US Pro XCT Colorado Springs Race Recap

On June 12th and 13th, for the first time ever, Colorado Springs hosted one of the National Mountain Bike Series Races. That meant our town, already home to many great mountain bikers, was flooded with even more. It was almost disorienting watching Adam Craig, Katerina Nash and the like racing short track at my favorite, I-just-want-to-hit-a-little-singletrack-while-my-rice-cooks-loop at Bear Creek Park.
Ironically the XC (cross country) race was at Cheyenne Mountain State Park, somewhere I'd never ridden before. So much for the hometown advantage! But on the day of the big race, many familiar faces appeared, including some of my co-workers. Thanks for the cheers, guys! Having an audience sure helps me push myself.
Also, big thanks to Nick Murdick from Shimano for the pics!
Anyways, my race (Cat 1 Women, aka Expert Women) went off promptly at 10:30. The course started out with a wide open climb, narrowing down to progressively more technical singletrack climbing. Then we turned around and pointed downhill through progressively less technical singletrack. First lap felt like a repeat of Angel Fire; Get dropped on the sit-and-spin climbs, then gain a little ground as it got technical, and pass a bunch of people on the descent. Lap 2, more of the same. Lap 3, push it a bit harder on the climb since I know I'm almost done. Then, on the descent, with less than a mile to go, I recognize one of the other regular competitors from the Mountain States Cup. I've never caught her before. I pass her on a technical step-up, then PIN IT to stay ahead. Woohoo! 6th place of 11, not bad, still improving though.
In the Pro Women's field, Katherine Pendral beat out Katie Compton in a sprint finish (pretty imressive). Max Plaxton took the Pro Men's field. For more results, go here.