Our beautiful cabins in the Alps. In mountain bike racing, there are good days and bad days. Days where your legs propel you over massive mountains and days where the pain from racing makes you question every inch of your being. Unfortunately, yesterday leaned more towards the second option for me. But there was so much to the race than just the hour of suffering. We flew in on Thursday and arrived in the stunning Austrian Alps later that night. Our cabins were surrounded by the towering, snow-capped mountains, ancient castles and expansive meadows full of wildflowers. Looking around was like being in a picture book and I felt like I was in a dream. The team was able to get on the course Thursday and Friday and I was more than stoked to discover a highly technical, punchy course full of features. The descents were steep, packed with roots and tight switchbacks. The dirt quickly turned to a fine powder which added another factor to the race. The climbs were extremely punchy and steep as well. I was in love with the course. I felt smooth and fluid on it. I knew the key to the race would be in staying relaxed and focused throughout the race. Race morning found me calm and ready to take on the challenge of my first European race. I had the second call up and lined up as confident and ready as I ever would be. Among the rows of the 40+ girls were the rainbow stripes of the world champion. The whistle blew and we were off. I had a good position and my legs felt strong. Entering the first descent, I was about tenth. In the chaos, we all began to run. I ran/slid down the A-line and was back riding fairly quickly, in time for the longest climb. Something changed then, and it wasn’t in my legs or my mind. Months of preparation had led to this race and I was ready for it. However, as soon as I started to push myself, my vision became foggy and the dizziness problem I have long suffered from became all-consuming. The thought of quitting loomed heavy on the horizon, but I pushed through with the small hope that it would clear. Girls kept passing me as I settled into survival mode and did my best just to keep riding. Entering the second lap, I felt slightly better but still was losing position. Halfway through, my head cleared slightly and I was able to push myself harder. My legs felt strong and I was riding smoothly. I started to slowly move up in the field but my progress was slow. After every effort, my dizziness would be reinforced and my pace would slow again. I was relieved to cross the line. After finishing, the emotional stress collided with me. My jaw shook uncontrollably and I was entirely speechless. After some solo reflection, I felt much better and was able to take perspective.
The pain of the race seems miniscule in scale to the positives. I am honored to have the opportunity to be in Europe. It was incredible to have a highly competitive field to push me when giving up is so tempting. I am learning so much by being immersed in a field of such highly trained athletes. I look forward to an awesome week of training and the race next weekend!
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Sea Otter… where to begin… Every year, a frenzy of multi colored tents erupts in the Mazda Raceway, accompanied by an eclectic crowd of thousands from different countries around the world (well, as diverse as a group of bikers get, anyway). During the three day festival, early morning to evening, these crowds choose to enter deep into the pain cave. Although there are multiple disciplines of racing, my racing was strictly restricted to cross country. The course, similar every year, is one 24 mile long lap full of never-ending fireroad climbs, gravel fireroad descents and the occasional singletrack tossed in (just to keep the spirit of actual mountain biking somewhat alive). Race morning found the raceway blanketed in a thick layer of dense fog, which kept the morning an ideal temperature. On the line, I was encouraged to see about fifteen girls alongside me, the biggest field of the season so far. Although they were playing pop songs on the start, I could feel the nerves radiating off the other girls. The whistle blew and we were off. I hung back, allowing the others to pull me and then sprinting to be second into the first treacherous descent. As soon as we hit the open road again, I allowed the other girls to pass in order to sit in on their wheels and draft. On the singletracks, Haley and I alternated leading, usually putting in a small gap and then allowing the field to catch and pull us on the open sections. I focused on conserving all my energy, eating my Probolts and staying hydrated with Osmo. Sea Otter ended in a series of nasty fireroad climbs which led to a final singletrack one. The whole hour leading up to those climbs could almost be called a warmup because the race didn’t really start until those climbs. By the time we reached those last climbs of the course, our pack had narrowed to 3 other girls, including Haley. Entering the last singletrack section (a descent and then a climb), Haley and I glanced at each other, and put down the hammer, sprinting to the entrance. We flew down the descent, and soon hit the ascent, my only worry to push my already screaming legs and gasping lungs impossibly harder. We were wheel to wheel until the final little pitch, where I failed to anticipate gearing and was forced to grind an awful cadence. She gained a few wheel lengths on me and entered the track finish ahead of me. It was one of the most fun races of the season, and I felt honored to take second. The support that the team has given me in the past few weeks has truly been one-of-a-kind. I can’t give enough thanks to Josh, Dario and my mom for all the hours they put into the team. Next stop, Austria and Germany for the Junior World Series races!
Category: UCI Junior Women 17-18 Place: 2nd Teammates: Haley Preriding Bonelli #2, I was happy to find that the course was pretty different than Bonelli #1. The course was full of punchy climbs, rutted descents and log features. I felt smooth and ready for the the race the next day. It was a little strange having a 4:30pm race, but I quickly adjusted. I was disappointed to discover that once again, our field would be pretty small (less than 10). Off the line, 17-18 National Champion, Ksenia, jumped in front and led us around the start loop and first lap. I settled into second place behind Ksenia, focusing on staying hydrated and conserving the energy I knew I would need later. By that point, our pack had condensed to Ksenia, Haley and me. Entering the final singletrack of the first lap, I hopped in front, hoping that I could build a small gap without expending too much energy. I was successful. Ksenia and Haley remained a few yards behind me entering the second lap. Teammate Haley found my wheel and we picked up the pace to put a couple minute gap on the field. The combination of afternoon heat and the draining nature of the course added up to me spending most of the race deep in the pain cave, my heart rate hovering almost as high on the descents as on the climbs of the course. Haley jumped in front and for the rest of the race, I followed her wheel. I had chosen to race my hardtail Fate on the course while Haley had chosen her full suspension Epic. However, since the downhills were packed with bone rattling ruts and loose turns, I found myself envious of her bike choice on those downhills. even though I loved the Fate on the climbs. Halfway through the fourth and final lap on a descent, she pulled away. I was stoked to finish second and felt like I gave a good effort and left everything on the course. It was awesome to see the whole team be so successful. Next stop, Sea Otter!! Relaxing with my teammates post race.
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