UCI Junior Women Place: 23rd USA Teammates: Haley, Ksenia and Cassie After the previous race, the USA team spent some time exploring Austria before heading to Germany. Often times while traveling for bike races, access to the actual culture is limited due to focusing on the race. However, we were able to escape for a day into the countryside (and city). We packed a gourmet picnic of bakery breads and fine cheeses and meats and ventured to a gushing river for a picnic. After lunch, we stopped by a breathtaking lake, the Alps towering as a backdrop before driving to Innsbruck, Austria’s biggest tourist town. Tuesday we arrived in Germany, and although the Alps were missing, it was still gorgeous. The forests glowed tropical green and cute adobe houses sprinkled sprawling fields of wildflowers. We were able to get on the course Wednesday. I was pleased to find a grueling singletrack climb leading to a flowy, technical descent. Then, ominous clouds appeared on the horizon and water ranging from drizzle to torrential remained for the next 5 days. However, this just added another element of fun to the course. We got back on the course Saturday. I felt smooth on the rock gardens, and steep, rocky and rooty switchbacks. Race day rolled around and while Carson and Chris headed to the course to race, the girls had a leisurely morning of stretching and snacking before getting ready. I was called up to the line in 2nd behind Haley in front of a field of 70 girls. The gun went off and we exploded. Leading to the climb, I had good positioning in top 5. However, about 2 minutes in, my dizziness hit and I was forced to back off, letting a stampede of girls pass me. At a particularly steep part of the climb, a girl attempted to pass me and knocked us both to the ground, gouging my leg with her bike. Although we had been in a solid line, as this occurred, the front pack pulled away as the second group (including myself) grappled to run in the slippery mud. For the rest of the race, I worked to catch as many as I could. I rode smoothly enough on the downhill to catch girls in front of me and passed girls on the climbs as well. I felt strong and as though I paced myself well but also knew I had lost some critical time from mistakes. I finished 23rd feeling good. This wasn’t just an awesome trip but also an awesome learning experience. It was so exciting to have such a competitive field of girls and such challenging courses. Huge thanks for Whole Athlete for backing me throughout this adventure! Now some rest before heading to Canada in June :)
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