Result: 2nd Category: 17-18 UCI Junior Women Teammates: Haley After an awesome week relaxing in LA with the team, I felt ready for Fontana. Preriding the course, I was pleased to find it significantly more rewarding than Bonelli: full of fun rock faces, swooping turns, and deep sandy corners. I was definitely a little intimidating entering my first ever UCI race but also felt confident in the downhill as it was reminiscent of my home terrain. I knew the key to the race would be attacking on the two climbs and staying smooth on the technical descents. Race morning found Haley and me lining up with a very small category which was slightly disappointing but also took some pressure off. It was announced that we would only be completing 2 laps, which would be about an hour long race; a distance shorter than I was used to. This meant that the whole race would be a faster pace than usual. “Go!” and we were off. I hung back and let the other girls pull through the initial section and then Haley and I attacked on the climb. I felt strong and hopped in the lead entering the 500 feet singletrack ascent. I was riding carelessly and it wasn’t long until I didn’t fully commit to a basic rock section and was forced to hop off, beckoning Haley by me. Haley put the hammer down and by the time I was back riding, she had gapped me. For the rest of the lap, I could see Haley in the distance, but couldn’t quite catch her. I wasn’t riding smoothly and kept dabbing over basic sections. Entering the second lap, I focused on relaxing and staying in my head in order to find a rhythm on the course. I had a much better final lap and pushed the last tempo section feeling powerful and fresh. I hit the ending climb at a sprint and finished feeling good. In hindsight, I realize that I failed to pace myself effectively in such a short race. I finished with another lap in me which was a mistake on my part. Even though this weekend wasn’t my best performance, I was happy to come away with some UCI points and stoked to see the team be so successful. A huge thanks to Osmo and Stacy Sims for working with me in dialing nutrition in so I can be optimally fueled. The support of the team never wavered once this weekend and I couldn't ask for a better gift than them. Training down in the beautiful park in our backyard between Bonelli and Fontana with the team.
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Our sprinter van roars along on the dark road, the stars and moon glowing iridescent. Its 6 am, Thursday morning and my Mom and I are on the road for 7 hours to Bonelli Park. Spirits are high and the months of training feel like they are finally paying off. We arrive late Thursday night and are reunited with the team. Friday is preriding day, and the course is loose, punchy, with minimal to no spots for recovery, and hot. Very hot. I ride a few laps, examining various lines with scrutiny and by the end of the day, feel dialed on the course. Race morning rolls around, and in the blink of an eye, I am lining up alongside teammates Haley and Veda. I was a little late to the line but managed to start behind Haley. We were starting with the other Cat One Women, so about fifteen women were on the line. I wasn’t all the way focused, so when the gun went off, I had a little bit of catching up to do. Haley and Veda were pulling the field and within seconds, I worked my way up to their wheels. The initial punchy climb worked on separating us out until it was just Haley, me and another woman not in our category. Since the race organizers had started every other category in front of us (up to 70+ Cat 1), we were passing people left and right, weaving between bramble and flailing handlebars. The gnarliest section of the course was a slalom style rock garden which had become super loose from thousands of riders preriding the days before. As Haley and the other woman took the initial left line, I swooped outwards and quickly crossed back over to pass them both. I felt smooth and fluid, but was surprised to glance over my shoulder when I hit the climb and not see Haley. For the rest of the lap, I worked by myself to keep up a steady but conservative pace. Since it was already about 70 degrees- which doesn’t sound too warm but is when your heart rate is 185 beats per minute- I was worried about going out too hard so I instead focused on hydrating and fueling. The course was pretty open at parts and in those sections, so I got down as low as possible to be “aero and narrow.” With about 5 minutes left in the first lap, 17-18 men category and teammate, Carson Beckett and pack of other riders caught me with Haley drafting them. I pulled Haley for the remainder of the lap and came through the finish feeling strong. Heading on my second lap, I tried to focus on recovery which was challenging due to the unforgiving nature of the course. Haley and I were able to work together, so she pulled me on the second lap. We had a pretty good gap on the field by then, about 5 minutes, so I knew the race was between Haley and me. We slowed down a little bit on our second lap but still were working hard. I knew the third lap would be the lap where the race would begin. Entering the third lap, Haley put the hammer down and sprinted full out in an attempt to drop me. I did my best to match her pace. The third lap was our fastest lap, we dropped a minute off our first lap time and two off our second. I was super excited to begin to overcome my biggest weakness in my racing career, my “second” mindset. I tend to fade when I begin to hurt, especially in the last lap and give up, letting myself accept second instead of battling for first. This race, my mind was the biggest struggle I faced. I wrestled with making myself dig as deep as I could for as long as possible. I was proud to finally succeed. Coming into the finish, the course hit a three minute climb and then dropped into a narrow singletrack that led to a turny grass finish. Haley and I were still passing tons of guys, except instead of the older men, we were passing the younger men now. I began to sprint to pass them before the singletrack (Haley had already squeezed past them). However, the three began to try and outsprint me. I passed one of them but the others swerved to cut me off and hop in front of me. Haley gapped me in the singletrack and was leading by about 7 seconds entering the grass section. I put my head down and sprinted all out, telling myself that the race wasn’t over until the line was crossed. Entering the finish and lap split, a rider hesitated and swerved into me, knocking me off my bike. I recovered and crossed the line happy and 100% blown. I was super stoked to see the rest of my team do so well and thankful for the phenomenal support. |