I hadn't really raced since mid-November, so I had no idea how Saturday's race at Southridge would turn out.  The plan was to sit in for lap one.

Unfortunately, I like to rail singletrack, so I wound up taking the lead before we hit the singletrack and never "looked back"!  Had a great race and can't wait to continue to gain fitness with training hard!

Finished 1st out of 4 Cat 1 women. 

Looks like the 2009 race season is off and running.  Southridge has already had 2 races, and the third is coming up on Saturday!  I hope to make it out to a few of the SRC Races to support the local scene and test the fitness.

I'd like to thank Nema Brand International for picking me up as a rider as well.  Looking forward to sporting the gloves while racing this year!  Will have a full report on those soon.

This past weekend was the wrap-up of not only the Southridge USA race season, but also the third and final race of the So Cal Triple Crown series.  The Triple Crown started on October 4 at a rain dampened Bonelli, and ended this past weekend in a mostly humid and warm morning out at Southridge.  The second race of the series, at Mt. SAC, began in rain and ended in clear blue skies.

I wish there had been more women out racing the Expert and Pro categories.  There had been a Pro woman at Bonelli, but none at Mt. SAC or at Southridge.  I had one competitor at Mt. SAC, but no one else the other two races.  The sport and beginner categories at least had a few entrants!

Don't tell me that all the Pro/Expert women are out doing Cross races?  Some must take those months off or not have a cross bike.

I don't know how you can afford an entire season of racing around the country, traveling, race entry fees, and a race bike (including upkeep, and probably a road bike also, coach, power meter, trainer stand/bike, the list goes on) and then add to that 'cross races and a separate bike!  :eek:

At any rate, the women seem to be dwindling no matter what my class is.  I raced Sport most of the year and at many races had no more than 1-2 other women to race against.  For USAC that means no points at all.  Then I upgrade to Expert and the same thing seems to happen!

I wound up winning (and I did have to work hard at all 3) the series overall and getting the sweet multi-colored jersey.  I imagine the men loved the pink.  I don't mind it!  I even managed to scoop up one of the very few "small" jerseys they had. 

I got to test it out on Sunday morning on a road ride.

It was cool to get a series jersey for the Triple Crown, but I hope the dwindling number of participants doesn't stop this and other race series' from happening next year.

Well, that's two races in a row now that I've had mechanical issues.  My bike has worked flawlessly all year throughout races/events and recreational/training rides.  Maybe it's time for some new drive train parts, huh?

At Big Bear, arguably the most important race of the year (CA State Championship) I wound up getting a giant nail stuck in my tire.  Yes, in the middle of the national forest there are rusty construction nails.  A tire change would've been easy, but my tire was essentially glued to the rim.  Whether a combination of the drying Stans sealant and heat all summer, or just rim tape and a hard to remove tire: the end result was the same - huge time loss while trying to get the tire off the rim.  The tube change was easy.  Then I had some problems putting the wheel back on.

The end result?  Dead last finisher.  I refused to give up and DNF, though I thought about it many times.

This past weekend at Bonelli I wound up not being able to get my small ring to pedal.  I thought something from the front derailleur snapped off (there was a small metal piece laying at the DT/ST junction after a snap sound), but it wound up that I had lost the majority of small chain ring bolts from my bike.  Once I got the bike shifted into the middle ring I could finish my race, albeit only with a 34T middle ring (on my big wheels).  I'm not the strongest/most powerful climber out there, so some of the steeper hills were tough.  Since I couldn't spin I wound up climbing out of the saddle a bunch on tired legs, so I was thoroughly beat at the end.

Wish there would've been some more competition out there.  I did wind up passing a few guys throughout the remainder of my race. 

Here's to having better luck in November!

Well, the first quarter of 2008 is officially over.  The Southridge Racing / Shimano Winter Series 2008 has come and gone.  I finished 1st overall in Women's Sport 34 & Under in XC, and 2nd overall in Women's Sport 34 & Under for DH. 

I came in 2nd overall at the 20th Annual Keyesville Classic all mountain stage race, with a 1st place overall in the DH, 4th in Short Track, and 4th in XC. 

