Monica’s Muddy Adventure
November 19, 2008
By Monica Tory
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Hallowe’en got started a little early (10/25 & 10/26) at the Ontario Cycling Association’s annual Hallowe’en Cross cyclocross stage race. With a serious addiction to cyclocross, and a prize for the best costume from every start in stage one, I didn’t need much convincing to make the cross-border (to Canada) drive to Kelso Conservation Area to try this event. Add in free, comfy accommodations at my in-laws home a short drive from the race site & there was no way I would say no to this one! So, I dug up a flair-iriffic costume, & my husband and I made the trip.
Stage 1: “Oink”
When I awoke in the night to the sound of strong winds, and a steady downpour, I started to get a little worried. I checked the temperature …. A mere 6oC out there. Yikes. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for classic cyclocross conditions. Now, in my view, 6oC is certainly rideable, probably actually enjoyable. But, add in the wind and a downpour, and that sounds downright awful. Bone chilling. Hmm. I fell back to sleep, grateful to be in a warm toasty bed, and awoke a few hours later, relieved to see that although the temperature and wind were unchanged, the rain had slowed to a drizzle. The weather continued to tease through the morning, but by race time the rain had stopped, the wind had died down, and the sun was making (very welcome) brief appearances.
Arriving at the race site, we found a well-organized race, friendly volunteers and competitors, and a pretty much perfect cyclocross course. Even without the overnight rain, the course had all of the ‘cross features you could ask for. A grass start into a sweeping right turn, sharp left over some tricky tree roots, through a serpentine section which featured a double barrier. Following the barrier, a nice little straightaway gave you some momentum to get through the upcoming … MUD. Did I say mud? Deep mud. Very deep. Pigs would have loved this back section of the course.
Earlier, while watching the previous race, I had assumed that riders were taking a very long time to get through that section because there was a long loop back there. Not so! The loop back there was a reasonable distance….it was just an absolute sty. After churning through the d-e-e-p, slippery mud, laughing at myself because I couldn’t figure out where “the line” was through those sections, and laughing because a spectator assured me there wasn’t a line, the course returned to somewhat firmer ground. Up a short steep hill (rideable for many people, but not for me), run down (for me…most people remounted at the top), around a bend & into a much longer, more gradual climb. This climb was a perfect ‘cross climb . It might have been rideable under dry conditions. But with the recent rain, everyone treated this as a WALK-UP. Walk-up? Yes. If you tried to run, your feet slid out from under you! At the top of the hill there was more flat stuff, some very nice (and very difficult) off camber hairpins, and then a ripping pavement descent.
Don’t you think that’s perfect? Well, that’s the course. Now, what about the actual race? I was happy to see there were lots more women than we have at typical races in Michigan. I got a reasonable start, ending up somewhere in the middle. The riders strung out quickly, and I lost track of how many were in front or behind me. Turns out that didn’t matter so much. By the final laps (5? 6? something like that), riders were taking extended breaks to clear the leaves and mud from their bikes, and many gave up altogether. In it’s second muddy race, my bike proved it’s worth ! No mechanical issues at all, despite the extreme mud. I finished tired & happy, placing 2nd in the women’s masters race. Happy turned to happier when I saw the prize: a little $, some schwag from Speed River Cycling, and a lovely 6pack from race sponsor Wellington County Brewery.
Stage 2: So many titles to choose from! “So that’s how you steer with your body” or “An expensive day out” or “4 laps down?”
Oh, my. Did I say I was happy about no mechanical issues? That didn’t last long. The course for day 2 was completely different, but just as awesome as day 1. No mud, but plenty of grass, hills, a TRUE run up, and …. a tough beach run/ride. I was determined to get a better start … and did. But the joy didn’t last long. Carefully steering around a huge stick on the course, about 1 minute after the start, the rider beside me did not avoid the stick. It jammed sidewise into my chainrings (and bent them!), and I ground to a quick halt! Some kind spectators helped me remove it, and get the chain back on, and I was chasing back, but…my chain fell off. Again. And again. Eventually, it got sucked in so bad that it was a figure 8 & neither I nor the kind spectators could make it right, so I ran through the rest of that lap & then abandoned 
BUT, my husband was still racing, so I stood by the side and cheered him on.
