Tour of New Braunfels

After a solid month of consistent training, I was itching to race. So I joined some of my Brain and Spine teammates at the Tour of New Braunfels. Henri and I had some good naps Friday resulting in us arriving at the Super 8 around 2 am Saturday morning. But it was worth it having my soigneur by my side all weekend. Saturday was the circuit race on a 2 mile closed loop at Canyon Lake. It was terribly windy and frigid, but the 4s were racing with the women's open, so I warmed up in about 30 seconds.

The best part of Saturday was that I got to race with my team's women's 3s. It was beautiful to see our ladies going off the front, attacking and controlling the pace.

Teammate Kim Ciolli brings the pain to the women's open field during the Omloop Circuit Race.

I knew since it was a women's open I would have trouble hanging on, but I impressed myself by staying with the group for 25 minutes. There was this hill that everyone would sprint up and by the 4th or 5th lap, I was too far at the back of the group starting up the hill. My legs hit a lactic acid wall and I was dropped by the group. I think if I had been a little further up, I would have been able to hang on for another lap or two. I finished out the last 20 minutes on a self-prescribed ITT for training purposes. My only other 4 teammate, Allison Floyd, dropped her chain twice. However, our 3s did great and it was exciting to race with them, if only for 25 minutes.

 Omloop Circuit Race: The upside of getting dropped is that you get more vanity shots.

 Teammate Jenny Park prepares to win the Omloop Circuit Race.

Circuit race results:

1 Felton Anna Kindhuman sports cycling 

2 Moak Shannon
3 Acosta Barbara
4 Kurz Natalie Kind Human Sports 
5 Martin Kelley
6 Gendler Karla Colavita Racing Inc 
7 Kjellberg Kristen Team Seton Brain and Spine 
8 Floyd Allison Team Seton Brain and Spine Cycl 
9 Davis Kelley Velossimo Racing 
10 Bui Jane Velossimo Racing 
11 Simpson Sarah Shama 
12 Duong ChanTam T3Multisports 
13 Porterfield Haley T3Multisports Elite Junior Cycl 

Sunday the 4s were racing by ourselves. Two girls from West End Bikes in Houston showed up, joking around at the start line. They had only raced once before, and started pulling a lot off the front. I expected they would blow up, but they were strong! We chased down attacks by Karla (Colavita) while Faith (Austinbikes) and Allison earned 1st place puller awards. I managed to make it up the repeating hills without getting dropped, and even pulled a little bit. But I knew I was no match for the uphill sprint finish. Unfotunately Allison ended up pulling the group the last 1K and got sprinted past by most of the field. Shannon (Bike Barn) who had been hiding in the back the whole time, sneakily sprinted past all of us for a beautiful first place finish. I was happy with a pack finish, and the knowledge that I STILL need some work on hills. 

 Colavita's Karla Gendler and I race up a hill.

 Road race results:

1 Moak Shannon
2 Acosta Barbara
3 Manchester Audrey Southern Elite 
4 Atkinson Allison
5 Martin Kelley
6 Felton Anna Kindhuman sports cycling 
7 Gendler Karla Colavita Racing Inc 
8 Kurz Natalie Kind Human Sports 
9 Kjellberg Kristen Team Seton Brain and Spine 
10 Floyd Allison Team Seton Brain and Spine Cycl 
11 Miller Linda ALS-C3 
12 Watkins Faith
13 Baird Corey Velossimo Racing 
14 WAGNER AUDREY
15 McCampbell Amy Cycle Camp USA 
16 Davis Kelley Velossimo Racing 
17 Dumouchelle Rebekah
18 Carbonneau Laura Velossimo Racing 
19 Seesholtz Holly
20 Cazares Mariana Laredo Cycling Club 
21 Bailey Debra Austin Flyers Women's Cycling 
22 Duong ChanTam T3Multisports 
23 Piper Tamera
24 Lash Alyssa
25 Sanchez Leticia Laredo Cycling Club 
26 DeMartino Denise CYCLE CAMP USA

Seton Brain and Spine Ladies' Weekend

This weekend was my last before I start the 16 month journey to graduation. So of course, I spent it in Austin with my bicycle, and the ladies of Team Seton Brain and Spine.

Saturday morning we met at 9am at the Veloway, a 3 mile closed loop in south Austin, for a skills clinic. We practiced tight turns and picking up water bottles.

Showin those water bottles who's boss.