Vision Quest came and went.  It was as difficult as I imagined it would be, and then some.  I overcame my personal demons during the event (and a few crashes) and finished with a time of 8:48. 

I've continued lifting weights and trying to get in some saddle hours during the week.  I dropped some more weight and am happy where I'm at right now, but will continue to eat as clean and healthy as I can. 

I competed in my first NMBS race at Fontana this past weekend, and finished with a 1st place in Women's DH 19-29 Sport, and 1st place in Women's XC 19-29 Sport.

So far I think I have started out my 2008 race season very successfully.

I'd like to thank the following companies for their service, assistance, products, help, etc.:

• The Path Bike Shop in Tustin


• 661 / Royal / Sunline


• Hammer Nutrition


• Elete water


• Cytomax


• Hubby Justin


• Nancy and Roger


• Steph for making me push myself at every event

It's been a good season, but it has really just begun.  No rest for the wicked!  I'll be continuing with my training and riding and hope to maintain a high level of fitness throughout the year. 

Upcoming:

Two weeks of recreational rides (but hopefully some decent mileage and saddle time); Sea Otter; Idyllwild Spring Challenge; NMBS # 2 in Los Olivos; maybe a 12 Hours of Temecula?

So, thanks for the support this year and I can't wait to continue!

Where to begin?

Friday night we finished getting everything ready for Saturday morning. Bags packed, bottles made, bike stuff organized... I never checked to make sure Justin put on my Garmin mount, so that caused some discomfort Saturday morning, but the problem was quickly solved when he gave me his mount.

Now he just needs to remember to put his back on. Unfortunately his Edge 305 keeps shutting off mid-ride. Battery is not the issue. We sent it to Garmin and it will last longer now, but still shuts off. Prior to sending it in they said to download the latest software, and that simply did not help at all.

Padre said a few weeks ago that he and his wife have the same issues with the units shutting off. I guess Justin doesn't look at his as often, but I'd notice fairly quickly (assuming I wasn't descending) and then turn it back on. During XC races this isn't as available an option, though.

Anyway. So, we got to Southridge around 8:15 or something Saturday morning and saw Sims and Rut there shortly after. We were all getting ready for XC.

We all warmed up separately (pretty much) and then began staging. I was quite surprised to find that I wasn't just racing Willie. No, 3 other women had decided to sign up for Sport 34 & under! One was an Xterra racer. I had no idea what to do, as I was thinking I could take it a little easier this time around. Not so! Beate, from 35 + and I edged our way up to the front of the line so we didn't get stuck in the bottle neck behind the expert men 45+.

Off we went, with Beate, one of the men, and me out in front. I know better than to try to keep up with her. I stayed nearby, and actually drafted the guy up the pavement road. It was pretty hot.

For the first time in a race I actually had a mechanical. After the pavement you hop onto some rolling singletrack. I know from vast experience that I need to gear down ahead of time, before a short steep section. I have no desire to crank up if I don't have to, as there is a bit of an extended singletrack climb after it. So into granny I went, but no, wait! I have no chain. It had fallen off to the inside. I cursed, hopped off, was somehow able to fix it really quickly as I noticed another girl in my class just coming around the bend. I hopped back on and pedaled like crazy to make up time. The next time I looked back I didn't see her.

Beate was pretty much out of sight for the remainder of the race. I made sure to switch into granny NOT under load and be easy about it the whole rest of the lap. After the chain dropped my entire drivetrain started making crappy noises. Justin said I messed up the front derailleur last weekend when I got upset with the weather. So I figured it was my own fault. The bike, when brand new, made a bit of a sound when in the middle ring and biggest cog. Justin said it was cross chaining and not to use the biggest cog. Middle - big is my favorite combo! Oh well, I'd deal with the noise and be one harder when I could.

However, after the dropped chain, no matter what I did the entire cassette made a horrible noise when I was pedaling. Didn't matter which gear I was in. And the front shifter had problems figuring out what gear it was in as well.

On I went. I had no excuses.