Watching from afar, I was amazed at how Jonathan took a descent/corner combo leading into the sandpit. At that moment I could REALLY see how you steer with your body. It was amazing! As Jonathan ran through the sand pit, I was still pondering the leaning phenomenon, trying to figure out how to start doing that myself to improve my cornering. Off in my daze there, Jonathan ran up to me and said, “hey, you aren’t racing! Can I have your bike?” And I said, “Sure, but what’s wrong with yours?” Well, that should have been obvious. That awesome lean and body steering was due to …. NO SADDLE. My bike was even more useless, so Jonathan continued on, riding the entire race sans saddle & earning the (well-deserved) respect of all of the spectators! So, day 2 wasn’t a huge success … no podeedums, no beer prizes, and an expensive day out. BUT, it was still awesome & I would recommend the Kelso ‘cross races to everyone !!!
Results:
Monica Tory
Stage 1 - 2nd, Masters Women
Stage 2 - 8th, Masters Women
GC - 3rd, Masters Women
See the full results!
Double Crossed in Michigan
October 21, 2008
By Monica Tory
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Well, one could say that this race report is way overdue, but fall is so jam-packed with ‘cross craziness that it’s hard to justify sitting at the computer!
The annual Michigan double cross weekend is undeservedly understated! Really. It’s a great weekend of racing, yet the fields are nice and small & there’s unlimited space for spectating. Free camping at the race site (wasn’t advertised, so we stayed at a pricey hotel instead …. but NEXT year we’ll get it right!). On site showers. UCI event, but so few spectators that you have an amazing view of the pro fields. The sponsoring bike shop (Kinetic Systems) hosts an awesome Q&A session with the elite riders afterwards … which is not only an opportunity to pick up a ton of training and racing tips, but also a chance to ask all kinds of strange questions. How strange? How about this one from my friend Kim:
“So, Jonathan (Page) … Um, I was just wondering. You know how in major league baseball, if you catch a home run ball, it’s yours to keep? Well, after your saddle broke off the seatpost today, if I had run over there really fast, would it be the same thing? I’d get to keep your saddle? And, by the way, what type of saddle WAS that, anyway?”
The racing was great …. interesting courses both days, with lots of variation (switchbacks, off camber, ride through a barn, some single track, a run up, a ride up for the pros (in the big chain ring, no less) that was a run up for many of the rest of us, lots of cowbell.
Check out the full results on cyclingnews.com!
Bella results:
9/20: Monica Tory, 4 of 6, Women’s 3/4
9/21: Monica Tory, 6 of 10, women’s 3/4
Race photos courtesy, Andrea Tucker
Colorado Cross Love!
October 21, 2008
By Monica Tory
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The story …. “why not?”
A mere 1 day before our departure (from Kalamazoo, Michigan) for a one week “bike camp” in Nederland, Colorado, my husband and I learned that we would be arriving in Boulder right about the time that the kickoff race for the 2008 Boulder ‘Cross Series was getting started. And anyone who loves ‘cross knows what that means …. a scramble to figure out how to cram our ‘cross bikes into / onto our car, in addition to the road bikes and mtbs that were already going to make the trip. After a few tries, helped by generous friends willing to loan various roof racks and accessories, it was obvious we weren’t going to be able to bring 6 bikes with us. But FIVE bikes, that’s a whole different story ! Since Jonathan’s ‘cross bike is smaller, and our races were at different times, we decided that sharing his bike would be a good compromise.
