. Most of all watching our two juniors (Caiden and Bryan) be able to mentally push themselves all the way to the end even when their bodies were fighting against them really shows what strength they possess and what kind of racers they are and will become! I am proud! Way to go guys!!

A huge thank you to Oro Valley Bicycle for giving continual support to me! I seriously have the best bike shop standing behind me and they work hard to get my Epic fixed up and even into a new bike as quickly as they can. Also, a big thank you to GU for keeping me stocked with lasting-energy; I certainly wouldn’t be half the racer without it!

Fontana Pro XCT

Shot number two on the Pro XCT series. Less nerves this time, not having a break down in the car on the drive to California. Kevin and I get to Fontana in time for a little pre-ride. It goes fairly well, better than at Bonelli. I start to worry at first with some of the techy, steep stuff; but going back out for a second lap I stayed positive, rode everything and enjoyed the trail. This was a real mountain bike course unlike Bonelli where someone cut sandy trails on the side of a hill in a park. This had technical rocks to climb over and roll down, there was flowy singletrack with brush standing taller than I. This race will be enjoyable regardless of my position in the pack.

So off the start line again its like these girls are on fire! I just can not get my legs to sprint out there from a dead stop like that and I again find myself at the back of the pack. Geez. But, I feel better today. I feel like I can climb up these hills, so I push forward and catch onto the back of the long line of ladies heading into singletrack. The big dogs like Lea Davidson and Chloe Woodruff, among some others, are off the front and disappearing. There are some of the same competitors as Bonelli and there are some new faces. I manage to pass a few women on the grinding road climb and hit the next singletrack ahead of them. Of course, I’m still turned up a little too high inside and am feeling a bit squirrely…I bobble over a rock and step off the bike. The girls are close and I must allow them to pass. I run back onto the bike and ride right back up on the next girl’s wheel. She topples off her bike over the next set of rocks and I’m off behind her. All but a few still far in the back are getting away. I manage to get back on to ride around her, she doesn’t quite make it off the trail far enough and I have to lift my left hand off the bars while weaving thru a couple of boulders. It was anything but graceful…but I managed to make it…just to slide out and onto the ground in the next corner. Dammit! This is the fourth race in a row I am sitting in the dirt. It sucks and only means something I’m doing is not right. I am not interested in a job as dirt sampler! I’m tired of being on the ground. I pick myself up before the girl behind me catches up and continue onward. The rocky descent goes well. I ride all of it and even catch up to the Canadian gal ahead of me; however, she realizes I’m on her, speeds up and just vanishes. How does that happen so fast?! At this point, I start to settle into the fact that I am here somewhere in the rear of the race and I’m ok with it. I’m not last. I push as hard as I can when I can, I make the technical rock sections and I enjoy the flowy singletrack sections. I start having fun…this is important…this is why I do this to begin with. The laps go by. I see girls just ahead, start to gain and then lose a little ground; but they are always there. The steep hills get harder and I have to hike it up the last steepest section. I miss the rock drop section on the last lap and have my foot down. When I hit the road for the last climb, my chain comes off. I can’t get it back on and off the bike I am again. I fight with the chain as its stuck between the frame and chainring. Finally getting it loose, I start climbing and the woman I passed 2 laps earlier is right behind me. She catches me on the fenceline flat and rides my wheel. I am exhausted. Completely exhausted. What happened to all that endurance I used to own? She goes around at the top of the last incline and I let her go. I ride thru the finish line in 13th place out of 17 starters.

Today, I was schooled… I learned how to let go of the ego that says ‘you shouldn’t be last out here’ and found that I could have fun regardless once that happened. I learned that some have no choice but to ride in a park surrounded by industry and smog. I think its fantastic that there are these trails for people in the urban sprawl to enjoy; I also am feeling extremely grateful to live in a place where I can ride out my garage and into the middle of nowhere in as little as 15 minutes. To live where there are blue skies 360 days a year, with views sometimes 50 miles around, surrounded by mountains and wilderness.  I have also learned that I may never teach my body to be a sprinter and that’s exactly what these races are, all out sprints.  It’s completely different than any of the races I’ve done, including Nationals last year in Ketchum, ID. My body make-up is primarily slow-twitch muscles, I know this. I like to grind for long periods of time, get into a groove and stay there. I have decided that I am not in a place in my life to try and change what I am good at, what my body and mind understand and enjoy doing. I am also not a quitter and I plan to finish everything that I have started this year. I will not hide from the challenges I have placed in front of me simply because I found out I’m not as good as I thought I was.  I am proud that I came back out to another one of these races in the series and did the best I could there. I also know maybe next year I will be choosier in what I race,  I tried to fit so much into such a short time to figure out what I like and what I could excel at, it may have been too much. Maybe less is more. Less events, bigger mileage. We shall see what the future brings. One thing I do know, is that there is a great bunch of women racing out there! Always with words of encouragement, willingness to help out or to teach. I have, thus far, had a fantastic experience with my fellow racers and it really is encouraging and motivating more women to get out there and strap a number plate to their bikes. I hope I can be as inspiring as they one day.

Next week I’ll be back at it again on home turf in Prescott AZ..MBAA #5.

I want to give a tremendous thank you to my husband, Kevin, without whom I wouldn’t be able to do any of this. His never-ending support with bike maintenance, driving, training; his huge bank of knowledge, giant handfuls of patience, ever-lasting positivity and unconditional love is so incredibly appreciated! His excitement, cheers and motivational call-outs around every lap help keep me going thru some very tough races. I really have the best hubby around!

I also need to be thankful for Oro Valley Bicycle for being supportive of me regardless of where I finish. They have been there thru many a broken rim, last minute emergency fixes and getting that hard to find product that I just can’t live without; as well as handing out encouragement with each new challenge. I couldn’t ask for better care!

A New Day…Fat Tire 40

Oh my gosh! What a different day! Just the atmosphere on the start line is better for me today. My heart rate is 80… I’m calm. I’m smiling. I’m in my element.  I have friendly faces and familiar surroundings. I am looking forward to this race, riding thru the wildflowers and green desert of spring on sweet singletrack with only me, my bike and 250 of my closest local mountain bikers! The pressure has been lifted. Happy St Patrick’s Day, indeed!

This is a great race! Swiss American Racing uses almost all of the singletrack in the park to put together a marathon of a ride. They have great schwag, great awards, free beer at the finish and the people are awesome! This is the place to be.

I decided that I needed to handle my nutrition a little differently for this race. Since I would be on the bike for around three hours (rather than 1.5h) without wanting to stop at an aid station and no one to hand up a bottle, I thought best to use my Camelbak. I usually like to race without; but as hot as it was last year and needing to keep up the hydration and calories (especially after half racing and being stuck in a car the day before), I thought best to handle it this way. I used GU Roctane in my bladder plus a bottle on my bike, this makes for 3 total. I tape my GU gels to my top tube for easy, tear away access. I rely mainly on the Vanilla-Orange Roctane…it is my favorite, with a Peanut Butter for substance and an Espresso Love thrown in there for variety. I think this will keep me in the right physical and mind state for the task at hand. Now, I just need to remember to keep an eye on time so I do eat!

I wasn’t able to compete in the time trial the day before because I was suffering in every way at another race, but I didn’t lose too much advantage as they are handling the start a little bit different this year. Instead of the mass chaos of 250 people trying to hit the singletrack located 100 yards downhill first, there are waves based on racer Category and time trial finish. Holding a Pro card put me in the front of the 2nd wave, just 30 seconds behind the winning TT female, who just happened to be Leah McCabe. Kata Skaggs is beside me and Jane Meneely is one row behind. Here’s my competition laid out before me. I am not worried. I’m just ready to spend the next 3 hours racing my bike here. I feel very happy to be here today. This is a blessing following the horrible day before. And we’re off!