I came around to the finish for lap 2 and heard that my face was bright red. I was trying to drink when I could, but for some reason during racing, try as I might, I can't get my heart rate down below about 178. My max (that I've ever seen and believed to not be a mistake) is 194. I think that's about 90% of max? Over an hour and a half is a long time to go that hard with no rest. Even when descending my HR never goes down. Average for the entire race was 183, same as last time. Max went up, I assume mostly due to heat, to 192.

I hadn't dropped the chain the entire rest of the first lap. It was fine going up the pavement. On I went to the singletrack, shifted WAY before where the chain dropped last time, and down it went again! I cursed, hopped off the bike and got to work on it. For the life of me I could NOT get it back on. Finally it went, up the hill I ran, hopped back on the bike and got to pedaling.

I don't recall seeing anyone from my class at that point. I tried to catch my breath and take it easier.

Climbing up the last fire road, just after going through the urban jungle/paintball area I looked back and saw the Xterra racer. OMG! Where did she come from?! I attempted to climb up the hill as fast as I could, and didn't let off on the descent. I didn't see her when I crossed back underneath, but I knew she was more than likely close.

Pua again passed me on the flats, just before where she had four weeks prior. She said good luck as she BLAZED by! Damn is that woman fast.

I pedaled my ass off the entire rest of the lap, yelling at myself not to use granny and to pedal, even when it hurt. I had attempted the last rocky climb on lap one, but I was too scared of dropping the chain this time around, so just hopped off and ran up it.

The chain was having problems the entire lap, but it managed to stay on, even if it did fall in between middle/small a few times.

I felt like I was going to die, but I came across the finish line, 1:36:42 (1st place), which is about a minute and 35 seconds slower than my time last race. I probably would have been really close to the same time as #2 if not for the dropped chains, so I was pretty happy with my finishing time. Very consistent, but not faster.

I'd like to break 1:30 at some point this year, but that's 3 minutes per lap!

I felt fairly awful after turning myself inside out. I told Justin just to head up and do a practice run while I relaxed a little and got ready.

Once I was ready I waited around, but he was nowhere to be seen. So, I hopped in the shuttle line. Justin was just finishing up as we loaded into the van, so I told him I'd wait up top. I noticed Carla walking up for her first run, so we chatted for a bit. Justin wasn't on the next shuttle, so I figured we'd just head down. I started off pretty slowly, and stopped by the water tower as another shuttle load was letting off. Justin didn't want to miss the top, but I wanted to follow him down the lower section. So, he set off to show me where to go. Essentially we went straight down with no stops. I attempted to half follow him and half go with my own lines through the first rock garden. I got ping ponged around like no other... but, made it through and continued on. In the next rock garden I skipped out on taking a line I knew I could do for something that "appeared" easier. Somehow I wound up stopped dead, slamming my head, knee, and hip into rocks.

Someone came up right behind me, but it took me a minute to collect my bike and move off trail. I sat for a minute, big headache, and made sure I felt physically ok before moving. I didn't think I had a concussion because I basically remembered stuff, but I still am not sure what went wrong. I think my bar clipped a rock.

Justin was coming back up the wall to look for me as I was heading down. I was pretty shaken up. I took an Aleve and Ibuprofen. Justin said I don't even need a new helmet.

My hip was pretty sore the remainder of the day (awards ceremony for XC and then lunch). But, despite feeling pretty crappy I went up again for more DH practice. Top part was fine, it was hot. We stopped to check out the lower rock garden. I was either really sick from earlier and the heat, or just extremely anxious. I had to sit down a few times. I watched Justin go through... then I attempted it. I didn't crash, per se, but wound up knocked around about 3 times before saving myself from utter doom. I was definitely messed up after this. I was ready to quit for the weekend, while I was still ahead with 3 very minor injuries.

Justin said that was fine, but he thought I should get over the demon. So, up I pushed to do the rock garden again. I went extremely slow through it, but didn't crash. Down we went to the second rock garden. I went much slower than the first time and didn't fall. Justin pushed my bike back up so I could redo the section the way it should be done. Admittedly, it was a lot easier.

I was done for the day.

