Nittany Lion CX 2014
CX is here. The first races of the season are done and in the books. It's taken me a week to digest what happened at Nittany last weekend.
Over the summer I was on the fence about getting my UCI license. If I wanted to race any of the big races the only option at my level/category was to race UCI. I reached out to a few people regarding the rules and what I needed to do to get my license. I also looked for encouragement and guidance from others. Some told me it was a "right of passage", that I "earned this right" and it will be a "learning process".
I had come off a pretty successful mountain bike season and spent August preparing for the upcoming CX season. I knew Nittany would be here soon and I had to dust the cobwebs off my CX bike and practice all the skills required for CX. I had the start of the school year to distract me in the upcoming days of Nittany. The night before our races I got my stuff together and the excitement was building.
There were 55-60 girls registered in my field. These are the biggest fields I've ever raced. And I got to line up with some of the best women in the Nation - Pros like Gabby Durrin, Ellen Noble, and Laura Van Gilder. This was going to be a fast race and my goals for this weekend were to hold on as long as I could, not get pulled early in the race, and find a race within the race.
By the time of my start on Saturday, temperatures were almost unbearable. So hot they were allowing feeding. I've never raced in heat and humidity like this. Maybe once in mountain bike racing, and that race did not go well. I arrived at the start where officials checked my tires as I rolled into my position - fourth row back. I don't remember much after that other than the pain and suffering that lasted for 51 minutes. Oh, and hearing that I won the race - while I was still racing. Seems that they had my number and Gabby Durrin's switched.
Day 2 was a different race - temperatures were much more manageable thanks to a passing front. Which also made for some mud. I pre-rode the course and wondered how the mud would be at the start. Someone told me "elite women will be fine in the mud". I was 4th row again at the start and felt ok when the whistle blew. Then we got to the mud and it was a complete disaster. A domino effect of a group of us going down. I remember getting up, covered in mud, shaking mud off my hands and hoods - and watching the whole race disappear in front of me. I got back on my bike, tried to calm myself and pedaled hard to catch up. I was able to get some spots back and find some girls to "race" with. I ended up racing with another gal for the last 2 laps - where she got me towards the end of the last lap.
All things considered, I'm content with my results and how I finished - but also know that I have so much to learn. My previous CX season was just a stepping stone. I always had front row starts, was able to go for the whole shot, and often rode away by myself. Not the case anymore. I'm adjusting to starting several rows back. Longer races. Having to deal with girls all around me and proximity skills. Learning how to work with others as well as attack and sprint. And I'm excited about that.
Over the summer I was on the fence about getting my UCI license. If I wanted to race any of the big races the only option at my level/category was to race UCI. I reached out to a few people regarding the rules and what I needed to do to get my license. I also looked for encouragement and guidance from others. Some told me it was a "right of passage", that I "earned this right" and it will be a "learning process".
I had come off a pretty successful mountain bike season and spent August preparing for the upcoming CX season. I knew Nittany would be here soon and I had to dust the cobwebs off my CX bike and practice all the skills required for CX. I had the start of the school year to distract me in the upcoming days of Nittany. The night before our races I got my stuff together and the excitement was building.
There were 55-60 girls registered in my field. These are the biggest fields I've ever raced. And I got to line up with some of the best women in the Nation - Pros like Gabby Durrin, Ellen Noble, and Laura Van Gilder. This was going to be a fast race and my goals for this weekend were to hold on as long as I could, not get pulled early in the race, and find a race within the race.
By the time of my start on Saturday, temperatures were almost unbearable. So hot they were allowing feeding. I've never raced in heat and humidity like this. Maybe once in mountain bike racing, and that race did not go well. I arrived at the start where officials checked my tires as I rolled into my position - fourth row back. I don't remember much after that other than the pain and suffering that lasted for 51 minutes. Oh, and hearing that I won the race - while I was still racing. Seems that they had my number and Gabby Durrin's switched.
Nittany Lion CX Day 1 Women's Elite start (photo by Ben Tufford)
Dust on Day 1 of Nittany Lion CX (photo by Bill White)
Heat, humidity, and a super fast race left me feeling like this - Day 1 (photo by Dennis Smith)
Day 2 was a different race - temperatures were much more manageable thanks to a passing front. Which also made for some mud. I pre-rode the course and wondered how the mud would be at the start. Someone told me "elite women will be fine in the mud". I was 4th row again at the start and felt ok when the whistle blew. Then we got to the mud and it was a complete disaster. A domino effect of a group of us going down. I remember getting up, covered in mud, shaking mud off my hands and hoods - and watching the whole race disappear in front of me. I got back on my bike, tried to calm myself and pedaled hard to catch up. I was able to get some spots back and find some girls to "race" with. I ended up racing with another gal for the last 2 laps - where she got me towards the end of the last lap.
Nittany Lion CX Day 2 Women's Elite start (photo by Ben Tufford)
Proud to wear those numbers on my arm - Day 2 Nittany Lion CX (photo by Bill White)
Day 2 Nittany Lion CX Women's Elite (photo by Dennis Smith)
All things considered, I'm content with my results and how I finished - but also know that I have so much to learn. My previous CX season was just a stepping stone. I always had front row starts, was able to go for the whole shot, and often rode away by myself. Not the case anymore. I'm adjusting to starting several rows back. Longer races. Having to deal with girls all around me and proximity skills. Learning how to work with others as well as attack and sprint. And I'm excited about that.
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