Wave 2 start

The legs complain in the beginning, no no no…this can’t be happening again today. I let up and just allow myself to ease into a flow. I’m getting passed, but I don’t panic, just keep turning my pedals trying to get those legs warmed. Kata passes me. Jane passes me. And I know Leah is up there somewhere. Once the initial burner climb ends and the trail begins to undulate, I start to feel better. I’m handling the bike well and find I can speed into and thru the descents today. This feels good. This feels really good! I make some leeway. On the next climb in the tech loop, I find out that Leah has some how ended up behind me; as we crawl up the climb unable to find opportunity to pass, I lose my balance trying to avoid the guys wheel in front of me and teeter off the bike, foot down. I get outta the way and there’s Leah coming around me? I hop back on behind her and push up the rest of the hill. We descend a bit and we need to get out from behind some of these guys. The passing is hard. There is lots of wonderful trail to ride here, not much for passing room and I’m not the most aggressive passer, either (something I need to work on). I urge her to keep moving up and then decide it’s time I pass Leah, go around and continue on. I know she won’t be far off, tho. Then I catch Kata and Jane, pass and keep riding. I feel pretty good right now. We enter into the Pemberton campground and off to the Scenic Trail, top three women all in a row.

Leading women into Scenic Trail.

Then, I catch some marbles of loose dirt cornering a curve too fast and in an instant I find myself on the ground. The girls one by one pass by asking if I’m good, I tell them “Go on!” and quickly put myself back in motion. Now I’m a bit skittish on the loose corners. Some guys pass me and of course I get stuck behind them on the next big climb. I can see Kata and Jane ahead, getting further and further away from me. Kata looks as if she has a motor whizzing her up the trail! I can see it all play out ahead of me. If only I could get around! Finally at a crest, I pass and start playing catch up. Jane is first and when I pass, she hangs on. We climb thru the new Pemberton singletrack, eyeing Kata up ahead and slowly gaining. My goal is to get to her and sit on her wheel for a rest..good plan. We finally lure her in and I sit up momentarily…until she pulls up, motioning me to go around. The three of us now, riding together again. Maybe we can work together during this race. Continuing on, the trail is absolutely beautiful! Most times during a race, there isn’t much time to look around; but the greenery and flowers simply smack you in the face in a usually brown and drab desert. I can’t help but smile and feel like I am exactly where I belong-here on my bike, hearing my rhythmic breathing with the turn of the cranks and the sound of my wheels over the dirt, surrounded by color and rebirth..springtime! It’s an amazing feeling and I remember why I love doing this.

Jane and I enjoying the race on new singletrack.

Jane and I ride together the entire rest of the race. Somewhere, and I’m not sure when it happened, Kata dropped off the back a bit and I seemed to be pulling along Jane and another man. At times, Jane would come around and help out in a pull; but this is more difficult on a mountain bike where technical parts come and go and skill or comfort levels are never the same. I pull away just a bit on the rocky descents, but not by much. I pull away on a climb out on Coachwhip; but I never lose Jane, she is always there. The situation of us riding together thru an entire marathon race is an interesting one. You sorta become allies and at the same time remain competitors. We’re friends, but it’s still a race. We have words here and there…how fun the trail is, how beautiful the flowers are, asking if the other needs or wants to pass. It’s actually rather nice to know where your closest competition is…right on your wheel…keep going or get dropped! I have visions of the finish…might I have to sprint? Lord knows I am not a sprinter. It doesn’t matter, I am having a blast and this is going to be a race to finish line! We are getting closer to the end. Every turn-off onto a different trail, volunteers yell out “The first two women!” That’s really motivating to hear! The descent on the back of the Long Loop is rugged today. Always rocky and fatiguing, today it seems much more so..I believe the rains have had a hand in it. As we finish out the Loop and come thru the venue, I know there is still another 3 miles to go; but Jane comes up beside me and starts to speed up. I won’t let her get away, but I say “We’re not done yet.” “We have to be done.” “Nope, Sport-Tech backwards.” The longest 3 miles ever! Jane sounds devastated at first, thinking it was the finish; I know the feeling, it’s discouraging to think you’re done and learn you must keep going. She pulls into the final singletrack ahead of me. I’m losing strength in my legs, but she moves over and wants me to pass. I try to push and the legs only half cooperate. The trail doesn’t flow quite as well in this direction and climbing seems to never end. I see ahead the break coming and push. As the trail begins to undulate back into the finish line, I push harder. I take the downhills faster. I don’t want to sprint in the end; but I never drop Jane. Chris Grove riding ahead has seen us not long before and informed the crowd and announcer that the women will be sprinting to the finish! We fly out of the singletrack and into the dirt parking lot. Here she comes! Gear down, gear down! Push the pedals around! The crowd is yelling! And we whisk thru the line together….she gets me by a tire. There is video…slow motion video of the finish. We come thru both wearing big, wide, goofy smiles and I see myself sit up just before the actual finish line as Jane pushes her bike thru it…the tire width.  Everyone is congratulating us and raving about the awesome finish. I am reeling! A little known fact is, Jane had beat me by more than several minutes in every endurance race we competed in together last year (don’t let her Cat3 status fool you…someone needs to be moving up…), this time we finished together. First place, second place..we both resulted the same time, she sprinted thru the line better than I and I don’t care…I’m thrilled! I couldn’t have asked for a better race! The camaraderie. The beauty. The excitement. It was wonderful! This is what it’s all about. This is why I want to do this. This is exactly what I needed!

Photo Finish!

Kata comes in just under a minute and a half behind Jane and I, she did amazing after racing the day before and a 400 mile drive following! And Leah rolled in another 2 minutes after Kata. Really, all the top women were very close together in time.

My nutrition plan was right on! I never felt like my mind was wandering or losing focus and I was able to keep pushing time after time even with tiring legs. Taping the GUs for easy reaching was brilliant. I think I hit it right on the tip of perfection there!

Afterwards we all talk about our day out on the dirt, drink some well deserved adult recovery drinks and I mow down on a tasty burger from the Super Farm Super Truck. Award ceremony is completed with lots of spectators still hanging around socializing. Several OVBer’s were there today, competing and hanging out afterwards. The boys did great, coming in with some excellent times and top 50 for two of them! Cassi improved upon her time from last year by well over an hour! Amazing how she is coming along. It was a fantastic day!

Nothing like a DNF and a DNS all in the same day…

I hate that I’m about to tell another sad story here. I need some background music..Where’s my violin, please?

I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. Am I over-trained? Am I tired? Has my head been hovering in the clouds for so long that now I’m buried so far below the sand I can’t breathe? Maybe. I need to re-find my focus…and fast. Or maybe that’s the problem and I need to slow down and smell the poppies for a few minutes. Tomorrow might be a good day for that in the spring blossoms and rebirth of the McDowell mountains.

But this is today’s story and tomorrow’s is for another day.

Bonelli Park. Pro XCT. My very first experience here. This is a big show. This is the day I get to line up at the start with an Olympian (Olympian!) and many other worthy mentionables from the US and beyond. Its a bigger production of a race as I’ve ever been in. I get a call up to the line, making my Oro Valley proud. In the 3rd row,  I stand over my bike with nerves made of toilet paper about to be soaked with sweat and fall apart and a resting heart rate of 130! I shouldn’t be so nervous, this is what I do, I’ve trained for this; but I don’t feel good about my riding lately. I’m as equally excited! To be where I am at this exact moment. Regardless of the end results, I am standing amongst some of the fastest women mountain bikers in the world and I am about to race with them. Most will never even have that chance.

nervously awaiting the whistle.

Go OVB! Call up to the start line.

But then it starts. I can’t even take off fast enough to stay with these girls. The instant speed is unbelievable. It’s almost immediate I find myself at the back of the pack. O my god, what?!