We also practiced scary things that might occur during racing, such as bumping up against other riders, and hitting the wheel of the person in front of you. The event culminated in the circle of death. We drew a circle by putting our water bottles on the ground, and then rode our bikes in said circle. If you were pushed out of the circle or put your foot down, you were out. Eventually, it was down to me and a new girl Faith, a commuter with newfound road and cyclocross skills. We were a pretty even match, and landed on a foot at the same time, resulting in a draw. But then we went at it again, until while pushing Faith with my shoulder, I lucked out and she put her foot down seconds before I lost my balance. It was so much fun! I can wait to teach some of the Aggies these drills.

Sunday we went for a 72 mile ride, and almost everyone showed up!

8 am meetup at Pure Austin

We left from Pure Austin Fitness, one of our rad sponsors, and headed southwest via Fitzugh. There were a few parts of the ride that were sketchy, with angry drivers, but we remained in one piece and the amount of hill-age was about perfect. I had just switched saddles and although my butt bones were screaming out from mile 30 onward, it was much better than the other saddle and riding on my girly parts. I felt really, really good on the bike. My back hurt less - I think because I wasn't constantly trying to push myself back onto the saddle. I could feel my previous level of fitness returning in my legs. In addition to feeling like I was on tiger blood, I had an amazing time chatting with my teammates on my first long ride with them. I couldn't have spent my last weekend of winter break in a better place.

Time for tacos in Dripping Springs

SCCCC Collegiate Track Race #1

This weekend Kim and I carpooled to Houston to attend the first SCCCC track race of the season at the Alkek Velodrome in Katy. These were the events for the women:

Saturday

Team Pursuit

10 Lap Point-A-Lap

18 Lap Scratch

5 Lap Handicap (5 laps with slowest riders starting furthest along the track)

Sunday

Team Sprint

Points Race

Miss & Out

There were 4 of us girls from A&M, and unfortunately only 1 girl each from UT and U of H. We were the only ones who could compete in the Team Pursuit and Team Sprint, but it was good practice. Nicole, Sarah and I did the Team Pursuit. The lead-out rider starts at the bottom of the track, which was Nicole, and I was supposed to be second, followed by Sarah. But when the gun fired I had a little too much gusto and ended up way in front of Nicole, so I pulled into the sprinter's lane because I wasn't sure what else to do. The rest of the team time trial went smoothly as Sarah and I pulled half laps (the track is 333 meters) and Nicole pulled full laps for a total of 4km in 3:21.36. For reference, at Collegiate Track Nationals last year, the first place team pulled 6km in 4 minutes, which we would have done in about 5. So I'd say that's not too bad for a bunch of newbies!

The next race was the Point-A-Lap, where the first rider on each lap gets a point. I was in the sprinter's lane and was wondering why Nicole and Afton were up at the top at the end of the first lap. I would soon figure it out - halfway through the second lap, they used that height to sprint past the field into the sprinter's lane as a breakaway. I tried to catch up, but I had bad positioning and my cadence was maxed. I had no idea what gears I needed, and apparently the rental track bike was not equipped for this race. Afton and Nicole kept their breakaway by TTTing for the remainder of the race, switching points each lap, and Afton won at the end. My legs were zapped from trying to catch up, and I DNFed due to frustration/fatigue.

Sarah helped me switch to a bigger gear for the next race. I had been running a 46-15, and all I could find was a 13 to replace the rear with. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to push it, but I definitely couldn't do any worse, so I went with it. The scratch race was going to be longer at 18 laps. Just like with the previous race, Afton and Nicole broke away early on. I had just rotated to the back of the pack and they were at the front. I pulled around the rest of the group and bridged to meet them after about half a lap. My legs were burning, and the second I reached them, they both moved up track so I could pull. Some livid language erupted from me, and I started backpedaling in angst, wasting all my energy. I dropped back with the pack and ended up in a pace line with Kim. She was going strong. I was very impressed. I finished 4th behind Kim. I was disappointed that I had wasted my energy on anger, but also was happy to know that, given the right gear, I could keep up with the breakaway.

The handicap left us positioned so that I only had 4.25 laps, while Afton, with the points lead, had the full 5. Gabby (UT) was right in front of me. I was determined to keep my positioning, and thought it possible since it was such a short race. Henri was my holder and got to push me when the gun fired. I quickly caught up with Gabby and we worked BEAUTIFULLY together to stay in the lead, switching every half lap. On the last lap I was in front, and was worried that I would be too tired to keep my position coming out of the last turn. But I told my legs to shut up, and cranked with all my might to win the handicap race.

