HPCX Recap
Last Sunday was day 2 of racing for me - HPCX, which actually isn't in Highland Park but still holds the name. I had heard the promoters changed the course a bit from last year. I was hoping that there would still be some climbing included. Oh, and there was (I ended up with 1300' in 11 miles).
The start was a paved climb which lead into a series of turns with..yes, climbing. Sweet - I love to climb! But after racing the day prior, I wasn't sure if my legs would be happy.
I lined up at the start, figuring out what gear would be best. I had a decent start up the climb but as we turned into the grass, I was starting to get surrounded by the other girls. There was a technical turn that we were approaching, which I wanted a good line through. I patiently watched others go through and was able to gain a few spots going into the next series of climbs. I was in fourth place at this point.
I was close to third spot until I clipped my pedal just before barriers. Luckily I had "the heckler" to make me laugh and brush off my mistake. However, I watched third place put a bigger gap between us and felt fifth place creeping up on me.
We rode together for what seemed like the entire race...her tire practically rubbing my back wheel. At one point, Lance yells "she's right on your wheel". Yeah. I know. I also had my eye on another girl who was starting to catch up to us. This was going to be a tough finish.
We came around the corner onto the pavement for the finish - the same climb the start was. I shifted...stood up...and sprinted. I watched the girl pass me...and then all of the sudden the other girl was next to me!? Where did she come from!?
The three of us, places 4-5-6, all finished within 0.01 seconds of each other. I ended up 6th...which I was slightly bummed about. I was ok with finishing 5th..but if I paid attention prior to the sprint I would have known that someone else was gunning for the finish. I also realized that I need to work on my sprints. Important lessons learned from this race.
Next race - Kutztown MAC
The start was a paved climb which lead into a series of turns with..yes, climbing. Sweet - I love to climb! But after racing the day prior, I wasn't sure if my legs would be happy.
I lined up at the start, figuring out what gear would be best. I had a decent start up the climb but as we turned into the grass, I was starting to get surrounded by the other girls. There was a technical turn that we were approaching, which I wanted a good line through. I patiently watched others go through and was able to gain a few spots going into the next series of climbs. I was in fourth place at this point.
I was close to third spot until I clipped my pedal just before barriers. Luckily I had "the heckler" to make me laugh and brush off my mistake. However, I watched third place put a bigger gap between us and felt fifth place creeping up on me.
photo by Bill White
photo by Bill White
We came around the corner onto the pavement for the finish - the same climb the start was. I shifted...stood up...and sprinted. I watched the girl pass me...and then all of the sudden the other girl was next to me!? Where did she come from!?
The three of us, places 4-5-6, all finished within 0.01 seconds of each other. I ended up 6th...which I was slightly bummed about. I was ok with finishing 5th..but if I paid attention prior to the sprint I would have known that someone else was gunning for the finish. I also realized that I need to work on my sprints. Important lessons learned from this race.
Next race - Kutztown MAC
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