June 26, 2010The last weekend that Mum & Dad were in town we went to Crested Butte. There was a Mountain States Cup (MSC) race and we thought it was a good excuse to show them a little more countryside. The drive from Edwards is about 3 hours and over some incredible mountain ranges. The trusty Subie transported the 4 of us and we managed to find some room for Zeke, how: not sure, but we loaded both bikes and were off. I don’t usually get car sick but reading on a windy road took it’s toll and pretty soon I wasn’t feeling so hot.
We arrived shortly after. It was Friday afternoon and we grabbed some lunch at Sunflower Deli on the main street in town. If you are looking for a great sandwich and really quick check this deli out – we went back the next day it was soo good.
Then we checked into the Crested Butte Lodge. It was an amazing location, 100 feet from the base of the ski lift which was where the race would start. Brett and I pre-rode the course that afternoon and it was gorgeous, incredible views from everywhere, the downhill was fun there were some technical parts but mostly it was nice soft grippy dirt in the trees, so it was shaded. Zeke was happy to have Dad looking after him, I am pretty sure they were snuggling on the bed watching TV. Zeke is my parents’ only grandchild, neither Shane or I have kids yet, so he was getting pretty spoilt.
Race Day
Cat 2 30-39 9:30am
I ate breakfast and did my own thing warming up and trying to get race ready. At the start I saw Willa who I met at last MSC and we chatted and lined up together. It was nice to know someone. The gun went off we rode through some wider roads for a few hundred yards until we filtered into the single track climb, I was in 3rd. Jill Sorenson – Tokyo Joe’s was already developing a lead! My bike didn’t feel super seamless. The day before when we pre-rode I dropping my chain and some gears were skipping. Brettt suggested I try to get one of the boys at the demo tents early in the morning to take a look at it - I didn’t. So 5 minutes into the race I had dropped my chain front and back – URGHH.
Can’t blame anyone but myself.
Unfortunately this was right where the single track got tighter. The climbing didn’t allow for any passing and I was trapped at a speed that lent to the leaders getting further and further in front. It was driving me CRAZY. When it opened up to enough room to pass, I shifted gears to overtake and dropped my chain again! “Really, are you kidding me”. Ok so now I was just mad and on a mission. Nothing like having a fire lit underneath you to make you work hard. I figured I had no option but to redline as much as I could to try and catch them and if I blew up well… at least I tried.
My descent was clean although there was definitely more traffic to contend with and I lost time sitting behind a few girls. The girls who raced were really great about chatting with people around them “am I holding you up?” & “Do you want to slide by?” This is lovely when someone will be considerate enough to work with you and let you pass. I did not take advantage of this opportunity early enough. The second lap was fun and fast. There was a lot of ground to make up. At least I could now see Willa and just tried to close the gap, I knew she was in 2nd. Although I would drop my chain 1 last time! What does not kill you only makes you stronger, right?
The downhill was really long and I know that I am more aggressive than Willa on the descent so I took a few chances and started making some ground. I ended up right on her back wheel and we were chatting and she asked where the next girl behind me was. I told her that she had a fair distance and I would be surprised if she caught us. She was my hero when she said “you should go. You are faster downhill, than me” WOW she pulled over enough for me to slip by and I couldn’t believe my luck, what an amazingly nice thing to do. So thanks to Willa, whom I owe many beers when I see her next I came second!
I finished in 1:56:13 and came 2nd
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