(Now, let me back track just a little). Kevin, Kata Skaggs and I have made the road trip to San Dimas Friday  to race Bonelli and than book it back to make the Fat Tire 40 marathon race in Fountain Hills on Sunday. In over my head? Yes; but not because I’m racing 2 days in a row, over 400 miles apart. Or because I’m missing the TT for start times the next day. So here I am, in this very spot the day before my first Pro XCT race, to pre-ride the course. It didn’t go exactly as I would have liked, this may be forecasting what is to come. And little did I know, I was probably already mentally dictating how I would race the next day. I didn’t really know what to expect. I’d heard tales and tips from others, but does any of that really exist without the actual experience of it? Hmm..there’s something to ponder. What I find is steep short sprint hills with steep loose sandy descents…lots of them, albeit with beautiful views that I’m happy to get a look at today. The entire course is off-camber and filled with thick silty sand. There is no flat, purely straight up or straight down. I can’t fathom how I will ever get 5 laps done on this.  Oh yea, 5 plus a start lap. The first time round I can’t even ride everything. My head is still stuck in the dirt at Estrella. My usual ease in climbing is missing and I’m little-ringing every hill. This is not good. We take a break before making a second shot at it. This time I ride everything and feel a bit better about things, but still somewhat edgy and I’m having a difficult time staying positive. I’m hoping the adrenaline of race day will power me thru it all as in the past.

(Back in the start lap). I can’t believe how I feel. I can’t get my legs to turn over any faster and I’m already a fair amount behind before the first climb on lap 1 and by the top of that first hill, I feel I’m finding myself DFL. I play cat and mouse for a short while with 2 girls, but then on the last drop down onto a double track, I skid out and slide off the bike, now having to run to the top of the hill. This sucks. I try to pick up some speed thru the grass and the lap-thru and start it all over again. Hitting the first mother-bitch climb again, I can’t even breathe by the top. Why can I not climb today? I can’t even talk my legs into doing anything more. And that’s when I quit talking. Mentally I check out, secretly hoping I get lapped. I ride into the lap-thru a 2nd time as if I’m on a Sunday ride, deep down inside I’m crying. How have I let this get the best of me? How have I let one bad race take away from something I love so much? Because it’s not one bad race, it’s now 2 and some poor training in between. Doesn’t matter. I hear a fellow racer yell out “You’re faster than this, Beth, I know you are! Come on!” That’s right. I am going to finish this and I don’t want to be lapped or pulled from the course. (‘If you’re miserable, remember you chose to do this race and you can push yourself thru it, reap the rewards, feel the satisfaction and then want to do it again.’) I keep going, gaining some mental strength; but I still can’t get my legs to cooperate and the caution I take on the descents is childish. There are so many spectators here. Really its pretty awesome to see so many on the course cheering and ringing their cow bells. They all continue to shout out encouragement as I ride past and I’m grateful for it..I just wish it would help. I’m already embarrassed to be where I am in the scheme of things and the more people that call out to me are the more people seeing me fail. Kevin is at the top of every lap. I’m so happy to see him each time as I continue to fall further behind. I come thru my 3rd lap finally feeling like I can actually finish this race, even if it is dead fucking last. I can still do this. I want to do this. Then I hear her. The race marshal calls out that I need to leave the course here. I say to her, I didn’t get lapped. It’s the 80% rule. There are real rules here. Things that make or break you and I’m not the known name to ask for any leeway. I say I don’t know what that means.  I’ve never done a race with such rules and I’ve certainly never been far enough to the back for them to matter. I am heart-broken. I ask if I can finish my lap, she says yes and I roll thru it and keep going directly to the car with tears in my eyes. I sit by myself, head in hands in despair, afraid I have embarressed myself, my shop and my sponsors. Did I set myself up to fail before I ever set foot at the starting line? Something I have given much thought to…Stop feeling sorry for yourself, girl. Go out there and cheer on the women who can finish this. Your friend is still out there and needs your support. So I get back on my bike and try to be invisible as I ride down to the course to cheer Kata and the others on thru the final lap.

It’s over. There’s cheers & happiness amongst the winners & finishers. Sadly, I just want to get in the car and leave it all behind; move on. I am happy for Kata, she did really great and she had the mental and physical ability today to finish what I couldn’t. She’s a strong rider and I’m really proud of her.  I think it’s awesome that Chloe Woodruff got on the podium (and later won the Super D and Short Track). And in the end, I didn’t finish last, I wasn’t the first to be pulled off the course and I see that this is a whole new world of racing and will be the wiser for it.

We drive back to Phoenix, not to relax and rest; but get ready to race again tomorrow. We chat and sleep in the car, I teach Kata the usefulness of the 7-11 microwave and it’s all good. I still feel sad and hide away my face a few times, but no longer. I was there and I tried and I will go back to do it again. I’m not a quitter, it’s not my style (quitting feels like shit, and yes, I have been there, too); so I will go to Fontana and I will pull up in line at the next Pro XCT with the Olympians and I will handle it better..regardless if I’m DF, but I won’t be. I will keep positive and calm my fears before I pull up to the start line.

Trying to keep the rubber side down…but not always. MBAA race #4.

In the world of racing, we must always make room in between the good days for those not-so-good days. Why, you ask. To learn. To keep the head and ego grounded. To keep things from becoming stagnant. All of these are real reasons to that we still may want to say, screw that, I want them to all be winning days! But, alas, the world and the athlete are far from perfect and we can not live inside the little Walgreen’s world that lies beyond cell phones and super highways. So this is a new story, where the excitement turns a bit towards disappointment and the ending is not quite so full of smiles, but that’s ok because there is always a new day to follow, with a new story and another ending.

The morning is chilly. The dirt freshly sodden by the last evening’s rain. The sun mostly hides and it’s one of those days when you can’t decide how to adequately dress for the occasion. I feel good, decent at the very least. Ready to get out there and slightly nervous about the technicality of today’s course. I’ve trained for this. I’ve ridden all of it. There is nothing I can’t do out here, so just keep it positive and all will be well. I let the thoughts of how I’ve been riding during the past week, the slightly “off” feeling, the too much use of my brakes on yesterday’s ride, slide deep into the back of my head. I had intervals to be done this week, also, will I be tired? Only time will tell.

Today’s race at Estrella Mountain Park showing a huge turn-out for the women’s field so far into the season! Something like 60 women and junior girls have come out to race. I think that’s awesome! I think MBAA and the usual suspects of women’s racers have done an excellent job this year of encouraging femmes to saddle up and get on the start line. Keep it up, Ladies! Also, in the men’s races, OVB had some podium winners with young Caiden still crushing the age groupers above him and Kit literally running his bike with a failed tire across the finish line for 3rd. Great job out there, guys!

Look at the mighty turn-out for the women’s start! Yahoo!

The line up is a good one today. Five Pro Women here to compete! I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to test myself against the likes of Chloe Woodruff and Krista Park. Now this is exciting! I have already decided, I will just hang on to them for dear life. I will ride well today no matter what.

