Thanksgiving Break

I drove home two Friday's ago after my last class of the day. The drive home was pretty uneventful, but I didn't get in until 2:00. I opted out of racing on Saturday because I didn't get enough sleep and my knee was still bothering me. I did race on Sunday though. It was nice to see so many familiar faces out there. I've raced this CX course before, but this year they cut out a lot of the course. It was still fun. I came away with the win and finished 9th overall. The women raced with the men's 3/4's. Afterwards, we did some heckling during the Men's Elite/Master's race. Good times!

Bryan got Eppen to take a beer hand-up on his last lap. He even stopped to chug it...and still won by a huge margin.

Fast forward through the week, because I didn't do much. I sat around a lot, hung out with friends and family, did some riding, ate lots of good food, etc. I did get some time to help leaf-blow the local trails (Dehn's). It was over-due. There's also a new addition to the trail system. Something to spice it up.

Dennis showing how it's done. This was taken pre-leaf blowing, obviously.

On Wednesday night I registered for both days of Jingle Cross. I haven't been training for cross, so was pretty hesitant to sign up for it. I've been enjoying the "off season" and think I'll benefit more from it in the long run. It's weird though, because for the past two years I've raced pretty much all year.

Anyway, the race on Saturday went as expected. It was a pretty tough field with all the usual Midwest suspects. Throw in a few out-of-staters and it was a good mix. For the second year, the women's elite race was UCI C2. I wish more people would show up for this race. It's UCI for pete's sake! Not to mention, it's one heck of a course! Who cares if it's Iowa...we still have good races!! :) Anyway, I had a bad start and couldn't really move up that well. I didn't pre-ride the course. I felt really bad after the first lap because I was all over the place. Sorry for everyone who was caught behind me! I told Steve Tilford that it would have helped to pre-ride the course. At the end of my first lap, he told me now I have. I never could get a rhythm going though. The course was really tight. It even included a spiral thingy (yes, I couldn't come up with a better word). It was constant breaking and sprinting out of the corners. Oh, and did I mention we had to run up a huge hill (Mt. Krumpit)? Those of you who have been to Jingle Cross before know what I'm talking about. This hill is like none other. The course was a blast though, and I had fun. I tried to make the most of it, even if I was telling spectators along the course that "I hate cyclocross". I pulled off a 10th place. I think this gets you 1 UCI point. As a lot of you know, I was telling people that I would be more motivated to go to CX nationals if I had UCI points. Since I haven't registered yet, I would be starting at the very back. Having UCI points puts you towards the front. If I understand it correctly, the line you up according to how many points you have. So 1 point is better than 0. Anyway I got my point.

This picture only does a little bit of justice for how steep this hill is.

At least I got to practice shouldering my bike. I think this is the first time I've ever done this in a race.

Heading down the hill at the top of Mt. Krumpit.

Saturday night it started to rain. Then it turned into snow. Great. I woke up to a winter wonderland. I honestly thought about sleeping in, and then starting my drive back to Colorado a little earlier. I convinced myself to race since I had already paid my entry fee. The same people showed up today. I got there early and watched a few races. This helped because I was able to see what lines people were taking. The course was ran backwards, essentially. Yes, that meant we were coming down the all-mighty steep goodness of Mt. Krumpit. It was a mud pit. I saw so many people walking it and sliding down on their butts (on accident). Great, this is going to be an epic race! It sort of reminded me of collegiate mountain bike nationals (which I've never raced when it hasn't been muddy).

Here's the downhill.

This is the first run, I mean walk-up. It lead into an off-camber slight downhill. Prior to the race, I was given some advice on how to ride it. I didn't pre-ride the course because it would have destroyed my bike. So coming into it blind, I made my way around people and hopped on my bike. By the time we had gotten down the hill, I was in first with a decent gap. I continued to maintain that gap through the technical sections of the course. The girls behind me would close it on the power sections. Lucky for me, a majority of the course was technical. The climb up the other side of Mt. Krumpit was really slick. I rode it until I slid out then got off and ran. I could hear someone behind me but just kept trying to run. Next we went down the hill. Surprisingly, I picked an awesome line and flew down the hill. No idea how I did it. But it wasn't so bad and I tried not to think about the "what-if's". I saw a video of the first lap. The girls behind me were within 5-10 seconds back at the start of the downhill. At the end of the downhill, I had a good gap. We only did 3 laps. I rode the downhill and off-camber section every lap. Each time I rode the off-camber section I put a good amount of time into 2nd place. Then she would close in on me, enough to make me nervous. By that time, we hit Mt. Krumpit downhill again and I put more time on her. The only way I won that race was because of the mud. There was no way I was the strongest rider out there. I honestly still do not know how I pulled off the win. I give a ton of credit to collegiate mountain bike nationals both this year and last year. It taught me how to ride in the mud. By the time the race was done, I was caked in mud. I couldn't even shoulder my bike on the run-up because it was too slippery to pick up. I dabbed a few times and almost ate it in the tight barn section. Here's some photos.

A view of the spiral "thingy" and the off-camber downhill part.

I think the was the last lap going down the hill. I had mud in my eyes and couldn't see. I was scared that I was going to crash, but managed to keep it upright.

Heading through the stalls. Yum...mud soup!

Post-race interview. I was so glad to be done and out of the mud!

Podium shot. Josie Jacques-Maynes (2nd), myself (1st), and Sydney Brown (3rd).

After the race, I hopped in my truck and headed for Colorado. 12 hours later, I was back in Fort Collins. It was a long drive due to snowy/slick conditions, but I made it safely! It was a very fun weekend. I had a blast on Sunday. Thanks to everyone who cheered for me both days! It was nice to see everyone that I am used to seeing when racing in the Midwest.

I think I've talked myself into going to CX nationals in two weeks. I'll definitely be doing the collegiate race, and possibly the elite race. Unfortunately they are on the same day. I need to talk to my professors still about moving my finals around. It shouldn't be a problem though. Thanks for reading and see you all in a few weeks!

P.S. It's 65 and sunny here in Fort Collins today. Tomorrow it's supposed to snow. I wish this weather would make up it's mind! Oh well, enjoy it while you got it right?

-A