Sat around with hubby, Sims, Rut, Tumbleweed, Steph and Dan drinking a brew here and there and hanging out. Eventually we went to dinner in Corona.

Nancy and Roger, despite their injuries, joined us as well. We lost Sims, Rut, and Tumbleweed, but gained Ian, Ernie, and Craig.

Off to DenMo's we went. I showered and went to bed since I was thoroughly beat. Unfortunately I couldn't sleep. I'd taken a Tylenol PM since I didn't sleep the last time we were there either, or the time before. It did nothing. My heart pounded all night. I think I slept for about an hour or so at 4:30 am. Time to get up.

I felt kinda crappy. Ate breakfast, Justin packed up the truck, and out we went to Fontana. Got our wrist bands.. Justin and I got in line, but he cut in front of Paulina so he wouldn't have to ride with me, so we wound up on different shuttles. Paulina and I went up with Sims in the 2nd truck of the morning. I stopped halfway down to check it out, talked to Carla and Eric for a few, then down I went. Slowly I picked my way through the rocks. I made it, though, so Sims and I headed through the 2nd rock garden and down.

Justin again wasn't at the truck, so I grabbed a water and back in line Sims and I were. Up the hill, hiked up to the top... big line of people. They were going to use a new "gate" so people didn't start early. Justin was standing up there.

I heard talk that someone had been injured, which explained the ambulance sirens a bit before. Justin had been down at the rock garden and stopped because the course was closed, so he hiked back up, which is where we saw him.

Once it was my turn I rode the entire way down and felt somewhat comfortable. No more practice runs for me. My goal was to have a clean run.

I ate half of an Odwalla bar and stewed in nervousness.

We hiked up the hill, which was hot. They started the race a bit late, but not too bad. I kept worrying about getting to the top of the hill, but for seriously no reason at all. I sat up there forever, getting nervous. Finally they staged us and down I went.

I actually felt pretty comfortable. I had a smooth, clean run. No bobbles, no crashes. Not good enough for 1st, but at least I'm healthy enough to ride again (er, once I get over the injuries sustained on Saturday!).

I'm still feeling it. My hip and knee are bruised, and my right shoulder is fairly messed up. No lingering headache, but my neck hurts.

Well this weekend I'll be riding my new steed out at the mudfest!  It's been dreary and rainy here in So Cal all week, and this weekend doesn't look to be much different.  Could be epic conditions for XC racing if the rain stops Friday and then waits to hit again until Saturday night.  The course would be FAST. 

I'm hesitant about assuming I'll best my last time (my own personal course record) on a brand new bike (it'll be the inaugural ride) and on a heavier bike.  But, maybe I'll be able to fly down the hills a little better!

The only FS 29ers I've ridden were short Interbike tests on the RIP9 (didn't like it), Sultan (liked it even less), and then Lenz Behemoth (awesome, felt like it was my bike right from the first pedal stroke). 

I'm hoping it'll be good for endurance races after VQ.  Slightly more comfort than the Dos provides.  If there isn't a time cutoff I should be set.  If I could fly on this bike it'd be awesome, though.

Full race report coming Monday!