And the whistle blows, the start is fast..very fast.  Chloe is up front immediately, followed by Krista and then myself. There is a climb briefly at the beginning and then becomes rolling for a time after. I climb along with them, they pull away just slightly on the dips. I am working my ass off from the start and the next I look up, Chloe is off the front and gone…gone. I stay up with Krista and decide I can pass on a long grind. The trail is in good shape. Its tacky and the usual sandpit on this climb is packed down and easy to ride on. The trail winds around and I blow a couple a curves too wide, come on Beth, get it together. Krista is not far behind me so I keep pushing the pedals to try and pull away enough to maybe, just maybe, stay ahead on the upcoming descents. Hopeful thinking. Then, on an only slightly technical step up, I come off. What the? Krista clears it and I get back on the bike pedaling up behind her. I am right on her wheel on the steep ascent to the saddle, happy to be able to climb at least as well as her, just to have her blow me away on the technical descent. For awhile, I will see her up ahead, thinking maybe I can catch her on the uphills; but I’m not handling the bike well and can’t make up enough time to get there. The first lap, I clear all the tech areas after the saddles. There are two rock drops one right after another with a bit of a left hand curve following, I remember doing these several times in my pre-ride practice. I make it over both with less than graceful skill and completely using up all my suspension (kabunk!) in the process. I don’t like the feel of that… I make it thru the lap zone still only 1:30 behind Chloe who is killing the field out front, and I’m happy to be where I am at the moment. Lap two, ok ok. I seem to be technically handling things a tad better. I quickly make it around the twisty section and clear the obstacle I missed on lap one. Still climbing well. I pass two of the super-strong marathon women and almost immediately after, I’m OTB and on the ground. Yep, the rock drop. Second one, I don’t know what happened. Maybe I didn’t get back off the seat far enough, I’ve again run out of front shock travel. In the split second of a seemingly slow motion scene, I was off the rock and heading into a ditch and over the bars where I believe my face somewhat broke my fall, bike lying on top of me. Another split second, I’m on my feet with bike in hand. I can hear riders coming behind me. Ok, teeth all in place. Bike seems in working condition. I’m standing, so must be ok and I get back on the trail. But I’m slow. Oh my word, I am slow. At first I’m still going thru my body and bike while trying to refocus on the task at hand and figure out what’s actually happened. Then I can see my nose appears strange, trying to look at it cross-eyed while keeping myself upright on the course. I take my glove and wipe across my face…blood. You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve had enough experience involving my nose last year when a PA at work had to pull out an inch long cactus spine which had been festering there for a week; I am not happy this part of my anatomy has fallen victim again. I’ve now fully lost my focus and I never do regain it. I can barely navigate the trail. What is wrong with you? Seriously, what is wrong with you? I keep riding. I want to quit, but I can’t, I won’t, allow myself to. Even if I finish dead last, I will finish. On the last big climb of a jeep trail towards the finish, I see Kata closing in behind me. I don’t know if I can hold her off; but I need to try. Thru the lap zone, our last lap is shorter, but called the Tech Loop for a reason. I hold Kata off until one of the nasty little step ups and my mind is no longer willing to allow my body to even try. I come off the bike. She’s off too, but now close enough to speak to me. “Are you ok? What’s wrong?” A genuinely concerned sound in her voice…I must look like I’m struggling. “I’m just riding like crap today, that’s all.” I don’t look at her and let her go around. And furthermore, I can’t even get back on my bike. My chain is hanging there without any slack. I’m on an uphill and I can’t get enough momentum going to make up for it, when I finally manage  to get going again, I can hear the chain slapping against the frame. Oh my.  The technical, rocky descent is now intimidating to me and I’m off my bike at any sign of danger. I want to cry. I have ridden all this before…but I just can’t do it today. I get close to where the tech loop rejoins the long loop and I feel I’ve completely given up on actually racing today. I have kept up the mental strength to continue on, but now I just want to finish without killing myself in the process. I hope that no one else comes up behind me. The Cat1′s are still back there. Jaime Brede is still back there. Maybe I can still finish a disappointing 4th. I make the final climb and descent back to the finish; for a fleeting moment my heel gets caught in my tension-less chain. I lacklusterly roll thru the finish line, body slightly battered, ego bruised and confidence broken. The whole OVB Team is there still, waiting for my arrival, most of whom finished racing before I even hit the start line. They cheered me on at every lap thru, even as I was falling further and further behind. I am so grateful to be part of this supportive team. Kit takes my bike at the finish, Kevin brings me some water and everyone is asking questions. I smile thru my frustration and defeat and say my handling skills were simply not up to par today. On this day, I had a chance to shine and prove that I belong up riding with the big girls and what I put forth was a mediocre and weak performance. We all have off days, this was certainly  one of mine. Solely because I didn’t ride well in one race, doesn’t mean I’m not where I belong, it means I’m human like everyone else on the field. At this moment in time, I need to pull myself out of my failure, move on and use it as experience to improve for another day. As much as I’ve advanced well beyond where I was a year ago on my technical and descending skills, I still have a lot of work ahead of me. I am fit enough and strong enough to hang. I have nailed down my nutrition, with GU its right on every time. I must keep my head in the game and continue working at the rest. My next big chance is coming up…Bonelli is this next weekend…back in the saddle.

Notice some slightly less travel than should be there… (photo by Nick Skaggs)

MBAA #3 Sierra Vista…post 24 HOP…Can’t hardly believe it.

So here we are, exactly one week after the big 24 hour race and I am standing at the start line of another race. I have no motivation today. I spent the entire ride down to the venue asleep in the passenger seat of the Taco. I did my volunteer work prior to the race covered in 3 layers and a blanket…I just can’t get warm. I look at my competitors, they know I’m tired and all I can think about is there is a hell of a lot of climbing on this course. One plus….not a lick of wind for once. The whistle blows…

Ok, let’s rewind the week… Peripheral edema for the first day and a half finally resolves, I find a surprising amount of energy the first day after and on the second, the fatigue hits me. I just want to sleep. The shortness of breath lasts for several days. I do my “conversation” rides…45-60min bike path excursions, then I lay down and I eat. And when I say eat, I mean anything and everything I can get my hands on. I’ve been just starving and can’t get enough. My stomach is a bottomless pit. I go to work the 3rd day and can by no means call these next two days restful and I am still looking for extra food in addition to the small refrigerator that I take with me. I decide that on Friday before I must again race, I better see what my legs will say while climbing a hill and head out on a short but steep mountain bike ride. Spinning the legs in too easy a gear, things do not appear as wasted as I was anticipating. Until later in the afternoon and that inkling of soreness sets into those same legs..uh-oh…

(photo courtesy of Dave McElwaine)

So here we are, back at the start. There are just 3 of us competing today, but they are fresh. I am just gonna have to do the best I can. At the whistle, Kata is off like a bat outta hell. Shit. I pull up and just try to hang on her wheel. Then Jaime comes up and passes and I feel I can move up and sit on hers and I do. I can definitely feel my body, my breathing is slightly short and the legs are heavy as the trail starts pointing upwards. Then I find myself too close to Jaime’s rear end and why I think its a good idea to get out front on the first lap in a dog-tired state I may never know; but I am just riding without thinking about the body’s protests and I do pull out front. She stays right with me. I don’t know if she’s holding back; but I feel a little like I’m riding just hard enough to keep my position and in all honesty, I don’t know how much harder I really could have pushed at this point. I pull ahead a little on the technical, off-camber descents and Jaime reels me back  in on the climbs today. We finish out the first lap like this and I roll thru barely a few seconds ahead of her. And into the 2nd lap it starts out the same. She is right there, sitting barely a bike’s length off and sometimes right on my rear tire. I haven’t seen Kata since the beginning. Then, on one of the hills, Jaime passes me. I’m tired, but I think I can stay with her so I try. We hit the sketchy descent and I no longer have to try to stay with her, but wish I was out front again.

(photo courtesy of Frozen Motion)

I think I could drop down this section faster, but there is no opportunity to pass and when we come back to double tracks uphill, I do not have the power to get around, just enough to stay with her. This is good, I think I am not working at max effort. We roll thru the lap zone together. Two more to go. And this is where the race begins. Altho I am getting more exhausted on each climb, this 3rd lap is where I feel the best. My mind is zoned on the trail and what’s coming next. Only one more time to have to climb this. Only one more time to bounce down these rocks. I don’t know how or why…this is where (as I find out later) I put a minute and a half on Jaime. I just can’t believe it! And I am sure that any minute she will ride up on me and blow me away, so I keep pushing. I roll thru the lap zone again, this time alone. I know I hear my name being yelled out and cheers raised, but my mind can’t process them. The trail is getting lonely out there, only me to push myself, only the occasional cat 2 or 3 female or marathoner left out there to give me a chase and then be alone again. This is the last time I have to do any of this here. Just pedal the bike. Go fast on the fast parts and push thru the fatigue on the hard parts. I am now talking to myself and my legs out loud. “Come on, girl!” “Pedal!” “Push on it!” They protest, but eventually give in and do as they’re told. I finally come to the last push up, a steep and loose left-handed switchback and I know I’m home free. I usually try not to look back for my competition, but I have been this entire last lap and I have seen no one in quite a while. I miss this last obstacle to the finish and have to put a foot down, that’s ok…you’re done, girlfriend. And I push the final jeep road into the finish…in first place. Holy all that is great and mighty…I am stunned at the outcome. Somewhere around 2 minutes later, Jaime rolls in and 6 more minutes after that Kata (I find out she did have a mechanical at some point during the race). One of those ladies really should have beat me today..I don’t know where I found the mental strength to overcome my physical exhaustion, but I did. I believe my improvement in racing is, at least in part, directly related to this newfound growth to my mental capacity to keep pushing forward, to not give up. I also believe that a bettered race nutrition, thanks to GU, has had a huge impact on that mental and physical capability.  And, I’m having fun! I’m having a lot of fun! What better thing to have in life than to be able to live your dream, even if only for  a little while!

