I raced the Cat. 1 19- 24 group at USA Cycling cross- country mountain bike National Championships, which was held at Bear Creek mountain resort. The start went well considering my starting position (they do rider call- ups based on USAC points, and since I have only done two USAC sanctioned mtn bike races, I was 27th out of 30 on the call up list). So a third row start it was, but I went hard right off the bat and worked through some guys before it narrowed down to the single track. Through the first lap I was slowly picking off guys, and made my way up to about 7th or 8th. Half way through the 2nd lap I had another rider in sight that I was closing in on, until my rear tire got a puncture from one of the many rocky descents. It took 3 stops during that 2nd lap to get it sealed and aired back up, (thankfully for the Stan's Notubes sealant, I didn't have to put a tube in) and it was frustrating to hear the riders from behind pass me while I nursed the flat. Once I finally got back in the groove for the 3rd and final lap, I put the hammer down to make up as much time and as many positions as I could. In the end I made it back up to 6th place, just missing a podium spot. I was really disappointed at first, but I then realized that for being my first year and only my 8th mountain bike race, I did pretty well against other racers from across the country that have years of experience. There is still a lot of improvement to be done and many more races ahead of me!
I'm off to State College area this saturday, July 26th, for the Wilderness 101- 100 miles and 11,000 ft of climbing on the mountain bike!
No comments:
Post a Comment