Missouri State Championships and Boss Cross 4 Weekend

They may be the ugliest jersey ever, but it is still one I am proud to have won!

You ask and you shall receive, MUD!

After having some success at Jingle Cross Rock I had been craving to race again in mud and I know that my wicked fast State Wheels glued up with the mud loving Challenge Limus tires wanted more play time in messy stuff. All week I was checking the weather to see if it was going to rain and the chance of precipitation just kept going up. On Friday it rained all day and yes, there was going to be MUD.

Boss Cross 4 Mud! (dad racing in the pic)

It just so happens that we live about 6 minutes (give or take a few seconds) from the race course. We timed the drive a few times so we knew exactly when we needed to leave home so we could stay warm and dry before our races both days while warming up at the house. On Saturday (boss cross 4) we got there early so we could register and check the course. We had so much rain that everywhere there was an incline water was running down the course. I already knew the course from when we ran it for boss cross 3 and there were only slight adjustments to the course. Last time I struggled because there were a lot of flat power sections with not much technical so I was really hoping that the mud would slow some of the less technical roadie type women down.

I warmed up in the garage at home until 20 minutes to my race start then jumped in the warm car and made the 6 minute drive to the course. I tell you what, it was sooooo cool to be literally racing from home vs driving some 8 hours away then racing, nice for a change. I line up right next to my teammate and we immediately gap the field from the start with me up front and Sarah (my teammate) hot on my wheels. This was the race that didn't matter much for me though so I let Sara go and I spent the whole race trying different lines to prepare for Sundays race but kept the gas on enough to hold off 3rd place, Ethos Girls 1/2 on the podium again! My plan worked and at the end of the race I still had plenty of energy and was feeling primed to shred at the Missouri State Championships. The course was so wet the mud never really stuck to the bike which is rare for the super sticky stuff we have here in KC.

Ethos 1/2!!!

As expected the wet soupy mud from yesterdays racing got really sticky as the course started to dry and people were breaking chains and derailleurs left and right. My dad had his race right before mine (he won the Master 35 title) so when I was going to line up he pulled me over and talked me through some good lines that I would later put to use. The course was run in reverse from the previous day so the lines were mostly all new and messy, several sections were much more technical/tricky with the conditions.

We started and it was the same top 3 from Saturdays race pulling away from the field. Sarah, the lady who got 3rd yesterday and me. Eventually Sarah and I pulled away from the 3rd place girl but it was pretty close at first as we were feeling out the course and conditions. I had a decent start sitting 3rd going into the first turn then attacked hard coming out of turn one and by the end of the next straightaway had moved into first and was looking to gap the field but I overcooked the next turn and ended up in the bushes off to the side of the course!. Quick dismount and run back putting my bike down right in front of another racer holding them off then attacked hard again to regain my teammates wheel where we battled back and forth for a while.

I have a good piece of advice for racing in the mud. Do NOT, I repeat, Do NOT listen to roadies with little CX experience when it comes to mud riding, especially the ones that have never even touched a mountain bike. "Ride to the bottom of the muddy hill and then run the mud the rest of the way" was what we heard from several others, well if you have offroad riding skills it was faster to ride the whole thing and saved a ton of energy vs slogging through the mud on your 15 pound mud covered shoes. Our first lap we wasted so much energy trying to run through mud, it was like walking through chewed up gum on a hot summer day then attempting to remount and continue riding into more mud. At least I spared my drive train some mud but my wheels were pretty mad that my shoes got to have all the "fun" going through the deep muddy bog. Haha

After that  first lap mess up I rode that muddy back section that I ran earlier and cleared the whole thing which opened up a 5-10 second gap on my teammate. As soon as I saw that I had opened a gap I took off and rode my limit to make that gap stick. By the end of the lap I had around a 20-30 second gap and was riding away from the field. Winning races is all about taking advantage of the things your can do well and the areas of the course you can gain some edge. If everyone else is running, try like heck to ride it if faster, look for advantages and go after it.

My dad asked me around lap 3 how I was doing and I told him that I could barely carry my bike over the barriers at all. I swear the sticky heavy mud  and grass made it weigh at least 20 pounds more. He told me to stop in the pits next time through and we would try to knock some of the mud off of it. When I got to the pit I had a 45 second gap and when I left it I had 20. I dug deep and put in a couple huge efforts to try and bring the gap back up and pull away from the quickly gaining 3rd place who was closing on my teammate. 3rd place ended up passing my teammate at the start of the final lap and I could tell she was coming after me next but I had not trained hard all season to lose the race on the last lap!

I was racing to win it on the bell lap which takes a combination of riding on the edge and keeping the rubber side down. You take very calculated risks and push your body to it's limit.  Unfortunately my teammate never pitted and broke her chain and messed up her derailleur which resulted in her slipping back to 5th and running a bunch, no Ethos 1/2 today. I  crossed the line with my arms in the air and won my first Elite women state championship in a hard fought race with tough conditions, the way it should be won, this win meant something. I looked down at my bike after things settled down and saw how stuffed up my derailleur was with mud and grass,  I realized just how lucky I was and how smart it was to make that pit as without that quick bike cleaning I doubt I would have finished without a mechanical failure. It's time to build a pit bike!

Over all it was a really fun race and I gained valuable experience in the mud which may be critical for having success @ Nats. I could not have won my first Elite Women's State Championship without my rock solid State Wheels. They are hand built here in the USA and the owner, Joseph, is super nice. If you have not had the chance to ride or race on a lightweight stiff carbon tubular wheelset you are missing out (look me up at the next race for a test ride!). The advantages are incredible and they make CX racing so much more fun. Also if your are in the market to buy a set of wheels please check these out, and if you are really serious about it let me know and I can get you special pricing.

Happy Wheels!

Another season goal checked off  with the Women's Elite Missouri State Cyclocross Champion and another big one right around the corner shooting for a top top 5 @ CX Nationals the first week of Jan.  It's going to be an epic race as all the fast girls from east cost to west coast are all registered, time to focus and finish strong.

Lots of bikes to clean. 3 Champions in the family today, Dad (Masters 35), Me Elite Women and Tori Junior Girls!

Local KC peeps come cheer me one at the next three races, Boxing Day CX on the 26th, Grote Prijs Wed night the 28th, and Cross off the Old Year the 31st.