Team OVB did such an awesome job at the race today! I am so proud of our little team from the OV! We ended up with 3 first place podiums, a second place finish and one sliding right into fourth at the last second! It was a super day on the bike for the entire team! There is some serious talent coming out of Oro Valley.

This is what kept me going…winning that giant beer from Kata!

1st: Beth, 2nd: Jaime, 3rd: Kata

Olympian Todd Wells made an appearance to show how it’s done! Sweet!

Be sure to check out the awesome article in cyclingnews.com located to the upper left…and their sweet photo gallery!

Up next…a rest week! Yay! And then into March: MBAA #4, Bonelli and Fontana (a whole new ballgame, girls).

24 Hours in the Old Pueblo..Giddy-up!

24 Hour Town

(courtesy of Epic Rides poster)

It is, once again, that time of year for a small city of mountain bikers to pop up in the desert outside of Tucson. It is February and Epic Rides’ 24 HOP is upon us!

Being a local race, I look forward to this every year because everyone can get together at the same venue and there is such a huge camaraderie that takes place. There is every kind of mountain biker here. The racers and rec-riders. The ‘foodies who have a bike problem’. The costume-wearers. A few celebrities to the mtb community. And lots of spectators just there to have a good time and hang out. And literally, 24 hour Town appears out of no where. It’s a pretty awesome scene.

Super B and The Spider Monkeys (OVB/GeomanGear) 2012. (courtesy of RobertDunnImages)

For the past 6 years, I have participated in a 5-person co-ed team (yes, being the token female). It has been a blast! We have succeeded in getting on the podium most of those years between 3rd and 4th place, it was an excellant team to be on and we learned what each of us was capable of. Also, during most of these years, my husband has attempted to talk me into doing a Duo with him. I have firmly stood my ground with an adamant No….until now. After last year’s race, I knew that I wanted to do something different; but wasn’t quite sure what or if I was willing to commit to this Duo thing. Kevin has done it, more than once, along with a Solo under his belt. As far as I’ve heard, the Duo category is the toughest one to be in…there is no rest and you are not just out there for yourself, there is still another teammate counting on you. So when the time came to absolutely make the decision to secure our place at the race, I said “Sure. Why not.”  So this year would be a whole new story, a whole new challenge, no more of the creature comforts like sleep, and the year that I may find out what I am really made of…. And our competition this year, of course the one and only King and Queen of Pain..Rebecca Rusch and Nat Ross are returning for a second year. How cool would it be to stand on a podium with them! We have also been warned about the Thelen’s, who have landed into second place the last several years. We are the newbies, but we won’t just lie down in the dust, we’re here to compete!

We have to start this with the week before the race. All the prep work that goes into a self-supported 24 hour race is unbelievable. Altho we would be camping with the other OVB Team members who could offer some assistance and support, they were all racing as well; which left us to mostly fend for ourselves when it came to food (both on and off the bike) and rest. Several weeks befor,e I trialed some different homemade bars that could be easily digested, eaten quickly and still hold all that a racer needs to refuel. This required them to be small, have the right protein and carb combo while still adding calories and having a light enough pleasant taste as not to be tasting it while riding. Thanks to some recipes I found on the internet, I was able to work in (or out) ingredients that suited us. So this pre-race week, I was re-making which ones worked and along with lots of fruit and various other assundries like pre-made almond/honey sandwiches (toasted! No sogginess!) for hands-off nutrition, I thought we had the right medley of fast fare for the 24 Hr racer.  On the bike nutrition was a bit easier to hash out. We are GU people. It just works. I know how many calories we need on the bike and easily measured it out with the brews and GU packets. To make the chore of mixing something we didn’t have to think about during the race, I pre-made every bottle we would need and left them in gallon jugs. A pretty impressive sight.

GU’d up and raring to go!

So Saturday morning is upon us. We both have decided that a good night’s sleep at home this year trumps hanging out at the campsite and waited to head up to the venue early this morning. With plenty of time to set up the tent-trailer and get all our prepared goodies under control, there is still some moments left to chat with our friends and wander around the ‘town’ checking out various venders. Kevin is doing the 1st crazy and chaotic lap, so he readys himself and I pick up the coveted team baton. The start is in LeMan’s style with about a 1/4 mile run to your bike. Altho I am the runner and Kevin thinks I’m faster, he is way more aggressive in passing and that is what is needed on this start lap. There is something like an 1800 rider limit allowed making for a very crowded start line! They’re off! Kevin is about mid-pack on the run, gets his bike and is gone. I have 2 laps to rest up the legs before I go out. Our strategy is to do double laps as long as we can, at least thru the night, so there is more rest time between. Laps are not much over an hour ride time, so I’m hoping this works out for us. I put my feet up, take in some calories and water and wait.

See Kevin? Hectic Start!

In the exchange tent and wait. Waaiting is the harrdest part (Tom Petty? No?..) I am anxious. Excited. Nervous. Everything! Kevin rolls in, I greet him with a grunt, grab the baton and am off running to my bike. Reminders at hand…don’t go out too hot, this is not a sprint like the other years. Relax. Ha, yea right! I guess I don’t know what that means. There is wind. Lots of wind and not necessarily going the direction to be most helpful. The first challenge is the 7 Bitches…giant hills on a rutted jeep road that just make you want to say “You SOB hill!”. There is carnage. I mean there are riders down, ambulances on site. This happens every year here, but the massive tailwind down these suckers today has you finding yourself going 35+mph in a spot some are just not that comfortable with. I safely get thru and on to the corral sections. This is usually a fast, winding singletrack and a favorite segment of mine; but the wind is pushing hard against me and the trail is super crowded still. Again, it’s like interval training….and too much talking. “When there’s a spot. On your left. Thanks”. One guy even yelled at me for being too aggressive as I warned him I was coming from behind…before I ran up on him. Seriously? By the end of the race, other than the smaller kids and solo riders, those sentences of warning became one word grunts- “left. Thanks”. “Left. Thanks.” The descent into Town is super fast (I absolutely look forward to this more as the race goes on) and I hit the drop rock…a spectacular site with all the spectators hooting and hollaring as people ride down it. Lap 1- done. 1:06 and change. Uh-oh. Yep, too hot. Ok, back it off a bit. And back out to lap 2. Again there is more carnage seen on the rollers. There is a bumpy rut on one of the downhills that you catch air on everytime, but you have to hit it just right. This causes a few people some problems. I love it! “Yahoo!” I yell out everytime I careen off of it. Same story second lap. Passing, headwind, fast descent and in at a 1:09. Geesh, still too fast maybe. I pass the baton off to Kevin and he’s back at it. I roll quickly back to camp. Change my clothes while eating. Get the next bottle on the bike and my GUs ready. I ready my lights and batteries onto the bike as the next time I go out, it will be dark. Using a new set of batteries to assure that they last the entire double lap out there, I have trouble getting them to fit on my bike frame like the usual ones. Cory helps me out with an extra extention cable and some duct tape..it works. I grab some water and put my feet up. Pretty much this is how it goes between every lap. Hurry get everything ready, eat, put up feet for a few minutes. There isn’t a plethora of time to do much else.