You've all heard it... "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body , but rather to skid in broadside , thoroughly used up , totally worn out & loudly proclaiming--WOW--WHAT A RIDE !" This weekend was quite a ride. Whew. Man. I don't even know where to begin. I guess I should begin at the beginning. We left home pretty early on Saturday morning to be in Fontana at Southridge before 8 am (though I think we got there around 7:30?). When we got there the line wasn't really long. Nancy and Roger were first up, and Carla and Eric were near the front of the line as well. I filled out my race registration sheet and got in line. Pretty early on they said they weren't going to let DHers register, as they wanted to get everyone going for the XC race. Justin and I made it to the front and spent some time trying to figure out number plates, payment (we had signed up for SRC membership at the banquet), etc. Finally we got it all worked out and off we went with our paper plates. We got ready, and sat around. It was like 8:10. I didn't want to start warming up so early, since we still had more than an hour before the race started. I probably finally started warm-up around 8:45 or so. Pua was right behind me and I was going slow, so she easily passed. I got back to the line around 9:20 or so to wait for line-up, had a small shot of Hammer gel (Tropical, with caffeine), some water (with Elete drops and a sip of Cytomax). 9:30 and we were all standing around. It was getting warmer by the minute. Dan took some photos. We chatted with Roger. Saw Danny. It was like 9:50. My gel was starting to wear off. Finally I they started letting off the pro's, then experts. Steph and I were the only women in 34 & Under for Sport. Pua was the only female pro, and there was one female in Expert (I think 34 & Under). Nancy decided to join Steph and I in the DHers take over XC evil plan, and she even raced in the Sport category. Nancy had a whopping 7 people in her age group!! Ridiculous! All of you 34 & Under women stop having babies and start racing with us! Anyway, our group took off with the older Sport men and then the 35 & over women. It was a decent sized group. I wound up mid-front pack on the flat by the 4x course and continued up the hill. Off to the right up the singletrack, another short climb, some rolling... I noticed my heart rate was moving in the 190s. I've never had a HR that high during XC racing, especially not for .25mi. I was hoping there was some kind of interference. While I tried to slow down, my HR still remained in the high 180s. Then came the pavement climb... I managed it fine, with HR racing (how appropriate!). One of the women from the 35 & over class passed me near the top, and down we went on the singletrack on the other side. I caught up to her and decided instead of trying to attempt a pass anywhere I'd just ride behind her and get my HR down. No such luck. Eventually I said I was going around to pass her, but she went the same direction as I did and I missed my passing window. I let her go. The sandy washes weren't too bad, but in the section where you have the short sandy climb, right before the rocky-ish fire road, I totally just dumped it into a sand pit. No worries, I was up and back at it shortly without injury. Up the fire road to the flat before the big nasty long-ish climb... The chick that had been in front of me was stopped on the side with her chain. I am used to downshifting and then coasting up onto the fire road climb transition... but, she may have tried to drop down to an easier gear and lost it. I didn't see her again. This climb is a tough one. Usually a few people fly up it, others walk, and most people just slowly manage it. It is always difficult near the top. I made it, HR flying high, plopped my suspension back to the "on" position, shifted, and down I went. Wooo. That breeze felt nice, since on the climb it seemed to be about 90 degrees. I made it down, around, up, and over to the just cut singletrack descent instead of the paved culvert. I started off to the right and instead of crashing and burning, hopped off and ran down. I hopped over the V sideways culvert and had a drink of Cytomax and right before taking off a guy behind me had endo'd at the cross culvert. I made a mental note of that and continued on. I think I probably had a shot of gel, more water, another sip of Cytomax, and just tried to hang on. Made it around for lap one in around 38 minutes, or just shy. Heard a few cheers, smiled, and on I continued. I got to the pavement again and clicked into a few higher gears to stand up for a bit (stretch out the back and legs). I got a little tired, and my HR jumped, so I went down into my "granny" and sat down. Noticed a nice yellow and blue jersey hiking up the hill. No, not a Chargers jersey. "Is that a Rams jersey up there?!" As I got closer Winston saw it was me and said I had too much energy. Only due to caffeine-powered Gel, Cytomax (keeps my legs feeling strong!), and I didn't even get a twinge of headache even in the sun and heat with the Elete drops in my water bottle. Up and on I continued... then down the singletrack, back around... Robert Herber (I just read he is on Team Mata now!) passed me on the short rocky fire road climb and we exchanged hello's and good luck's. He went on to win the Men's Pro class. Down in the "urban jungle" I passed a mom who was riding with her son (he was racing). I think she ended up getting hurt by falling on her chain ring. Next time SRC is having a Shimano kid's race, which I assume will be easier and shorter for the younguns. I actually rode down the new culvert singletrack, completely behind the saddle, but remembering the endo from lap 1, I hit front tire to cross concrete, and hopped off the bike and over. Didn't want to take any chances. On I went. Pua passed me down the stretch a bit, nearly done with her 3rd? lap. I arrived at the finish line to a few cheers, and that was it. I bested my time from the 16th Annual by about 6 minutes, which I was happy with. I'd like to drop a few minutes off next time as well, but we will see. ____________________________________________________________________ We had lunch at Subway, then headed back for the awards ceremony. Justin was upset we started DH practice so late, but I dunno. We hiked up the hill and rode down halfway. I think I followed Steph the first time. We hiked back up. All I remember is sweating a ton and being incredibly thirsty. So, we did one run from top to bottom. I think I hung back so I could just ride and try to learn the course, instead of focusing on following someone else. After a water refill we got in line for the shuttle and waited for probably 25 minutes. Then we were informed that the shuttle wasn't running, after probably 4-5 pro guys and their friends cut in line. We