Tipperary Creek Point to Point Mountain Bike Race Recap (sort of)

This will be short, because I'm beat. I guess that's what 26 miles of racing and 10 miles of warm-up at 9,000+ feet of elevation will do to you. Lot's of women started the sport race. Couldn't put an exact number, maybe 20 or more. Definitely awesome to see that many women mountain bikers. They scored us by ages, grouped in 10 years, so that was cool. We were off at 10:28am. I was up at 4:30, to meet the people I was going up with at 5:30. Winter Park is a 2 hour drive from FoCo. We arrived around 8:00 after making some stops. It was in the 40's once we got there. BRRRRRR!!!

So, the race started off on a straight gravel road. It was flat for about a mile. Then it was a gradual climb on the gravel for another 2 miles. Finally, we entered single track, where we climbed for another 3.5 miles. I kept good position for these first 6 miles, riding in the top 3. Towards the top of the climb, things started to take it's toll. I was on the leader's wheel and decided to drop it down a notch as to not wear myself out for the rest of the race. Eventually we went downhill, it was fast and fun. I think the downhill hurts worse than the hill. It's sort hard on your upper body, and even your legs. You have to hover over the seat and what not. So ladee da, I started to feel like crap. My hands hurt, along with my back, shoulders, neck, you name it. I wore a CamelBak. I haven't trained with a CamelBak all year. Bad idea! My condition slowly declined. At mile 13, I ate an E-Gel. I never eat energy things during races. Just before. Through the race, I made sure I was drinking. Number one thing to do at elevation since you get dried out quicker. So to make a long story short, I popped and decided to ride the rest of the race at my own pace. I was trying to conserve energy for tomorrows criterium. Even though I was hardly trying, I was losing energy fast. So fast that I even had to get off my bike and walk up part of a climb because I felt like I was going to faint. Don't know what that was all about.

Anyway, I really like this trail. It has its uphills, and its downhills. I've actually ridden part of the course before. The last part of the trail is a downhill course. It has wooden berms and everything. Pretty sweet. There's several stream crossing, one that stands out because it was probably close to a foot deep. Yes, I rode it. There was also lots of mud puddles and the like. Roots, rocks, you name it. Good times. Plan to go there again, but not to race. I think it would be an awesome mountain bike training ride. Which brings me to my next point.

Difference between Iowa and Colorado mountain bike racing:
You actually have to train to race out here.
I have been hitting it pretty hard on the road bike since I've been out here. Still a few major road races going on, so I haven't focused on mountain or cyclocross yet. And I doubt I do. I ride my mountain bike probably once a week, maybe twice. They are shorter rides (usually less than 20 miles). So I learned today, that if I want to race mountain bikes out here, I have to focus on it. By that, I mean riding mountain 4 or 5 days a week instead of road all the time. Also, I have to do longer rides, climbing rides, training with the CamelBak. So as far as collegiate season goes, I'll race mountain. After Gateway Cup, there's one more big road race. I'll probably start riding the mountain bike more after that. Hopefully my body will learn the tools of the trade to riding out here. Completely different story.

So end result: I pulled off a 4th place in my age group. It's not as good as it sounds, trust me. A little under of 3 hours riding time. Lots and lots of climbing (either 4000feet - according to the website or 9000feet - according to my GPS). An overall good time. Now, it's time to get some much needed rest. Tomorrow my crit isn't until late afternoon, so I should have plenty of time to start feeling better. Until next time!
-A