Sly Fox CX. I've seen some funny and insane photos and videos of the race. Plus, it's held at a brewery. So this year I made sure it was on my calendar (sorry NJCX).
The Elite races were later in the day. So naturally, I showed up uber early. I watched the Women's 3/4 and Master's women race, cheering on friends on the infamous "hill". I got out for a few laps in between races. The course was...insane. Lots of tight corners and turns, off-camber sections, sick descent and a log. There wasn't much room to pass except on the paved road section (which seemed to have a pretty strong headwind).
I watched the races leading up to mine, chatted with friends, and thought about the race. I knew the start would be critical - getting a good position going from the road onto the narrow course. And that's when I started to freak out. The paved start turned into a parking lot with a small curb at the turn. I don't like 1) being close to others and 2) paved starts. I practiced my start twice, my foot slipping on the pavement. One more thing to stress about.
I rode around before the race and headed over to the start. Since I was early to register, I had my choice of where to line up. I figured on the left side since it was a right turn at the start. I noticed some of the "heavy-hitters" lined up behind me. No pressure. The whistle blew and I missed my pedal. FCK! I tried to keep pedaling but watched most of the field sprint ahead of me. Coming into the corner, some of the ladies got uncomfortably close to me, causing me to grab my brake before hitting one of the kegs on the side of the course. Great. I was 2nd to last going into the course.
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| photo by S. Roberts |
The yo-yo of crowding and tight corners caused us to dab and stop. I tried to remain calm but I was getting impatient and frustrated. Just before the log, a friend went down in front of me. I asked if she was ok - she said yes, and I pushed on. I was able to catch up to the next few girls on the pavement, hide in their draft and pass before going back onto the course. Yes, I was getting back.
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| My favorite part of the course - flying down the hill - photo by D. Talese |
And then I'm not sure what really happened. I *think* I was getting too close to the girl in front of me just before the log. I grabbed brake but as I was turning in the loose dirt. And down I went. I quickly got up, out of the way of the racers behind me. I lost a few spots. Then I noticed my chain dropped. More girls went past me. By the time I got back on my bike to pedal, I was in last place.
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| That log... photo by D. Talese |
Last place. I noticed blood running down my knee and I felt like a complete hot mess. Yes, I could have given up and pulled out of the race. But I pushed on - and had some really great cheering from friends in the pit (thank you!).
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| photo by S. Roberts |
I am not sure what it was - determination, frustration, encouragement - that made me push. I was able to catch up and regain a few spots to
finish 9th.
Definitely not my best race - but it was a lot of fun. The crowds and atmosphere was everything I heard about and lived up to the hype.
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