argued our case, but to no avail. They weren't going to run another one. So, off we started hiking for round 3. Just as we reached the pavement what to our wondering eyes dost appear? A shuttle truck. The bastards had run another one. I was pretty angry, but continued hiking. We get up to the dirt hike and what else appears? A freaking SECOND shuttle truck!! I was just plain pissed at that point. VV. Glad I got $5 off otherwise I would've asked for the refund. We did our last run top to bottom. I didn't all feel confident on the course. I didn't have it in my head at all. I never want to miss the awards, and am always hungry, so we do lunch and then wait for awards (they always change 'em). So, off we went to dinner and casa de denmother. Went to sleep just after 9:30. I didn't really sleep well, and didn't want to get up, but knew time was running out for us to be there at 7. Got up, packed up, made instant oatmeal, ate, and out the door we headed. I don't recall there being any wind in the neighborhood. When we got onto the 15 freeway it was gusting. Trees were bending over, garbage cans were flying by... it was crazy. "Guys, I think is a really bad idea". It was super windy at Southridge. We pulled in, and I ran to get in line for number plates and wrist bands. Had to have them to be on the course. So, after standing in a confused line, eventually they told us to get in a separate line for the wrist band, then move over to another line for the number plates. I did both, as did Nancy, Roger, Steph and Dan, and eventually up we went to hike to the top. We rode it halfway down again, and I followed Justin to get his "straight over" lines. We again hiked back up from halfway down. It was brutally windy. There were parts of the hike where I just stopped moving. Gusts were rough. Right near the beginning of the course was a slight incline and huge headwind. It was tough to pedal through. We rode straight down this time. The wall had a nice tail wind to it. We were all pretty happy. We got in line down at the bottom, and for the first time all weekend actually got to ride the shuttle truck up to the top. Got in my third run, top to bottom. I didn't like the wind. I didn't feel good about the course. Justin and Steph were going to go up for round 4, but unfortunately they didn't make another shuttle. The Pro's were going to start loading, as they did, around 10 am. I turned on the Charger game in the truck, mostly to get out of the wind. Nancy, Steph and a few others had gotten on the first shuttle. I saw some of the pro's riding back and forth in front of me for probably 20 minutes. Went to the restroom. Jason Simpson was hanging out, waiting. Still there the next time... "What is going on?" "Someone crashed and went down on the course, paramedics are getting them." Oh. The race start was delayed about 1.5 hours. I heard a bit of the Charger game, talked to Carla, talked to Adrian, talked to Joy. Winston came up as I was standing in line and told me the Chargers had taken the lead, 14-10, just after halftime. Finally they started loading for race runs, and eventually I got on the shuttle truck. The hike up the hill was worse than brutal. I was stopped dead in my tracks right as the hike a bike turned up. I simply couldn't move. The gusts buffeted me right and left, front and back. My 42lbs anchor of a DH bike started to lift out of my hands. I used a small break in the gusts to move up ever so slowly. Just a few feet further and the wind wasn't *as* bad, but it continued to swirl everywhere. I sat my bike down and searched out my dropped water bottle. I found Justin and we hiked down so I could check out the course re-route. I was getting blown all over. We sat down behind some rocks, but the dust swirled in our faces and I was covered in dirt after a few moments. I zipped up my 661 Pro pressure suit, tightened my new Kyle Strait Patriot knee guards and sat down again. As Joy and I were chatting with Justin I realized they had been calling us up to the start area. I barely got on my helmet and gloves to wish Roger good luck before he took off (he was two riders in front of me). Soon it was my turn. I felt pretty good, kept my breathing even. Rounded the first corner, whoops! My ass slid right down on the ground. I tried to pull myself up and keep moving, and there was the buffeting head wind on the short incline. With no momentum what-so-ever I had to straddle my bike and put it right/straight. On I went. Joy had already taken off at this point, just a turn or two behind me. I made the reroute section fine, across the saddle, no speed. I was flying all over the place. The wind pushed me to the left up the climb and my front tire stuck in a rock. I waddled up the rest of the hill and on I went. The wind pushed me down now, and I fought to stay on line. I saw Sharky taking a pic. Heard some more cheers down the next corner. Then it was to the flat/incline fire road, across the street, I was passed easily by Joy, and then down to the lower rock section. There was very little wind down on the lower rock section, when compared to up above. I stayed right on her from there, and then we hit the wall. The wall is usually tough, but add a 42lbs bike, totally dead flat section, and a gusting 40MPH head wind. I felt like I was getting nowhere. I wanted to get off and walk. She took off ahead of me. I barely made it up the last hump, down, and then over the bump to the finish. I felt like crap. She was just taking off to the right, so I never got to congratulate her. She did really well in the conditions. I slowly pedaled my bike back to the truck with Roger. I was peeling off gear and trying to drain a Gatorade when I thought I heard a Charger announcement. I saw Dan in his car and heard the radio. "Dan, are you listening??" "WE WON!!!!!" I completely forgot about my race run for an instant and was totally excited and happy. I couldn't believe it. I called my mom and we talked for about 10 seconds. I wanted to jump for joy. I got my Charger bottle kozie for my Guinness, grabbed my Hulk and a water, and Roger and I started hiking back up the trail to watch the other riders. I made it back up to get a shot of Justin this time. It was SUPER windy. Sand and dirt was blowing every few seconds. There was no relief. It was pretty crazy. I took a few photos, and when the beginner men started coming down we headed back over to check results, enjoy another beer, and hang out for awards. I was really upset with my showing, and unfortunately don't think there was much to learn from the experience. The wind was completely random. I guess I learned from Roger that rain and mud are better than wind any day. Not that I want it to rain in 2 weeks or anything, but if it is that windy again, I'm bowing out of the competition. Next up? SRC #2 on the 26-27!

