Mountain Bike Nationals 2017 - Women's Downhill
Up to Nationals, I've raced Downhill (DH) three times. Due to the races being far and my schedule, I haven't been able to get to as many as I would like. So why not sign up to race Nationals? I figured it would be a new place to ride and challenge myself. I registered for the Women's Cat 2/3 40-49 race.
My race was scheduled for Tuesday. I arrived Sunday night in order to get on the course first thing Monday morning. With the packed schedule and mountain coverage, pre-ride times were limited and tight. I had to juggle my DH prep along with Enduro.
Monday morning I walked the DH course first thing. The people I met along my walk...so nice and interesting to hear where they traveled from. Getting to see the course from this perspective really helped for when I got on my bike later in the day. I was able to see multiple lines - entries and exits. Yes, there were drops and hits I would go around. Let's face it, I'm no spring chicken and I'm just getting comfortable going off drops.
I was able to get in a few runs after my Enduro pre-ride. I absolutely loved the course. It had lots of roots and rocks - which reminded me a lot of my "home mountain", Mountain Creek. The course was long...probably the longest I've raced so far. I had to remember to relax and just do my thing.
Monday night I went to the rider meeting, where they announced our start times. I was scheduled for a 2:44 pm start time. And the forecast for the afternoon? Thunderstorms. Would my race be impacted by the weather. Thunderstorms would put the race on hold but rain...no. And wet roots and rocks are a whole other race.
I got ready at my car before my race - had a pep talk from one of my friends as she walked over to the course to watch and cheer. I found the other girls - there were 5 of us. FIVE! Where are all the ladies?? And I was the "old lady". I joked with a rider's mom about it - who was probably close to my age. So all I had to do was finish and I was golden.
I got into the start gate and waited for my count down. I was off and could hear people cheering for me (thank you!). As I by-passed the Cupcake Road Gap and entered the roots, I was startled by the amount of spectators and my concentration broke. The next thing I knew I was into the tape with my left hand slamming into a tree. I probably yelled some profanities as I pulled my bike back out and was encouraged by all to keep going.
The rest of my run was clean and I hit every line I practiced. I came up on a little junior going into a very technical section, gave him a "hey little buddy" shout and he let me pass. I rolled through the finish to see the other girls at the bottom.
While I'm bummed about my mishap at the start of my race, overall I had a great run and earned my top spot. Hey, everyone had an invite to race. No one else wanted the challenge. I later found out I had the fastest overall time, which I'll take.
My race was scheduled for Tuesday. I arrived Sunday night in order to get on the course first thing Monday morning. With the packed schedule and mountain coverage, pre-ride times were limited and tight. I had to juggle my DH prep along with Enduro.
Monday morning I walked the DH course first thing. The people I met along my walk...so nice and interesting to hear where they traveled from. Getting to see the course from this perspective really helped for when I got on my bike later in the day. I was able to see multiple lines - entries and exits. Yes, there were drops and hits I would go around. Let's face it, I'm no spring chicken and I'm just getting comfortable going off drops.
I was able to get in a few runs after my Enduro pre-ride. I absolutely loved the course. It had lots of roots and rocks - which reminded me a lot of my "home mountain", Mountain Creek. The course was long...probably the longest I've raced so far. I had to remember to relax and just do my thing.
Monday night I went to the rider meeting, where they announced our start times. I was scheduled for a 2:44 pm start time. And the forecast for the afternoon? Thunderstorms. Would my race be impacted by the weather. Thunderstorms would put the race on hold but rain...no. And wet roots and rocks are a whole other race.
I got ready at my car before my race - had a pep talk from one of my friends as she walked over to the course to watch and cheer. I found the other girls - there were 5 of us. FIVE! Where are all the ladies?? And I was the "old lady". I joked with a rider's mom about it - who was probably close to my age. So all I had to do was finish and I was golden.
I got into the start gate and waited for my count down. I was off and could hear people cheering for me (thank you!). As I by-passed the Cupcake Road Gap and entered the roots, I was startled by the amount of spectators and my concentration broke. The next thing I knew I was into the tape with my left hand slamming into a tree. I probably yelled some profanities as I pulled my bike back out and was encouraged by all to keep going.
The rest of my run was clean and I hit every line I practiced. I came up on a little junior going into a very technical section, gave him a "hey little buddy" shout and he let me pass. I rolled through the finish to see the other girls at the bottom.
While I'm bummed about my mishap at the start of my race, overall I had a great run and earned my top spot. Hey, everyone had an invite to race. No one else wanted the challenge. I later found out I had the fastest overall time, which I'll take.
Comments