Wawayanda Spring Cleaning H2H #2 2015

I generally like riding rocks.  And I love riding at Wawayanda.  So I was excited to race this year's Spring Cleaning race.  The Tuesday prior to the race I met up with some other teammates to pre-ride the course.
MTBNJ team pre-ride excitement
But after going over-the-bars just past sitting bear and not finding my rhythm, I was a bit concerned about how my race would go.  Would I survive?

I shook it off the morning of the race.  I had to.  I told myself to relax and kept repeating the mantra "smooth is fast".  I found some friends before the race to chat and chat with. I was hysterical at the start, some of the ladies discussing what they've used for toilet paper at races.  I had some ideas of how I wanted my race to start - not go off the front and pull the field on the prologue road start.  Relax and hide behind the group.  I had two hours to make passes and make my way up.

Cat 1 Women 15-39
We were off and I was probably one of the last girls in the pack down the road.  No worries.  I was able to just duck in behind some other women I knew would be riding smart as well.  Once we entered the woods, I made my attacks, passing girls on the climbs.  I found myself behind my category leader.

I didn't know why at the time, but there was a gentlemen who went off with our start.  He kept getting in and out of our group.  And he was in front of me and the leader through some of the more technical stuff.  He would fumble...we would pass...then he would get in front of us.  He seemed flustered and I could hear our leader talking to him but unsure of what she was saying. I told myself to relax, it was bad karma to say anything...but come on!

Photo by SGF Studios
We crossed the wooden planks at the end of the prologue and I made my final pass going through the climb at timing.  I was now in the lead.  And with the exception of "that guy" trying to get around me (which he then flatted...karma), that was how the race was.  I was by myself with the exception of catching some Pro women a few times.  I had a clean race - and stuff that stressed me out during my pre-ride? No problem. I had this.

I finished only a few minutes ahead of 2nd place but it was good enough for the win.


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