April 21st and 22nd, 2017 Short Track & Cross Country: Pro Result: 14th and 17th The week in between Bonelli and Sea Otter presented itself with some much needed recovery/chill time from a busy first couple weeks of Spring quarter. Arriving to the Sea Otter course on Thursday, I found the classic Sea Otter meld of all cycling disciplines accompanied with an explosion of tents containing diversity of cultures, gear and communities. My weekend began with the Short Track race on Friday. Although I was sitting in the last line at the start, I was stoked to race. As soon as the gun blew, chaos erupted due to the nature of the course. The course circled the whole track and had some thick, muddy sections as well as a sand pit. Off the line, I avoided a couple of crashes and then become caught in a deep mud pit which took a while to pedal through. I was able to bridge back up to the main group and sit there for a couple laps. However, about halfway through the race, coming through the sand pit, I slowed to avoid the women struggling in front of me, lost too much momentum and lost the main group. I sat solo for a bit but then hung with the next chasing group to conserve energy. Coming into the last section of the course, our pack shattered as Evelyn and I picked up the pace. I entered the pavement sprinting Evelyn and got her, finishing 14th. The next day, Saturday, was Cross Country. Since I would be racing elite, my course was new to me: carved by a lawn mower, full of off-camber, grassy twists and turns, a long tempo track section, a long climb, a couple rock gardens, and last but definitely not to be forgotten, an uphill sand pit! There was no doubt about it: this race would hurt a lot! My legs took a while to warm up after the previous day’s race but I was feeling good. The gun sounded. I didn't start super hard but was riding with the enormous front group (20 plus riders). When the singletrack came around and the riders were forced to funnel, I lost contact with the top pack but was able to regain contact with them on the second lap. From there, I worked to pick riders off one by one. The wind made drafting on the tempo section crucial so I worked with Maghalie Rochette for the last half of the race to try and gain contact with the girls in sight. I finished 17th, left everything out there and had a blast. I’m excited to keep working hard and take the lessons I have learned from these early races and apply them to the later races of this season in order to keep improving. Huge thanks to my parents, Josh, and Dario for helping me in every aspect of my racing to help me keep refining all my skills.
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April 8th and 9th, 2017 Short Track & Cross Country: Pro Result: 16th and 21st Thursday rolled around and I was back in Los Angeles after a stuffed week of new classes, travel, training and events. I did my absolute best to recover after Fontana and during the week but life got the better of me. Saturday found me on the line with Olympians and World Champions. I lined up at the back of the pack so I knew I would have to dig deep to have solid position at the start. The gun blew and I fought hard to get closer to the front. I was moving up when my autonomic nervous system disorder collided with me. My coordination slowed and I was forced to settle into survival mode. Finally, at the end of the fourth lap (out of six), I began to feel a bit better. I was able to pick it up on the climbs, pass a couple women and ride smoothly to the finish. I crossed the line in 21st. Although it was a bit of a disappointing day pedaling in circles, I was successful in accomplishing all the goals I had outlined for the race. I know persistence and patience is crucial in my first year as an elite and I can only hope to learn as much throughout the season as I have the past two weekends. The next day was Short Track and I was out for redemption. Again, I started at the very back of the group. I knew a good start would be crucial for this race as well. We started and my progress to the front was slow due to the nature of the course. Coming into the first climb, a massive crash unfolded directly in front of me. I did my best to avoid it but was pushed off my bike. I ran up the first climb and saw that the front group was long gone. The next couple laps, I buried myself to make contact with the front group again. Finally, with three laps to go, I caught back on. Relief flooded me and I relaxed for an instant. In that moment, a rider swerved in front of me and clipped my front wheel with her back wheel. I was forced to jump of my bike again and run up the hill. I lost contact again with the group again. I did my best to catch back up but there wasn’t enough time. I crossed the line in 16th. I finished knowing the race was my best effort but a little bummed with my luck. I am grateful for the small wins of the season so far and to have the learning opportunities this season has presented. It truly takes a village to support me and my appreciation for everyone involved cannot be put to words.
Since Nationals, I have been very busy with all good things! I wanted to include a few photos of a couple of my adventures in the past months. I have been loving my time on the bike more than ever but also doing lots of new things as well. I started school at Stanford this past fall and have met some wonderful people. Enjoying my favorite mountain. Stoked to be part of Whole Athlete for another year. April 1st and 2nd, 2017 Short Track & Cross Country: Pro Result: 6th and 15th After a long base season full of challenging rides and long hours of strength work, I knew I was as ready as possible coming into Fontana. Friday morning found me back at the venue - mounds of jagged rocks incongruous with the surrounding congested freeway. I was thrilled to be reunited with the wonderful humans of the cycling community and felt strong and smooth preriding the course. The weekend of racing would be my first-time racing Pro at a Pro XCT and I was excited to take on the new series of challenges that come with an upgrade in categories. Minimizing fatigue as well as staying focused and smooth would be crucial aspects in a race longer than I was used too. 5am Saturday morning, I woke up to a blaring alarm and a black night. Although still dark, the morning was already warm. My warmup went flawlessly and soon, we were on the line. They called 15 seconds and then immediately sounded the start gun. After some confusion, we were rolling. Although I had a solid start off the line, I let myself fall back a bit coming into the first climb to conserve energy. On the long pavement climb of the course, the group split, the girls directly behind me falling away. I made it onto the single-track climb, and was riding smoothly. I didn’t want to follow the rider in front of me too closely so I could stay clipped in. I was also cautious about digging too deeply right off the line and not having anything saved for later. As a result, I let riders in front of me pull away In hindsight, I should have stayed with them. I didn’t pass, or get passed once throughout the race. The course is largely tactical, especially on windy days. Being alone on the windy sections meant time sucked from me and also meant it was nearly impossible to close gaps on other riders solo. I crossed the line in 15th, knowing I had ridden a solid race but also knowing a different start would have changed my race. The next day was Short Track. After a morning spin and a leisurely warm up in the dusty afternoon heat, it was go time. The start gun sounded and I took the hole shot. I eased up and grabbed Kate Courtney’s wheel. The race shattered and it was six of us for the rest of the race. I sat at the back of the pack to conserve energy and watch. In hindsight, this had the reverse effect. Riding at the back resulted in expending more energy than my counterparts over every section. On the last climb of the last lap, I finally dropped off a little. However, up ahead, closing in on the finish, I could see Evelyn Dong and Shayna Powless had also been dropped. I put my head down and began to sprint. Coming into the finish, I had more momentum than them but not quite enough time. I crossed the line in sixth. My first weekend of Pro racing is in the books and all in all, it went well. My legs felt strong, I stayed smooth, and most importantly, I learned tons. I know I can keep improving and I’m excited to see what this season holds. I feel blessed to be part of Whole Athlete p/b DNA Cycling again and have my mom, Josh, Dario and John running such a flawless program. On to Bonelli this weekend!
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