(photo courtesy of Steve Lummer)

Back in the tent for laps 3 and 4. It’s dark. There are still a whole lot of people waiting with me. Lap 3 I feel pretty good, but those Bitches sure are getting harder! The passing is getting harder to do as my energy waxes and wanes. There is still a massive wind out there. And somewhere in lap 4 is where things start to get just a little murky. With decent times coming out of these laps, Kevin is waiting and is off. I head back to camp to go thru the same routine, it’s somewhere around 10pm and I’ll be back out by 1230. Paul checks in on my bike and gives the chain a quick lube, the tires some additional air and helps get my 2nd set of batteries in place. I will say, that ProGold Xtreme is really keeping the machine running well.

Thank goodness Paul helps with my bike maintenence while I try to eat and change and lalala. With all the dust and wind out there, my contacts are really starting to fail on me. I pull them out quick and hope to moisten them. I set my phone alarm for about 10 min later and close my eyes, altho sleep didn’t come. And back into the exchange tent again. The many volunteers still in there have energy like you wouldn’t believe. They really keep you going in the middle of the night! I start out laps 5 and 6 basically blind. Blinking uncontrollably and trying to get the glaze off my contacts, I feel slightly worried and maybe even a bit scared as I scream around a corner poorly and into a dip. Making if, of course, but barely. Come on eyes! And by the time I get up the first Bitch (damn those!), I can see again. Whew! There is slightly less traffic on course finally; I start breaking up the trail by sections to remember where I am and where I need to go, but I find that I might get somewhere and not remember riding the section prior. How did I get here? Hmmm…riding by memory, asleep? The climbs are getting harder, I need to keep reminding myself to focus and for the first time I am the one being passed. Left? O, the other left. Yea, ok, no problem. Feels like slow motion. Lap 6 is my slowest out there at a 1:20. Somewhere in there, I pass the second place team female and she catches up to me again on the final climb to Sassy (the saddle), but I descend past her and move us into 2nd by only seconds. Kevin and Thelen go out together. This is when I first realize how close we are with 2nd place…  It’s just before 3am and back to camp to do it all over again. Batteries, clothes, food, bottle, feet up. I struggle with my compression socks..I wish someone would help me get my stinkin’ feet in them. This time, I have a luxurious 30min; I take out those filthy contacts and set the alarm. I may have actually fallen asleep briefly, but worrying I wouldn’t hear the alarm go off, I keep waking to check the time. As I ready to get back out there, I go to pull on my helmet and the bucket breaks! What??! I’m a little delirious at this point. How do I ride? I first try the only other female at camp, but she is heading out on her lap too soon. I run into our buddy Chad’s trailer. “Chad! Chad! I need some duct tape!” I’m having a crisis in my head. Later he tells me, I came crashing in yelling and he thought he was getting trailer-jacked! Ha! I don’t know what I was doing, all I know is I needed a solution. Chad had it. Some secret fancy tape and he rigged the helmet. I say, don’t tell Kevin, I don’t want him to worry; Chad tells me later that Kevin did of course notice and didn’t want to say anything to me to scare me. The mind doesn’t work quite right…

24hr town and bike light trails.

And out to laps 7 and 8. It’s 530am and this time there is hardly anyone waiting for teammates in the tent. Last night lap and into a rising sun. The world will be anew again. I’m still breaking the trail into sections just to get thru them, tiny goals on the path back to town and anxiously awaiting the big descent. At some point, I’m following a guy on some singletrack somewhere and clearly remember getting wacked in the face by something. Mmm, that’s never happened out here before. Whatever. I’m able to shut down the lights on the final climb and pull out my fastest descent back to the finish. There is a guy behind me and kudos me on my “mad downhill skills” at the exchange tent. Sweet! It’s still getting harder, but I’m almost there. Back out again. The sun is up. I can’t see a damn thing. My clear lense glasses are doing nothing to block the rays and I even put my hand up a few times to see the trail. Once I remember telling my fingers to shift the bike and them not doing as they were told. Riding with a mostly functional one-hand, traffic building again and on no sleep, relying on my memory and knowledge of the trail to not crash. Sure, sounds about right. On the descent back in, there is a guy standing with his bike blocking the trail. What the? It doesn’t seem real to me at the time. Then I realize there is a woman lying in the trail behind him. I think, I’ll tell the volunteer when I get in, I remind myself again. Than later, and I mean hours later, I remember it. I know there were enough people around and medics that she is helped out; but I still kick myself for not being able to remember at the time. I slug myself back in to meet Kevin and with tears in my eyes say “I love you very much, but I don’t ever want to do this again.” He tells me later that he said he felt the same way and that the volunteer sitting there let a little snicker, I only half remember even this. Back at camp, people are up again and milling around. We are down to single laps now, so I have just over an hour before I go back out. Paul checks on my bike again, I eat a little and put my feet up. Chad keeps me sane and awake as I lay on the couch in his trailer. All I can think about is one more lap and I’m done. When I try to communicate outloud, I know I am making no sense. And there is a tiny voice in the back of my head shouting ‘you may have to do a 10th lap’ should have shouted louder because I simply ignored it. But in all honesty, no one else in camp seemed to mention this known fact, either. Lie to me for my own good, will ya. And I’m back in the tent waiting, current 2nd place Tracy Thelen is waiting, too. He comes in first. Two minutes later, Kevin. I take off. I bury myself on this lap. The wind has briefly died down and changed direction. It feels hard, but I feel good and am flying past people like it’s my first lap. I see her ahead. There are 2 guys between. I yell out, I need to catch her and they pull off and yell out “go get her!” I am reeling and swoop around her. I come into the tent telling Kevin a put just a few minutes on her and to kill it and he says in response…you have to do another lap. What?! Crap. That damn tiny voice, why couldn’t you have been louder. Three minutes later, she rolls in and as he runs out, points at me and says “you’ll have to go out again”. In my mind state, I couldn’t tell if he was egging me on, teasing me or just being mean. I was so emotionally unraveled, he coulda been tap dancing with jazz hands and I probably woulda started sobbing! At any rate, we’ve again switched positions into 2nd place. Back at camp I am still trying to come to terms that I have to go out again. I used it all up on my lap 9, it turned out to be my second fastest lap after that initial hot one yesterday. My body aches, my mind is a mess and emotionally I am just trying to hold it together. Everyone is around. “You don’t have to go out. You’ll be solidly into 3rd. What do you want to do?” Well, as much as I don’t want to go, there is no way I won’t. We are so close. This is a race to the finish! The next week, I’ll find out that the Utleys and the Thelens actually pushed The King and Queen of pain into having to do another lap…cool. I lay down on a couch, forcing calories down and my friend Jen gives me a great little massage. Oh my muscles! Rubbing down my unbathed, sweaty and surely stinking body…now that’s a friend! Our peeps get the message to Kevin out on trail that he had a 3 minute lead and that I will be in the tent ready to go out, I heard he yelled out a “hell yea!” And back into the tent I go, really for the last time. Surrounded by my friends, all handing out encouraging words and rubbing my shoulders. I am so lucky! I am so tired! Tracy and I find ourselves waiting together again for our men to come in. Thelen comes in first. Damn. The guy is fast.  And then Kevin about a minute later. Cory heads out onto his lap just behind me, he’s encouraging me from behind. I hit the Bitches and my legs won’t move. They are heavy, weighted by two-ton boulders and my heart drops. Cory passes me and soon disappears. “Come on, honey, push down. You don’t have to do these again”. By the time I get thru the last one, my legs are starting to listen and I am able to pick it up. The next parts are easy, just ride harder, ride faster. I still feel slow. By the time I hit the his ‘n her trail, I feel slightly relieved. This is my trail, I own it. I have to catch her. But there, in the midst of the whiskey tree, stands Thelen looking at his watch; and for the second time my heart sinks. I won’t catch her.

The Whiskey Tree on the His N Her trail.