It was pretty cold out Saturday morning. I remember wishing I would've grabbed my knee and arm warmers for the race.

We got to Southridge, actually ahead of Nancy and Roger, and went up to the registration tent to get our number plates, check in, and get our DH shuttle wrist bands for later in the day. I'd made sure to pre-register for the free t-shirt. They're actually pretty cool. They're a steel grey color with the Tara Llanes Heart of a Champion design on one arm in bright pink.

We got all of our stuff together, I found I actually had my good pair of knee warmers in my gear bag (I love having gear bags that pretty much always stay packed with at least one pair of clipless shoes, my 5.10's, an extra pair of socks, knee pads, etc. I usually keep my plastic courage in there, my XC helmet, a pair of gloves… in case anything is forgotten, at least I've possibly got an extra in there!

Nancy, Roger, Steph and Dan showed up soon after and got their gear out. Unfortunately for the DHers the powers that be requested that they stay off the DH trail while we were racing XC and Super D, as the DH course was part of these as well, or cut through in short stints. That didn't exactly work out in the XC racers favor, but more on that later.

So, Steph, Dan, Roger, and Nancy agreed to help Justin and me out with bottle handoffs, and they were an awesome cheering section for us. I had knee warmers on for my warm-up, and it was nice for the extra warmth, but I knew they'd be way too much for the race itself. I rode the beginning of the course, got my HR up to around 170, turned around and came back and waited in the staging area.

Jen, an Expert DH racer showed up not long after. She informed me she wasn't really out to race, and just wanted to get some training in. I didn't let that stop me from actually racing. Another woman showed up in the next age group up, but she said she may have to bail as she was a Vet on-call. She only wanted to do one lap, but Jen and I had come out for 2. I guess there were no pro men, so they started the Expert Men next. I don't think there were any Expert Women.

