MSC #2 Race Report: Day One

Another Mountain States Cup race has come and gone. Last weekend was in Nathrop, CO, on a high mesa tucked under the shadow of Mt. Princeton. It's close to home; I don't think the drive is any longer than two hours. It was a complete luxury to wake up on Saturday morning, get a muffin and... coffee from my favorite local place, pack my stuff up and hit the road with plenty of time to prep for the cross country race once I got to the venue. What a far cry from the first MSC, where we rushed out after work on Friday, got stuck on Vail pass and had to sleep in the car!

Last year when I raced Nathrop, I couldn't stand the course. It seemed to be all dirt road, long, straight and boring sections where a bunch of roadies on mountain bikes passed me. This year I was ready for it. I knew the course, and had worked out a strategy with my mentor. I played it smart, catching wheels to draft off on every one of the sraightaways. And with all off the work I put in early this year, I had the fitness to stay on those wheels.

So why did I end up in tenth place of twelve finishers? Good question. Quite a while ago I decided that I would not let myself get discouraged. I know what's possible; If I let a bad race deter me from my goals, I've cheated myself of those possibilities. But one of my strengths is my ability to analyze a race, to see the tactics (yes, there are tactics in mountain bike racing).

So here goes:
One, was in the throes of a cold when I arrived on Saturday. My nose was stuffed, I couldn't draw a full breath, and I was coughing up some pretty righteous looking nasties. Two, I cramped on the start of lap two....of four. Yikes! That's really early in a race to be cramping, especially for me. Was it because I wasn't getting enough oxygen? Was my stuffy nose and half-cocked breathing causing the muscle cramps? I don't know, though I'd love to find out. Three, my goal after the cramps started turned from the podium to finishing. I HATE dropping out of races. I was going to finish, dangit, unless it was going to cause long term harm to my body. And finish I did. I did some fine "survival riding" for laps two and three, and gave lap four everything I had left, finishing right behind my teammate Sarah Musick. A loooonnnnnnggg cool down, some food, and then the post race hangout.

The racers took over the nearby Chalk Creek Campground, and I set up a tent near my friends Meghan, Kate, and Spencer. We got our cook on (yeah, pasta!), showered (Fifty cents = three minutes of heavenly hot water), and relaxed at the fireside of some nearby gravity guys. Thanks fellas!

Oh yeah, the Pro Women's XC (short for cross country) went to Jennifer Smith, followed by Kelli Emmett. Jay Henry and Rotem Ishray took the men's race. To my complete shame, I missed Joanna Petterson and Petr Hanak throw down in the Mountain Cross.