The race course …
… was almost made just for me! What does that mean? Not too technical, mixed grass and pavement. Why do I say almost made just for me? Because the skills section combination was tougher than any I’d seen. Each skill/barrier portion was pretty straight forward: #1 = a double barrier on a gentle incline, re-mount and 180-turn at the top of the hill and descend parallel to the barriers you just ran ; #2 = ride or run through a beach volleyball court, re-mount during a sharp right turn; #3 = a double barrier on a slightly steeper incline, re-mount on the way up or at the top of the hill. So what’s so complicated about that? All 3 of those elements were placed back to back, and lap times were a quick 5-6 minutes over the course of the 45ish minute race. That’s a whole lot more running and re-mounting than I’ve encountered at once, and it was both humbling (as I wheezed through the run sections…I really hope I can blame a tiny bit of the wheezing ton the altitude) and inspiring (as I now see some obvious weaknesses = new challenges that I can look forward to working on!)
Bellas at the race … please help me NAME the mystery Bella ?
It was wonderful to meet some Colorado Bellas (avec flair, naturally) at the race! Nancy (usually racing, but cheering us on this time around) & Melani (doing her FIRST ever ‘cross race!) & “Sister of Shannon” (I’m sorry ! I was a tad nervous when I met you & as a result I don’t remember your name …
The race …
Was unlike any other cycling race I’ve done, simply because of the sheer number of women participating! It was wonderful, not only to line up with so many female racers, but to hear everyone talking about how fast women’s participation is growing & then someone led a “cheer” to celebrate the big field and how far women’s racing has come. To put things in perspective, at my “home” race series (http://www.kisscross.com), more and more women are racing, but on the co-ed start lines, there might be 3 to 6 women and 40 to 50 men in the intermediate classification. So, anyway, as I’m trying to say here, racing with other women was awesome. The starts were fast & the two groups (women’s open and women’s 35+) quickly intermingled. I liked the fast course & worked hard through the “on bike” parts to try to minimize the time damage from the combination of my not-so-strong running & my non-existent flying remounts (I WILL learn to do those! I think I can … I think I can …)
Melani didn’t finish due to injury, but will be back to try again! By the time I post this write-up, I bet she’s raced over and over again !
Mystery Bella ???? Rode super strong & really made me work at the finish, but I couldn’t catch you!
Monica Tory - 12th, women’s 35+….and in the process happily learned that once the starting whistle goes off, all of the “why nots” really don’t matter anymore. It was a great experience, and (for me) a great race & placing despite my many apprehensions before hand - racing a strange bike, trying desperately to remember the brakes are “normal” (not reversed as mine are), wondering about the effects of altitude & far, far too many hours crammed in a car. No matter what possicleobstacles I construct, CYCLOCROSS IS STILL, HANDS DOWN, THE MOST FUN YOU CAN HAVE ON A BIKE!
See you at another race soon !
Editor’s Note: The Mystery Bella is new Bella, Diana Gibson. Welcome Diana!
Treasure Hunt
April 6, 2008
By Monica Tory
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Ever heard of an alleycat? It’s a cross between a scavenger hunt on bikes and an adventure race, and it’s just a whole lot of fun!
As part of a team, I “raced” the recent Hopcat-sponsored Alleycat, and can’t recommend it highly enough! Sure, we didn’t place so well (40th of 45), but then again I know we had more fun than everyone else out there! When you don’t know the town, you can’t expect to win an event like this … especially when you’re the only team whose courier bags are loaded with chocolate eggs to hand out along the way……Mmmm. Dove chocolate eggs. Hershey’s dark chocolate eggs. Chocolate dipped chocolate eggs…
Whoops! A little off topic….what was I saying? Oh yeah…when you don’t know your way around town and are carrying pounds of chocolate, you don’t need to worry about winning & can just enjoy the experience! And what an experience it was.