Sunday, Nicole and I (Team Super Awesome) did some great teamwork on the team sprint to finish 2 laps in 1:01, with Kim and Sarah (Maroon Zebras) clocked in right behind us at 1:03. I love those short races, where I can pull with everything I have and know that it's short enough that I will live. I wasted myself on the first lap, pulled up track, and Nicole finished us off strong.

Next was the Points race, which was going to be more about endurance at 30 laps (about 10 miles). Afton stayed with the pack until the first points bell, then sprinted, and didn't stop after she won the points. Nicole and I TTTed it to try and catch up with her. I was giving it everything I had when I was in front, but Afton just stayed half a lap ahead the whole time, and we couldn't catch her. I finished 3rd behind Nicole.

Our final race was the Miss & Out, which had been my favorite during the development class. But unfortunately, at this point, my spirit had been broken. I stayed away from the back from the first few laps, but then I got in a bad position, and I just didn't care enough to fix it. Gabby was up track and passed me, and I was pulled on that lap. I ended up finishing 3rd in the Omnium which was better than I expected. Despite some setbacks, I learned that I love track racing, and I am more capable than I think I am. I also saw Sarah kick some serious butt despite not having trained much lately, Nicole showing track finesse, and Kim demonstrating some major increases in performance. I'm proud of the team girls!

I also have some things to look forward to this week - the Driveway on Thursday, and the State Team Time Trial with Kim and Rachel!

Driveway Crit

This week was an off week for the Dirt Remedy so I went for a run on Tuesday. It's been over a month and my legs were killing me today! But I digress...

This week the women's 3/4 had less starters than usual - only 7, whereas we usually start with about 15. Kelly and Gabby were there and it's nice when you see familiar faces, but I really wish my Aggie teammates were out there more. I loved seeing Kim last week.

From the get go, the pace was a little slower than usual. There weren't a lot of "teams," so to speak, so no one had a reason to work hard. I could tell that Kelly (Team Brain and Spine), who typically pulls a lot, had made it a goal not to pull at all. 2 of the junior boys kept the pace up for much of the race, switching off with Suzy (Colavita) who tried to drop us after every hill. At the first prime, I was in good positioning at 2nd in the peloton and sprinted a little bit to win it. After that I decided my goal for the race would be to get both the primes. I was fairly sure I could sprint twice and still make a pack finish. Plus, I could tell Suzy would be a little tired from all the pulling and Kelly was saving it for the end. At the next prime a few other girls tried to sprint with me, but ramped up my pace and got it again! Time keeps passing by faster every time I do a driveway crit. Before I knew it we were on our last lap. Before the last turn, I tried to get on the inside corner but a 10-14 (fast!) junior who had been lapped had just caught back on, was a bit wobbly, and I got scared and was edged out. I ended up with bad positioning going in to the last straightaway. Kelly was a good 5 or 6 bike lengths ahead and Suzy was about 1, and both of them were pumping it. I was in the wind for the rest of the sprint. I gave it my all, but didn't have much fire left in my legs, and didn't gain enough on Suzy to pass her. I finished in 3rd - but won both primes! Check out the loot:

Podium water bottle, MJ's gift cert, Driveway pint glass and Thunderbird Energetica noms

Sprint finish

I'm still in third overall with Kelly one point behind for the mini-series. It would be possible to win it if the 2 girls ahead of me don't show up for the last race in the series (next week). I doubt that will happen, but one can dream. I just REALLY like that orange jersey.

Bicycle ramblings of insomnia

It's 3:30 am, I have to get up for work at 7, and I am nowhere near tired. So I figured I'd share some race shenanigans:

Dirt Remedy 6/7/11: It's getting too hot to race. I mean really, we shouldn't race. But we do. It was in the 100s around 6pm. I decided to do the Bs race only and check out the course/field. It was definitely more difficult. The course was about a mile long and much more technical than the Cs race from last week. There were several ascents that I wasn't strong enough to power through, and I ended up walking a lot. I got passed, a lot. There were two really fast girls in front of me, that dropped me from the beginning, but I was expecting that. Then they lapped me - I wasn't expecting that. At least it was only once! There was one girl behind me. I lapped her. The disappointing part about women's mountain biking is that there isn't a big enough field to have really good competition, even on single track. But the prizes make up for it... I got 3rd out of 4th and won a gift certificate to the Gibson, a swanky bar on the south side of town. I managed to washout on a fast, loose turn and gave myself an awesome wound.