I keep pushing, but the last climb up to Sassy sucks. There is a huge headwind again and my legs are dead to me. I feel like I’m dragging dead bodies behind my bike. I yell at the wind. I yell at my legs. I yell at the trail. None of it makes it go any faster, but then I see Cory ahead and I think “I can get to him” and this turns my pedals over just a little faster.How thankful I am just to see a familiar face (or back, I guess) and I do catch him. There are several guys ahead of us. I yell out at Cory, I have to get around them and he takes off. I think, I’ll follow him down the descent I have been so looking forward to; but he again disappears and I can’t keep up. I zoom down into the finish as fast as I can; but it’s just not quite enough. I roll in over a minute behind and we win ourselves a 3rd place. I left everything out there and came back slightly short. It just wasn’t enough to pull back the time. I firmly believe it was my inablility to adequately get up those Bitches why I couldn’t catch her. We both put in similar lap times…and she is a good racer.

It was over. Now what? A giant, two-handed steak sandwich from the Blue Banjo vendor! Tasty! I really am stoked about our performance out there. My husband gave it his all, had nothing left at the end and I felt the same. We accomplished more laps than our scheduled planned and as many laps as our 5-person team last year. And it was truely a race to the finish. I am so proud of us! My nutrition was right on, I never bonked, both on and off the bike. I was hydrated enough and had the right routine between laps. We were lucky enough not to have any mechanicals out there. We ended up with super support from our friends and some great cheerleaders..I am extremely grateful to all of them! These Duo newbies gave them a hell of a competition out there this year! And I am not anywhere near ready to commit to doing it again! Next year…OVB corporate team for this chic!

On the podium with Rebecca Rusch and Nat Ross!!

1st: King and Queen of Pain. 2nd: Learning Curve. 3rd: That’s Mr & Mrs Utley to you!. 4th: Spidey Buzz. 5th: Summit Velo

Check out the results!         http://liveresults.epicrides.com/24results/default.aspx?event=2013

White Tank Race #2: Success!

A chilly morning. Ok, it’s hailing. This is still Tucson…right?! It’s 5:15am, I am loading up the truck for another race; this time still in the dark, but cold hail rains down from above. This should make for a very interesting race! Maybe 180 miles to the west, the skies are clear…yeah let’s go with that thought! Well, thank goodness! The sun comes up and the sky is blue as can be without a cloud in site as we near White Tank Mountain Park. The rain came in the night before and should make for a wonderfully tacky trail to ride upon.

Chilly, but still smiling!

Team OVB!! Getting some of that good GU and ProGold to keep both machines in tune!

Getting set up quickly and having a nice little spot near the lap-thru I’m sitting and chilling (maybe literally), cheering on my teammates as they race thru and chatting with Cassi. Trying to stay positive, thinking about the techy parts on the course and how I’ll flow right on over or down them. Getting in some extra digestible calories and fluid is part of my ritual. A banana and then some GU Chomps an hour or so before with lots a water. Fuel to keep the machine running.Warming up, it feels hard to get the fire stoked. It’s chilly, I have too many clothes on; but necessary at this point. I can’t seem to get my heart rate up and the body is even shivering a little. This is a bit ridiculous…its probably at least over 50 out! I get off the road and ride some side trails up and down and I start to feel a bit more relaxed and the legs spinning around better. Ready or not, it’s time! GU Roctane down the shoot! All of a sudden, the temperature feels perfect for racing. I’ve stripped off any extra layers and am feeling a better readiness. But, the start is not so good for me. A tad nervy after the last race start, I hold back a bit. The single track doesn’t start right away here, so I feel like there will be more time to get involved. But the legs whine. I mean not a little moan, but like we need to have some cheese and chocolate there is so much whine here. And I feel myself floating backwards, the wrong direction and behind. There are at least 5 or 6 women in a line all in front of me, this is not where I want to be. I push thru the utterly grumbling sticks I use for a motor and I finally start to feel a groove coming on. I pass. One, then two than all but Kata and Jaime (I’ve decided we should stop calling her HoneyStinger ). Kata says, “we just need to hang on”. Yeah, hang on…but I can be faster. I feel stronger than this right now. It’s just the beginning, but screw it, I’m going around. And pass Jaime on the first double track steady hill I did. Now, to be the hunted or the hunter…which is better? I’ll just keep riding like I’m behind. Hitting the first tech section, I glide right over without a single mistake. The guy (who apparently camps out at this particular spot the absolute entire race) is clapping, talking: “And. That. Is. Exactly. How. It’s. Done!” Yes, just like that. I pull away just a bit. Ok, don’t get excited. There is a fast, rolling section with a couple of short drops. I go as fast I as I can thru this, catching air more than once. Yeah baby! Fun stuff! Coming into the steep switchbacks, you can look back to see who’s behind you. They are both there, Kata very close, Jaime a little further back. Ok. Keep going. Hit the descent first…I will not get out-skilled this year! Down the backside, the left-hander has given me problems. My foot goes down, but it’s not a game stopper and I keep flowing. (Damn that left side of my body, tho! My brain just can’t seem to control it correctly). The rocky, technical descent comes next. I know how to ride this, I’ve done it before. Just focus. And I ride down with agility and maybe a touch of gracefulness (which if you know me, graceful is not my middle name). The camera guy of course it there, but this time I look good doing what I do. And I’m thru the tough section, no one has caught me. I was fast enough and skilled enough to stay in front. The rest of the lap is rolling, with a couple of short steep rises and some whoop-de-woos, should be fast, but the wind is starting to pick up. Not too much of an issue yet… I roll thru the lap zone and into number 2, slam a GU and am still ahead. Don’t know by how much, doesn’t matter, gotta keep pushing. I fall into a bit slower pace as my mind hits that ‘well-you’re ahead aren’t you-just ride steady’. And of course, not the mindset to be in during a race. The guy that talks too much is still at the tech step and I have to put a foot down. Ugg-sometimes your play-by-play is distracting, buddy. Ok, just go. I start to pick it up a little and my mind is in better condition. When I hit the switchbacks again, I can see Kata. She’s right there.  I see not another soul behind her. Just not gonna get rid of this girl…Kata is my competition. If I don’t pick this up, she’s gonna catch me and then pass me. No. I want to win. And down thru the techy descent again, still hitting everything just right; but not with quite as much grace as the first time. Still ahead. Rolling whoop-de-woos and the double track out. Wind, yes, I feel you pushing back at me. Thru the lap zone, GU up and I hear people yelling for me. My motivation soars. Last lap. Leave it all out there. Ride til there’s nothing left.

Focus or pain? Both!

I keep talking to myself. Maybe even out loud. ‘Ride harder. Ride faster. Ride better.’ Over and over. I push up thru the first hills again with more ease than the last lap. I get thru the first tech section without a missed step. I whirl thru the fast rolling drop offs proficiently with less effort. I hit the switchbacks. Dare I look back? Of course I have to. There is no one there. There is no one there! Ok, now I must push until the end. The climbing is almost finished. Hitting the descent again, still not smoothly getting that lefty, I make thru it all; but with absolutely no grace this time (that’s my girl!) and am actually slightly surprised I am still on my bike at the end of it. Rolling whoops, keep control. Be fast, but be safe and pay attention. The last double back into the venue, the wind has seriously picked up. I am by myself. No spectators. No other riders in site. I start yelling at the wind. FU wind! You are not gonna stop me! I am bigger than you, wind! That sure does make me feel better, but I’m glad no one was around to listen to it! I see the venue and people start to appear. I’m still ahead. I can do this.

Into the finish!

I push into the finish, almost going down on the thick gravel as I round over the little hump into the finish line. Wouldn’t that be a kicker..crashing on the finish line (you should know it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done that, either)! But, it’s all good. I hear my name yelled out and I can’t help but smile. I won! I won my first Pro race! How exciting is this! Kata comes flying in just about 2 minutes behind me and lots of congrats go round both ways. Jaime comes rolling thru a few minutes after that. This has absolutely been a good day on the bike! At the start I had some serious doubts about how this was gonna go for me. But to feel that bad and then just be able to fall into that good groove…what an extraordinary thing. I love doing this! I am meant to do this! I can’t wait for the next one.