Zooming around town with 70 or so other cyclists, working out clues to find out where to go next and what interesting “tasks” would come up next….all in between the “getting out of church hour” and the start of St. Patrick’s day celebrations! Good thing I had the trusty handlebar mounted beer cozy that I picked up from Bicycle Discovery in San Diego - it came in very handy! Ever had to chug a beer while eating Peeps ? It was surprisingly yummy. How about sprinting through convenience stores, gas stations, etc., speed-shopping for canned cat food? Surely there must have been a grocery store SOMEWHERE out there. Really … why do the gas stations carry dog food only? There were many interesting tasks, a few locations that you had to be at within a certain time-window, and some really creatively cryptic clues to get you everywhere else. It all added up to one great ride, and a lot of interesting stories told to new friends at the post-ride celebrations held at Hopcat and Founder’s afterwards. Can’t wait to organize an Alleycat of our own in the coming months!
CLICK for results.
p.s. I don’t know what Sheila Moon had in mind when she designed the shoulder pocket on her hoodies, but it is the perfect place for a camera!
Coffee Crit
August 17, 2007
By Monica Tory
Kalamazoo, Michigan
to Jason / De La Paz and Kevin / Schering
for the great prizes and publicity for Velo Bella!
…. and winner of many bella primes!
A few weeks ago, with the 2nd annual BTR Park Criterium fast approaching, I found myself busy with two tasks. First of all, campaigning for some other cat 4 women to race with me! The organizers told me that due to the points series rules, they would NOT be able to combine fields, even if I was the only cat 4 women’s entrant. I don’t want to be a bad sport, but … the thought of paying to spend 45 minutes riding around my local business park by myself was not a good one. Don’t get me wrong — I LOVE to time trial. But I’m entering crits to get more group-racing experience and …. well, 45 minutes, by myself, in circles, sounded downright awful! Second, and most importantly, I wanted to do something extra to sweeten the primes for the women’s races, and (hopefully) encourage more women in our area to come out and try this very beginner-friendly race. I didn’t have to look very far to come up with Bella-riffic primes! One of our super Velo Bella - Kona sponsors, Jason Benford / De La Paz Coffee, generously offered to donate a shipment of ultra-fresh, unbelievably scrumptious Bella Blend to the cause. Schering-Plough & Coppertone, a sponsor of our local triathlon club, also stepped up and donated some very nice schwag bags (filled with “all sorts of stuff you can use” — spray on Coppertone sunscreen, water bottles, towels, Dr. Scholl’s products, and more), which were distributed on behalf of Velo Bella - Kona and Schering-Plough.
While my first task one didn’t start out so well (by race morning, I was still the only cat 4 woman entered, and I found myself walking around the race course asking female spectators if they’d like to come out and race in the afternoon!!!!), by the end of the day I had two girls to race with — one (Mariann Barnes) that I recruited from the sidelines, and another (Jenny) who braved construction traffic, had to change in the car on her way down from Traverse City, and … thankfully … the race organizer’s held the race start for 5 minutes so she could sprint over to the start line.
The weather was great — gorgeous, sunny, and in the high 80s, with a slight headwind on parts of the course. Turns out the officials DID combine the 1/2/3 and 4 women’s fields, so I didn’t need to worry about recruiting fellow racers after all! While waiting for the start, I was super-surprised to see that I had a fan club! Ten or so friends from our bike and triathlon club had come to watch me race…which stepped up the ante for me! (It’s also good for the race….they loved watching and can’t wait to try it next year. yay!) Bella Dianna Rose had also made as 2 hour drive just to watch! I am really spoiled and lucky to have such great support out there and every day!