Chicks dig scars

Afterwards one of the race volunteers brought to me a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a paper towel. I said, "no way" and stared at him incredulously. But I thought about how I didn't have anything to clean it with, and just before he turned to leave, I said "Do it. Do it now. But I can't watch." I covered my eyes, stuck my knee out and... yeah, it hurt like holy hell. BUT I did get an obligatory "kudos" fist bump from the race organizer when he heard the story. Haha, I love MTB people.

Driveway Crit 6/9/11: It was women's night, and the Austin Flyers were providing mentored racing. Really the only help I got from that was motivation to hold onto the group, but there were other girls there that needed the help more. I like to see that kind of community involvement. I have been thinking of joining a cycling team and I thought about the Austin Flyers that day, but it's really just too big for me. I need a smaller group.Anyway, my goal this time was to stay with the pack til the finish. The problem was, it was a huge night for juniors. They had just finished a development camp, and decided to end it with the Driveway crit. We race with the juniors, and they are FAST. This time there were too many fast one, and they pretty much blew up the field from the start of the whistle. There were a few women strong enough to hang on at that point. Eventually they strung out and two of the juniors came back to help us pull in a pack. There were 5 of us for most of the race in a pack following 3-4 women. We never caught up to them. We rolled pretty slow for the last lap, as we argued over who was going to pull, and sprinted for the finish. I manage to pass up one person I was behind and capture 5th place. Not a podium finish, but I'll take it! Those were some strong women.

Women's 3/4 Results

My other goal was to race as much of the Men's 4/5 as I could hold on for, until my legs blew up. I made it until about 10:30 before I quit.

Dirt Remedy 6/14/11: I decided the time had come to quit being a sissy, and do both the B and C races. I took it easy on the C course. There was only one other woman in the Cs, but I'm about in the middle of the boys as far as speed is concerned, so the C race is actually good for me. I got 1st in the women's Cs and won another Gibson gift card.

Dirt Remedy C Race

The Bs race was really long this time (as far is short track is concerned) and there was a lot of uphill technical climbing. I spent a lot of time walking, to say the least. There were uphill stair steps that were about 8 inches tall! Impossible for me. We started with five women. Kristi (BSS) dropped me immediately as expected. I was right behind a BSS girl for a good bit, and I was excited to be with someone of around the same speed to compete with. Unfortunately, she had a mechanical the first lap of the race and had to stop. Kristi also had some issues, which left me and a girl named Larissa as women's race leader. I actually caught up to her (imagine my surprise), and then we went back and forth as to who was leading! Finally though, I found a girl of about my speed. We kept passing each other back and forth and after a while, I decided just to stay behind her until the last lap. I saw the referee card to 2 laps and thought I was safe to let her be in front at the start of the next lap. Little did I know, the race leaders were about to pass, and we were about to lose that extra lap. We got to the referee "finish line" and should have been in for another lap, but the referee yelled "done!" I wish I would have known - I would have tried harder! But 2nd ain't bad for my 2nd race with the Bs! I won two awesome camelback water bottles and some honey stinger loot.

Dirt Remedy B/C Race Results

And there is a slight chance that I could place top three in the overall series for the B race, so I will definitely be attending the last race on June 28th!

Dirt Remedy overall series points

Driveway Crit 6/16/11: Kim came! And so did a few other boys from the team. It was nice to not be the only person in an Aggie kit for once. I was aiming to place top three this time. The field was a little more cohesive this week, but the course included an uphill that I loathe. However, I must be doing something right, because that hill was a whole lot easier this week. I didn't feel like I was going to get dropped on the climb every lap. I felt strong. Kathryn, the super fast chick from Austin Tricyclist, didn't really attempt a breakaway until the last half of the last lap. I think it was largely because everyone was keeping an eye out for it. I was too, and the second she took off I was behind her. I gave it everything I had for the sprint, and passed a girl that had been in front of me at the last turn, which I love. Again I didn't know how I finished, so I'd have to wait a few hours. But I got 2nd! I only have 5 (out of 20) more points to go before I *can* upgrade to Cat 3. We will see about that.

Driveway Crit Women's 3/4

With the Men's 4/5s, I stayed with the group for about 12 mins 30 seconds, so it's an improvement at least! One day I'll be able to stay the whole time. Henri dropped about the same time but then caught back on. What a rockstar - when I quit I quit.

