Cyclocross Nationals

Before I go into my race recap I want to thank everyone that has helped get me this far.  First off I want to thank my coach, Adam Mills with Source Endurance. I don't know where I would be without him. Last year I decided I wanted to start training and I had no clue what to do or the motivation to do it. Training with him has pushed me to be a stronger rider and pushed me to limits I would never have gone to.

Next I want to thank Van Dessel cycles for giving me a bike to ride when almost no one else would, and let me tell you it is one of the sickest bikes I have ever ridden on. My Full Tilt Boogie is so fast and smooth through even the roughest of terrains. I have fallen in love with this bike and I hope to be riding on it for a long time, maybe the road season this year (no water bottle mounts will be tough).

My Van Dessel

You can't ride a bike without wheels. Thank you State Wheels for sending me a set of 38 Carbon Tubulars. They accelerate so freaking fast and the design on them is pretty smexy. Everyone who has ridden them for a race to test them out has been amazed at how well they hold up. Unlike other wheels they are not flimsy for the weight and they are super strong. Thank you Joseph Lafico for setting me up with a pair of these sic wheels. 

Where would I be in all of those muddy races like State, Jingle Cross Rock, and Nationals with out a pair of  knobby tires? Thanks to Challenge Tires for sponsoring my ride and giving me the traction for every type of course. The Limus has kept me upright in conditions of all types from grass crit to peanut butter mud. 

Smexy wheels with some knobby tires

Finally I want to thank everyone who has yelled at me to go faster even when I have felt at my worst. Without your heckling I don't know if I could have pushed my self so hard. Also everyone's support from taking me to races to support before and at the start of races has been amazing. 

THANK YOU! Now on to the race- 

Normally at the start of a big race I am really nervous, shaking, have to move around, and about to pee my pants. For some reason I didn't feel anything. I was super focused and ready to rock. I knew who I had to stay with and how to ride the course.

When they called me up I lined up on the left because of how much mud was on the road (people had been dragging mud from the grass section right before). When everyone was on the line they told us we had two minutes to start. That wasn't quit right because of some little kiddos left on the course from the previous race. They blew the whistle and the start was crazy fast. Faster than any other start I have done. I came across the hole shot in 7th or 8th and started passing girls in the grass. I was all out gunning for the front.

Right before the pits there was a hairpin turn that was ridable if you could put the power down and pull your bike into the right rut. I might have been able to make it but I ran right into the girl in front of me. I jumped off my bike and ran around a pile up after the top of the hairpin and ended up in 2nd. This was short lived because some of the other girls were able to power through the peanut butter mud better than I was after the turn. 

I lost even more spots on a false flat leading up to a 100ft kicker. We got to the bottom of the hill and I gunned it trying to stay on my bike as long as possible and get some of those spots back. First was long gone at this point because she was the only one who wasn't in the pile up. I made it half way and the girl in front of me jumped off right into my path. I moved over and immediately spun out. I ran up the rest off the hill and tried to bridge the gap back up but the front group was gone. 

As the race proceeded I lost more spots until I was in 10th place. Even the 15-16 girls were passing me and they started a minute back. I kept duking it out with the girl who was in 9th place even though I thought she was in the 15-16 race. After the sand pit I dug in deep on the last lap and ran past her and remounted right in front of her. I dug even deeper and pulled away to take the 9th place spot at the end. 

The whole race I felt like absolute crap, I had no power. I could breathe fine and I was peaked for this race but I just couldn't go, guess that cold I was fighting all week just kept me off me A game. I didn't have a mechanical since I pitted every lap to make sure my bike was clean and ready to climb the kicker right after the pit. 

My State Wheels were amazing with the Challenge Tire Limus. They were super grippy in the mud and I didn't go down once. Plus I could accelerate out of the corners like a bat out of hell. 

Over all I am super pissed about my performance but it is just a race. It is behind me now and I am going to take everything that went wrong to help me do better next year. This season may be over but it is the start of a new year. New people, new friends, new sponsors, and new races (plus all those old ones that were so much fun). 

Its time for mountain bike season after I park the bike for a while. Its a bitter sweet end to an amazing year. 

Happy New Year!!!!!