It was exhilirating to stay with the 1/2/3 ladies, even if it was just for the first 2 laps. The course was wonderful….big swoopy curves, smooth pavement, a small hill/overpass, a nice section that was with the wind, and plenty of enthusiastic spectators. After being neatly dropped by the 1/2/3 ladies (and Jenny) in their 3rd or 4th acceleration, Mariann and I worked together for the rest of the race, trying different strategies to see if we could bridge back up to the main group. Our strategies didn’t work, but we had a great time experimenting, trying to lose one another, and getting to know each other too. Without trying, we split the primes pretty evenly (1 De La Paz Bella Blend for each of us, the Schering-Plough Coppertone schwag to Mariann), and by the last few laps it was obvious that Mariann was going to win any sprint that I left to the last minute! I tried to time my final attack well & it worked … I was still several bike lengths ahead by the time I crossed the finish line….
Monica Tory, cat 4 women, 2nd of 3
Fellow Kalamazoo Bicycle Club member Zolton Cohen has posted a fantastic gallery of race photos (click here).
Marathon Woman: Stony Creek Marathon
July 5, 2007
Detroit, Michigan
The weather was just perfect- mid 70’s and mostly sunny. The trail was bone dry, loose and gravelly in many places.
I was disappointed to see that there were ony 2 of us registered in my class as the race was about to start. I guess that word had spread of the misery that was last year’s 100 degree scorcher. The attrition rate had been huge. All in all, the women’s turnout was pretty low.
All the sport women started together in an open area that led up to wide single track and then a long-ish gravel 2 track climb. I am way faster in the 2 track than the singletrack and I knew that I needed to get up that 2 track first in order to enter the single track ahead of the group. At the start I stood and powered ahead of the group all the way to the climb, then settled in for a steady push. A FFG from the 40+ age group caught me on the climb but I didn’t care because she was not in my class. I hit the single track well ahead of my competition and with several bodies in between as buffer.
For the next 3 laps I hammered on the 2 track (6 miles) and recovered in the single track (4miles). I never saw another female rider that whole time!! I was passing lots of people on the 2 track and getting passed on the single track. I felt awesome, like my pacing was good and I could go all day. Avg speed 10.7mph.
Twenty-six miles into the race I hit this log on top of an off camber climb in the rollercoaster without enough speed and bogged down… then tumbled down the hill. I was now upside down pinned under my bike and clipped in. My knees hurt. I whimpered and a nice man from the clyde class stopped and hiked down the hill to help me. he carried my bike up as I wobbled on my shaky weird feeling knees. My friend Lynda Racy from the 40+ class passed through and offered some encouragement. I pushed my bike up the rest of the climb and thanked the nice man. I rode off cautiously with a pain in my left knee. The other girl in my class was not far back and I was trying to hold her off.
When I finished the 3rd lap I stopped to switch camelbacks with the help of my Velo Fella support guy Todd. He handed me a gel and helped me get a fresh camelback on. The old one got stuck to my pigtail braid and I just tore it out out of frustration. As I took off trying to get out of there before the other girl in my class passed me Todd yelled for me to get the flag out of my derailleur! I looked down and not only was a pink plastic flag stuck in there but the wire stake was all wrapped around the jockey wheels. If he had not pointed that out it could have been a disaster. I yanked it out and took off but my knee was aching and did not like anything but spinning. I started to worry- had I torn something? If I pushed too big a gear would my knee give out?
I was riding more conservatively now. I was afraid of what was wrong with my knee and afraid of falling again. I knew I was going to walk that log in the rollercoaster this time… and when I got there the sign outfitters girl I was racing was right behind me. We had been chatting for a bit. She was on my tail but not trying to pass. I followed the lead of the bella who did the 24 hours of adrenaline and did not tell her I was walking that log. I just stopped and got off at the last minute and she had to too! We walked the climb together and I kept her behind me as long as I could after we got back on the bikes but when the trail widened she took the pass. With 5 miles left in a 42 mile race I lost my lead. I never saw her again. my legs were fresh, but my knee ached and I had lost that drive to win. I just wanted to finish and get off the bike without messing up my leg anymore, and that is what I did.
I finished at 3:59 something- 16minutes and 30 seconds faster than my last year’s time. I also got to stand on a box and get a silver medal which was sort of bittersweet since there were only 2 of us. But my time was commensurate with a podium spot in the women’s sport classes from both this and last year so I felt good about that.