Kim and I hung out with a few of the Brain and Spine Team ladies and then ended the night with a hard-earned Torchy's Tacos visit. It was pretty perfect. I love Austin and the cycling community.Women's 3/4 Results

And I'm third in overall points for the series!

Women's 3/4 Overalls

Life in the Promised Land

Henri and I moved to Austin two weeks ago and it's been pretty awesome thus far. I've been working for Banfield through the Student Job Program and riding my bike as much as possible (which has been difficult through this adjustment period, but I'm getting better). Henri and I are lucky enough to live next to the Greenbelt and our apartments make me feel like I am camping out.

I did the Driveway crit last Thursday and my goal was just to stay with the group for as long as possible. By this point in the season, most of the women have raced at least several times, so the field was smooth and I easily found a strong wheel from which I could draft. I promised myself I would not chase, and I didn't. There is an Austin Flyers rider, Annalisa, that is really strong and pulled a few breakaways with some of the faster juniors. I just stayed with the pack. A few laps from the end Kathryn Turner (Austin TriCyclist) pulled a breakaway and easily had first place. Annalisa came in second and I managed to pull 4th place (our of 11 starters) after a Colavita rider. There were lots of strong women in the field! I started with the Men's 4/5 as a second race, and stayed with the field for a few laps, but I was already spent and pulled out. I still felt good though, after one of the race officials told me later "You raced great out there!"

Driveway Crit Results: 5/26

This past Tuesday was my first chance to compete in the Dirt Remedy, a weekly short track MTB race. It's like an off-road version of the Driveway Crit. There aren't many women, but we start at the same time as the men and there are three categories (A, B, C). I didn't know what the competition would be like, so I signed up for both the B and C races. The C race was first. There was only one other woman, J. Hanover from the Flyers. I was a little late and didn't have time to warm up, so I hung near the back the first lap to learn the course, which was a mile long. The race is held at the motocross trails at Emma Long Park in the rocky hills of west Austin. It was perfectly difficult. The first two laps were more of a challenge because I kept taking the wrong turns. After I became more comfortable, I picked up speed and started passing people. I had already dropped the other woman, but I like picking on boys so I pushed myself hard the whole 30 minutes. We did about 5 miles total. The boys were pretty skilled and I think I ended up finishing in about in the middle. Unfortunately, I was way dehydrated and started to get goosebumps near the end. I opted out of the Bs race, but I'll start out in the Bs next week. I won a gift card for winning the Women's Cs and it's for the Snap Kitchen, which is pre-prepared but healthy noms. Very Austin. I also met an infamous Austin trainer/cyclist who may teach our collegiate MTB clinic in September!

Dirt Remedy C Race, Photo by J. A. Hicks

Lastly in the Promised Land update, but perhaps most exciting, was this week's Driveway Crit. I wanted to bring the dogs so I knew I could only do the Women's 3/4 race. I figured I'd give it everything I had. Which was a good thing, because it was Ladies' Night and everyone was there to bring the pain, especially some of the junior men. I wanted to hang on like last time, but I took Henri's advice to stay on Kathryn's wheel if she tried to break away. There were a few more new people out there because Austin Flyers were providing mentored racing. It was great because I love to see new women out racing, and because some of their pointers helped me out. The downside was that there were more sketchy moves made by the inexperienced - I had trouble finding a strong wheel to hang on to and wasted a lot of energy trying to keep up with the fast people when I had to go around those that weren't taking great lines. Most of it was worked out halfway through the race though, and I got into the groove. Halfway through, the fast Austin Tricyclist chick pulled a breakaway, but I knew I couldn't hang. A couple of the juniors chased. I ended up drafting off of Annalisa with another Flyer, Diane, behind me. We rounded the last corner and I figured I would at least try to outsprint Annalisa. I gave it everything I had and creeped up on her little by little. I was pulling with every ounce of my legs and my back wheel started to hop off the ground on the upstroke. I was next to her right before the finish line and threw my bike forward at the last second. I didn't know who won the sprint at that point, but I was proud that I could catch up to her, because she is very fast. I didn't know how I placed overall because of the juniors. After results were posted later that night, I realized I had won the sprint and placed 2nd!!!

Driveway Crit Results: 6/2

I look forward to 2 more months of racing at home in the Promised Land.