1st-Beth. 2nd-Kata. 3rd-Jaime

Team OVB had an awesome showing at White Tank today! With 4 podium finishes! Including Kit pulling out a 2nd place finish, Cassi getting on the podium for the very first time ever and Caiden at 13 winning the 15-18 age group! How awesome is this?!!

Kit showing off his skills

Next up is the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. What a new experience this will be. I’ve done this race for several years as a 5 person team, this year Kevin and I are doing a Duo. Keep an eye out for Mr and Mrs Utley, I’m sure there will be exciting details to follow!

Our Juniors kicking butt! Go Caiden and Bryan!

The first official Pro race of 2013…what a wild ride!

Happy Girl!

The day finally arrived. This ain’t my first rodeo, but it is my first official race as a Pro mountain biker. All week long I have been thinking about how this day would go. I have been eating extra healthy (no junk!) and keeping super hydrated. I am excited. I am nervous. I am ready to prove to myself that I belong here. My day started off early, up at 4:15am, to stretch and wake up the body and mind. Kevin is readying the bikes and I’m finishing up our breakfast for the road. Kevin is racing marathon category today, so we are on the road by 5:30 to make his 8:30 start time. Here we go! I don’t know what’s worse….to start in the chilly morning air or have to wait around and analyze every detail before a 10:45 start! But, the sun is shining, the team is congregating and there is electrifying excitement in the air. This is a good day. Just take it as it comes!

Team OVB ready to race

It is good to see old friends and some new competition. There are a ton of people racing today, a fantastic turn-out for MBAA! And the amount of women signed up to compete is amazing! This is going to be an outstanding race for all of us. There are 4 pro women starting today. I think I know where I stand, but there is also a new face, springing from the high altitudes of Breckenridge CO. Furthermore, we start off with the Cat1 women and there are some pretty tough cookies there, too (yes, one of them is you, Christine!). Kata Skaggs and Leah McCabe line up with me, both of whom I’ve had experience with and then there’s the HoneyStinger girl, Jaime Brede. I don’t actually get the privilege of meeting her until post race so thruout the entire whirl of a competition, I note her only as HoneyStinger in my head (sorry Jaime!). I warm up on the road, pushing the heart rate a bit and spinning out the legs. Feels pretty good so far, no little twinges and I can’t help but smile even tho I’m completely nervous to start.

Kit Plummer feeling some of that GU love!

We start off in the dirt parking lot, maybe 200ft before turning into immediate up and down, rugged singletrack. The goal is to get there first to avoid needing to pass in the first 1/2 mile or so. There is so much adrenaline and nervous energy all around. And its a fast start!

I make it into the singletrack in 3rd position just behind HoneyStinger and Cat 1 rider, Lee-Ann; good placement. And then it happens. Argh! First dip, my front wheel taken out and I’m on the ground run over by the next two riders, who are now also down. There are stories afterwards, I’m not exactly sure what initiated it. Maybe her chain did came off first, maybe I just somehow caught her back wheel; regardless, this was not how I imagined beginning my first pro race…on the ground. As I pick my bike and my ego off the floor, I urge Leah to continue on as she sorta waited on my well-being for a second and I see that my handlebars are completely facing the wrong direction. Shiznits! Kata is nowhere in sight and probably long gone. HoneyStinger is gone after I see her secure her chain back in place. This is not a rideable situation for me. Only a split second of WTH?! and I manage to get back to the start of the singletrack, score a tool, reposition my bars and launch again…behind the start of the Cat2 and singlespeeder women. This is gonna be tough…I’m a fighter, tho. I am not thinking about it at this moment, but this tells me that I have been off the bike almost 3 minutes. Time to bury myself. This is a 25 mile race, I can sprint this, right?! Without exploding?! I start passing people. Its not easy. Trying to be aggressive and considerate at the same time; I’m already bloody, I sure don’t want me or anyone else in the dirt again! Its not too technical, but there is a lot of singletrack on this course and in the desert this also means there is enough cactus lining the sides of the trail as there is dirt on it. A cycle. Speed up, get in a groove, catch next rider, slow down, sprint to pass, get back in the groove..doing this over 40 times (I counted!). It was intense and I’m pretty sure I saw my heart rate hit 200! Whoa! Then, after the rocky tire test of a descent on the backside of lap 1 (thank goodness for those Specialized Captain and Control!), I see Leah. I’m catching my first pro rider..sweet! I come up behind her on the lap thru at the venue, a misfortune of the starting crash, she chooses to sit the rest of this one out. I’m sorry for Leah, but she’ll bounce back like no one’s business for the next race. The only other thought right now is I’m not drinking enough. I know this could be bad. I slam a GU Roctane, throw it down at our team site, drink as much GU brew as I can and keep pushing hard back onto singletrack. My lap time isn’t half bad for what it took to get me there. I’m not even sure if I’m hurting at this point, I can’t see anything but the finish line ahead in my mind’s eye. By this time, the juniors have started out on the course and I have to be a bit careful of the kiddos. Talking to them as I get closer, encouraging them and trying not scare the hell out of them! They all do great and keep going..they are our future of mountain biking!

As the second lap grinds on, I find myself alone for much of it..could be a good or bad situation; but I’m motivated and now have a mostly open course. I get into my own pedal groove and just concentrate on the ride. What’s next, a curve, a climb, a rocky descent. I see it all coming. Then I start seeing some familiar riders, some of the faster Cat1 riders. Finally..Wow…really?! I keep pushing, pedaling as hard as I can manage up and speed down as fast as I can muster guts for. I see the Cat1 leader, Lee-Ann, as I come thru the venue from lap2, and pass her as the singletrack starts again. Then…there she is..all yellow…HoneyStinger. She is the one I had no idea what kinda competition she would be. And just as I was thinking my legs couldn’t turn over any faster…they did. Tunnel vision, all I see is her. And I catch her; catch her just as we turn onto the last bit of course, maybe a mile to go. This section is a swoopy, fun, fast section! I ride right on her wheel, pushing her faster and faster and I feel it..I can pass, I have it in me; but the opportunity just won’t present itself and all I can think is its going to be a damn sprint finish! And then it happens. In the middle of a sharp curve. HoneyStinger drops her chain and jumps off her bike. I was on her like white on rice (altho I prefer brown rice) and I almost ran her down. I yell “You ok?” and hear a faint, frustrated “Yes” as I take the opportunity and push as hard as I can to the finish that’s so so close. I’m trying to sprint to the end, uphill, and now I feel the pain.. the legs are screaming “Please no!” but I force them anyway and pull thru the finish just 20 seconds ahead of her. I succeed in getting second place, coming in 3 minutes behind awesome Kata. Its interesting to think about our race to the very end if the crash hadn’t happened…but it did, and I learned that I can accomplish anything I put my mind and desire to. I think I did prove to myself today that I belong here, even if it wasn’t in a direct route. This was an amazing first race for me and there is going to be some super competition among us women this year! I am so looking forward to the next race…only I’m staying off the ground this time!

Today, as I write, I am bandaged and bruised, consequences of crashing in a high speed mountain bike race. I look over my race day nutrition (No bonking!), what I could have done differently on course, what went right, how to improve for next time. The soreness subsides and I continue on, overcoming minor niggles, to have the grit to race again another day. I love doing this!

MBAA #1: 1st-Kata Skaggs. 2nd-Beth Utley. 3rd-Jaime Brede

Congratulations to all the racers at Saturday’s MBAA #1! It was such an overwhelming turnout for the women’s categories, I hope we continue to see those numbers! Team Oro Valley Bicycle had a great showing for the first race… We had 2 first placers among the men and a new woman added to our roster..how exciting!! We are now 10 strong!

Kevin’s ready…123 GO!

Team OVB kicking it at the start