Maillot Jaune…if only briefly…at Tour of Kensington Valley
June 11, 2007
by Monica
What a fantastic weekend, spent playing “Tour de France” at the 2007 Tour of Kensington Valley (Brighton, Michigan). My Bella Fella and I both took the plunge this weekend, trying out this newly converted stage race (was an established road race until this year) as our first “real” road race. (”Real”? … something other than a time trial.) For beginners, this was an omnium (points) style race. Many thanks to Bella Dianna Rose & Priority Health’s Kathy Kirk for answering my many many (MANY) naïve questions & offering lots of advice last week! Here’s the scoop:
Stage 1: TT / Prologue (May 19). 1st/5
For such a super-short race, the 2.7 mile closed course in Kensington Metropark caused a lot of pre-race angst ! Last week, message boards were filling up with discussions about “the huge hill” on the TT course & debates about TT bike vs. road bike were flying through cyberspace. Race organizer Joe Lekovish even posted a video series of the course to help people decide “which bike to use”.
As it turns out, “the hill” was greatly exaggerated. It was very short and gentle & I was extremely happy that I chose my TT bike. A 1.5ish mile descent with a slight rise and swoopy curve at the end, turnaround a cone in a wide road, then climb back up to the start line. It was over and done in 6.5 minutes, which was fast enough for a cat 4 win & and put me in the yellow jersey for the next stage !J
Stage 2: Criterium (May 19). 4th/6
Bella cheerleaders!!! Yay! Dianna & her little guy Matthew came out to watch and visit (& maybe to make sure I was following all of the great tips and advice…um, sorry if I disappointed!) – THANK YOU!!! You’ll see some great photos taken by Dianna later in this thread. (And maybe she’ll post a picture of Matthew too – he’s a little sweetie!)
Ok…back to the race. Held in a business park a couple of hours after the TT, the crit was 8 laps of a 1.5ish mile closed course. After hearing so many “crash” stories & being very new to group riding, I was grateful that the cat 4 field was small…only 6 riders. [And also grateful that I saw the horrendous men’s cat 5 finish line crash after my race was done.] The more numerous 1/2/3 women were on the course at the same time, but we didn’t see them. I tried to apply all of the “teachings” from Kathy, Dianna, and velobellabb for riding w/out team, but in the end I wound up just doing a lot of experimenting and learning about how people (and how I) would or wouldn’t react. A very good learning experience on many levels……and I wasn’t last……4th/6 & bye bye yellow jersey!
Stage 3: Road Race (May 20). 5th/7
By Sunday’s road race, I had answered some questions about what my strengths/weaknesses are, but hill climbing (relative to the other riders) was still an unknown. The course was 3 x 8.5 mile loops of scenic, quiet roads in Kensington Metropark, including several rolling hills, one steeper climb, and a Paris-Roubaix-esque turnaround in a shelled/gravelly parking lot.
I rode along for the first loop to get a feel for the other riders & how I would climb relative to them…and, unfortunately for this course, quickly determined that climbing is a weakness (…for now)! I skirted a crash that took out one rider and delayed another, & things went well until the steepish climb on the 2nd loop — when I and another rider were dropped. The other dropped rider was no where to be seen, so the rest of the race was a “reverse breakaway” for me … trying to bridge back to the lead group of 4. Embarrassing confession: Trying to catch up was actually really fun! I did get the lead group back within sight & the gap was diminishing as the final lap finished. But I couldn’t make up the difference in time & finished 5th/7. Many thanks to Sarah McGuire (Priority Health) for encouragement & coaching tips during our cool down lap!