Rocky Hill Roundup

I have been trying to garner the points necessary to cat up in collegiate, and Rocky Hill was the chance to complete my mission. This was the last TMBRA race of the season, and I wanted to do everything right, but...

We moved into Austin on Thursday. My plan had been to do the crit Thursday, rest Friday, pre-ride Saturday, race Sunday. Thursday I was too exhausted
from moving to do the crit. My brother Josh really wanted to experience the hill known as Ladera Norte so I figured I could go, and just do recovery pace except that hill. I accomplished that mission. And remembered why I love Austin. Next, we planned to pre-ride the race course at Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville. I assumed, wrongly, that my Cat 2 course would be two laps of the Cat 3 course. By the time I realized it was one 17 mile lap, we were already at the back of the ranch and there was no turning back. Additionally, it was wet from recent rains, and the last half of the course was new, with clay exposed, and slippery. By the end of the ride I was exhausted. And I had lost my sunglasses the first 2 miles so I had to repeat those... We ended up doing about 20 miles, almost a half marathon.

I needed to get first in my age category to win, or rank in the top 3-5 of the category. I had scoped out the competition that pre-registered in my age group. One of the girls appeared, through previous races, to be on par with a racer who had to cat up to 1s. This latter racer had beat me by a long shot in my first Cat 2 race, by 15 minutes. I knew that I had no chance beating this new chick racing me. She was one race away from being forced to cat up to 1s. Let's call her TSA.

That, combined with my utter exhaustion, made me less than excited about my prospects for doing well. Luckily Josh was in good spirits, and Henri was going to be my soigneur, so I went despite my gloomy forecast.

The rains had stopped, and the course was the perfect amount of dry on Sunday - not too loose, but not muddy. I was stocked full of glycogen and well hydrated (I weighed myself the night before and I weighed SEVEN pounds more than usual... crazy). There were four women in my age group, and we started with the one Cat 2 age 15-18 (who had beaten me by a few minutes at Cedar Hill two weeks prior). Let's call her BSS. We were off, and the BSS and TSA sprinted ahead. My heart rate was near max after only 2 minutes. I passed the first hilly section and realized I had totally dropped the other two women in my age category. That didn't really matter; I still couldn't get upgrade points in 2nd place. But halfway through, I realized that still only 1 woman in the other age groups had passed me. By this point at the other races, there had been numerous. I thought to myself, maybe I can make top three overall for Cat 2? It was the perfect focus I needed for the last half.

At mile 10, there was the water feed. I threw my bottle and grabbed a new one. I tried to drink from it a few seconds later, and dropped it. The lid hadn't been screwed on tightly and ALL the water came out. I was a very sad, sad panda. I got desperately dehydrated about a mile later and just... picked up another rider's half empty bottle and rinsed off the tip. Gross! But I was soooo thirsty. And it was totally worth it. I haven't gotten any strange diseases yet, so hopefully I'm ok.

I had caught up to BSS which gave me more confidence in myself. She was keeping just ahead of me for a long time. I passed her once but then she passed me up a hill. I decided that I would just stay on her tail for a few miles so she had to go fast. Once I thought she was worn out, I sprinted past and went at max effort (ok, more than max effort because during a race I only have an "on" switch) until I was out of her sight.

Then I only had a few miles left. Coming up was "The Wall," and I hadn't ever made it up that hill, even on my pre-ride. There was an announcer at this point, and people had gathered to watch the carnage. Well, I just love a crowd, and I was excited/nervous. I hit the downhill as hard as possible, and had enough momentum to make it up The Wall with some hard cranking. The announcer said "Gig'em Ags!" and "That was smooth!" which was pretty much the best moment of my MTB racing life.

The downhill before the wall

Almost there!

Got it!

I had about 2 miles left to the finish. I felt good. I wanted as many seconds possible on the other Cat 2 riders. I gunned it and "chicked" a few more men (I'm still not sure if they were Cat 2 or Cat 3). It's always fun to see boys who really, really don't want to get passed by a girl. I stay behind them maybe a few seconds longer than I should before I pass them at full speed. ;)

I clocked in at 1 hour 49 minutes. I waited for the results, but I knew I had been beaten in my age group. I only got passed by one other Cat 2 woman though, and I had beat BSS, so I was hoping for the best. I waited by drinking my free cold tasty beverage... I love TMBRA.

I ended up in 3rd place! Which means I can cat up in collegiate, and maybe go to nationals this year. Happiness...

Results

Smiling for the camera man