Cyclocross Begins in Earnest

As some of you have seen, I was lucky enough to be a ride leader for USA Cycling’s National Talent Identification camp. In short, I (along with pro racer Lindsey Bishop, Carmichael Coach Ryan Kohler, and USA Cycling’s lead mountain bike devo man, Marc Gullickson) took some extremely talented (and speedy) juniors for rides, skill work, and lectures.
Did I mention they were fast? These kids made me work HARD to ride with them.
The unexpected benefit? A massive mental breakthrough. When I thought I was pushing my boundaries all this season…I wasn’t. Now I know what pushing it begins to feel like…and for some reason, it hurts less. Instead of dwelling in the misery that I lived in during every mountain bike race, the so-called pain cave that racers revel in, I now look up, at the next woman that I know I’m going to catch, and it doesn’t hurt to chase her down. At my first race after the camp, I started from the dead last start position. I passed thirty-two women. At yesterday’s race I was fifth amongst the Cat 3s, 23rd overall. A far cry from the dead last in Cat 3s that I got in the race right before the camp. I’m looking forward to pushing myself even further. And the perfect opportunity approaches: The Boulder Cup. As a UCI race, it’s an opportunity for all the pros to get international level points. For the rest of us, it’s a banner race, and one of the few times when my category gets to race separately from the pro women’s field. In other words, it is a chance for me to see where I really stack up in my field, without worrying about poor start positions or other riders on course. Wish me luck!