6 hours of addison oaks mtb race
June 11, 2007
by Dana
my awesome friend kim volunteered to be an honorary bella for the day and be my teammate for the 6 hours of addison endurance mtb race.
the weather was cold and cloudy, with some drizzle coming down intermittently all morning. we signed up for the 2 person open sport class and had 3 other teams to compete against… all men!
kim started out the race, fought the crowds at the start, and got pushed hard during the first lap… she tagged me in the chute and i took off. i was feeling really nervous and not quite ‘in the zone’. about 2 miles into the course there was a really really tight section. i came in with a little too much speed and not enough focus on my driving and clipped my handlebar on a tree. i freaked out, squeezed both braked and did a somersault still clipped into my bike. i landed hard on my back and the nose of the saddle somehow whacked me hard on the lower back. i was really shook up but calmed down enough to get back on the bike and finish my lap while obsessing over whether i had seriously hurt my back and/or neck. i rode a bit more cautiously and chatted with some 12 hour solo guys who were very encouraging (thanks carlos and travis) for the rest of the lap. i tagged kim at the chute and warned her that i did not know if i could go back out right away, if at all.
our velo fella rob met me at the chute and helped my back to the tent and assessd the damage. he made sure i drank and had a gel, and cleaned the hunks of dirt out of my shifter pods and brake levers. he gave me a pep talk, and i decided that i would at least do 1 more lap so that our team would not be disqualified (each rider was required to do 2 laps.).
when kim was expected back i went into the lap counting chute to meet her but she never arrived. we expected her to be out for 40 min (7 mile laps) but it had been over an hour and i started to worry. then the announcer informed everyone that a man had a very bad crash on a split log skinny at the end of the course and that an ambulance was coming to take him out on a backboard. then some friends came through the cute and told me that kim had stopped to administer 1st aid to the man who was hurt. she stayed with him out there for over 30 minutes, kept him immobilized, and covered up so he would not go into shock until EMS got there. it ended up that the man broke his back, and if he had been moved he might have been paralyzed!
after the injured rider was put in the ambulance kim rode the 1/2 mile to the chute and i left for my second lap. i warned them that i was going to take it easy after my fall… but once i got out there the sun came out and i started feeling stronger and more confident. i was sore, but working hard out there. i made it back so much faster than kim and rob expected that she was hanging out at the tent when i came down the straightaway to the chute. i yelled out to her and she had to scramble to get on the bike and meet me for the tag!!
during my recovery i decided to check the preliminary results and discovered to my disbelief that we were not in last place, but appeared to be tied for 3rd!! i was so excited that somehow kim and i were in the running for a prize against a team of men, despite our early problems.
i let our velo fella know that if we really worked hard that we could still be competitive. he let kim know when she came back and we were on fire. what had started out as a just for fun race ended up really getting our competitive spirit going.
we realized that we were coming up on the 4pm deadline for starting laps very soon. i got in from my 3rd lap around 2:30 and kim went out. rob and i were trying to figure out how many more laps we could squeeze in before 4. we were still tied for 3rd.
kim came back in from her 4th lap at about 3:15 and just yelled “ride fast- so i can go out again!!” so i went out and rode as hard as i could. despite feeling really fatigued and sore i hammered on the flats and stood on the climbs. i rode in the big ring on a lot of the singletrack where i had always used the middle before. all i could think of was how rotten i would feel if i got back at 4:00:02 and kim couldn’t get out for another lap.
my ffg friend chris caught me at the last mile and told me i had to sprint the rest of the way to make it. this was a flatter section so hammered all the way to the tents and the chute. rob was waiting and started yelling when he saw me!! i had made it back with 4 minutes to spare!! kim went out for a hard 5th lap. i drank my endurox and cracked open an oberon. we finished with 9 laps total and 3rd place. the 1st place guys had 10 laps. 2nd also had 9 laps but finished ahead of us. 4th had just 7!!! we didnt’t realize it but we manage to get ahead by 2 laps in the last hour!
we were so proud of our come from behind finish in a class full of men!! we won cool messenger bags filled with swag with the 6 hours of addison oaks logo on the front.
