Sunday morning started out early, as per usual. We got to the park right around 7:00. I carried both bikes and my bike cube over to the team tent area to stake out our team's spot. Before I had even dropped the bikes, a bike friend hailed me down. It is always great to see smiling familiar faces that early in the morning when you are having pre-race nerves! I picked up my number and headed to the nicely heated bathroom to pin it on my jersey and help some other women get their's on before heading to pre-ride. Several teammates were ready to pre-ride, so I headed out with them to check out the new course. I was really apprehensive about the new design and worried it was going to be another power course instead of the techy course that I loved.
But, it turns out, the new course design was spectacular. I enjoyed it MUCH more than the old course. Serious kudos to Bruce Buckley and the Bike Lane team for turning what could have been a sore spot into something fabulous. The course had just about the right amount of balance between techy and power sections. Obviously in my opinion, the more techy the better, but then again, I feel much more at home on rooty and rocky single track than I do on a grassy false flat.
As per usual, I had a bad start. It was compounded by being a paved uphill section that quickly turned into a grassy false flat. I was in the top ten by the time we headed down short paved section into a downhill grassy turn. Unfortunately, one of my teammates was knocked down hard by a passing racer in the off camber section after that corner. She was untangling herself from her bike and tape when I came through. She was second at that time and was pretty disappointed in addition to getting a pretty big bruise on her knee from it.
The barriers were right after a sharp corner and I was worried about scrubbing enough speed going into them. I had trouble with the barriers on every lap, but apparently I looked pretty pro getting off my bike!
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| Dismounting is fun! Photo courtesy of Trey Harris |
After the barriers, we went across the dam and up the stairs, which was part of the course last year. Other than the false flat, that was my least favourite part of the course. Granted, anything that requires me to get off my bike on a hill that is totally rideable is never a fun thing in my book. Remounting at the top of the stairs brought you into an amazing house party complete with energizer bunny and disco ball! There was a mini chute with some tight loose switchbacks which was super fun! After that was the rooty uphill that I was so glad I could ride. While it was almost as fast to run it, I was able to put some distance between myself and others while they remounted. At one point, I may have been in sixth place because of that hill!
Then came the best part of the whole course. The CHUTE! It was a relatively long and steep downhill with banked turns and amazing flow. I LOVED it. This was also a leftover from previous years and I am so glad they were able to keep it. Unfortunately, I have not found a photo of me going down it yet, but I was getting some decent air off the bermed corner. It was a blast.
After the chute was another short steep uphill that was actually faster to run it than ride it. Then back over the damn, by the team tent area and then through the start/finish hill.
By the end of the second lap, I had put a decent gap between myself and the three ladies that were chasing me. I was feeling pretty good, and even gave some smiles and thumbs up to a teammate taking pictures!
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| Cross is so much fun! Photo courtesy of Trey Harris |
By the last lap, my legs were getting a little tired (mostly because of that grassy false flat!) and my competition was catching up. A teammate, Helen, caught me coming across the damn and passed me on the little short kicker before the team tents. We were both all smiles, though!
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| Buddies! Photo courtesy of Trey Harris |
It turns out, I was so happy, I decided to race again! But this time, I wanted to race for handups instead of trying to kill myself in the 3/4 race. And I was able to talk Maureen into doing it with me.
Needless to say, the course itself was just as fun as the first race. But, the handup game was the most fun I have had in a cross race EVER. There was beer. There was whisky. And there were cookies. I am sure I will update this with more photos as I come across them. But here are a few that I giggled at this morning when I saw them posted!
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| PIIIIIIIIIIE! Photo courtesy of Trey Harris |
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| Oh yeah! Photo courtesy of Trey Harris |
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| This is what I have been working for my whole life! Photo courtesy of Trey Harris |
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| Hmm... Now I have to get back on my bike... And eat... Photo courtesy of Trey Harris |
Second lap, or third... There was whisky and another pie!
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| Whisky? Why yes, yes I shall! Photo courtesy of Trey Harris |
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| Knocking it back like a pro! (While not riding my bike!) Photo courtesy of Trey Harris |
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| All smiles as I head towards more beer!Photo courtesy of Trey Harris |
I dropped my chain trying to ride up the little kicker on the third lap after being goaded by some hecklers on the previous lap. Thick gloves and a clutch derailleur (and probably the whisky and beer) made for a difficult time getting the chain back on. Maureen waited for me and we did another lap even after being given the option for early retirement. We ended up high fiving on the finishing stretch and coming in 24th and 25th out of 29 starters. We totally won the whole race, even if the results say otherwise!
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