I think the 3 of us were the only women, period. It was definitely a small XC group. There were a lot more for the Winter Series. However, the 12 hours of Temecula was also last weekend, so perhaps that took some of the racers away. That, and mid-November is quite an off-period for many racers. The serious ones are usually recovering from the season and ready to start base miles for next season.

We took off with the older men's Sport group. They were pretty fast. Justin had gone in the wave before we did. I stayed right with one of the sport men, and I think passed him around the pavement or something.

There were quite a few DHers pushing up the pavement. I watched a few going down the course and wished I was going downhill as well, instead of climbing the pavement. I felt pretty good, though, and probably stood for about 40% of it. I didn't want to push it too much, since I knew I still had about 1800ft of climbing left.

Brandon passed me on the loose crazy wide downhill, which I tripoded. I've ridden down it a few times, crashed once on my rigid SS. I kind of hit the brakes and came to a stop to let him go unimpeded, and just tripod'd from there to save myself an embarrassing crash.

On I went. It was pretty quiet. I saw a few people on the back side of the next hills after the cul-de-sac. I was finally on my way back in for lap 2. I went through the staging, passed the Start line…

There was Dan kneeling in the dirt, ready to catch my cast-off bottle. Next up was Nancy ringing the cowbell. Steph was ready and handed me my fresh bottle of Water with Elete drops. They were cheering me on and yelling for me, so I stood up and hammered the flat stretch, up the little hill, and around I came just up above.

There was Jeff cheering me on; I gave him a high-5 as I passed. Next up was Danny with our cowbell ringing. I was practically giggling as I went through. It was SO awesome having the cheering and support. Made me feel great and realize that they are the reason I enjoy racing so much. Not the competition, suffering, or chance to get on a podium. It's the comraderie, the friends… it's so great. Thank all of you for the support!

Lap 2 was a bit more difficult. I was struggling a tad bit more on the climbs. I was climbing up just around the wall and bottom of the DH course when two downhillers were waddling their way up pushing their bikes. I yelled rider coming through. Neither moved. I said something again and one got out of the way, but the other didn't. We were on pretty narrow singletrack, so I yelled that I was racing and finally the guy moved over a little.

Slightly rattled, I continued on. Up the pavement I was huffing it… saw Franky from InCycle pushing his DH bike up the hill, said hello. Next I heard a shout from the left. There was Carla! Up and up… there were less course marshalls this time.

I worried about being hit by a DHer as they came down a fast loose section and I climbed up a slow steep-ish section, but I was in the clear. It got fairly desolate after that. I don't remember seeing anyone ahead or behind me for probably a mile.

I went through the "jungle" area and saw a guy sitting by his bike. I continued on, and eventually as I was a turn up the fire road he started pushing his bike. No idea if he was XC racing or what.

There was one section on the back side that they left open for cutting some time out, but despite there not being a course marshall to ensure honesty, I kept on the singletrack and went the long way around.

I came up on Troy, a DH racer normally, I think, who had a broken chain. I had nothing except water and HEED, so I wasn't able to offer much to him. The last bit of the XC course was uneventful, and I came around the chicane's to Justin cheering and Sharky taking a photo.

I knew I'd won. My avg. HR for the race was 175, so I was fairly happy with myself for not just taking it easy, and actually going out and racing. That is the kind of training *I* need right now, so I'm glad I hung on and kept the pace as high as I could.

We took a break for lunch, awards, and the raffle. We won a KHS/Free Agent button up shirt and some Elete samples. After that we got geared up and got in line for our first DH run.

Others had been practicing all morning (when they shouldn't have been), or while we were doing awards and raffle. That's the life of a dual-sport racer, I guess. We did one run, stopping at the first rock garden with Sunny and a few others to check out lines through the first rock. We chose where we wanted to go, and blasted through. I'd ridden the lower rock garden before, so didn't have any problems there.

We went back up again, planned to stop halfway through, then hike back up again. So, I got in 2.5 runs on Saturday afternoon. I felt somewhat comfortable, but not stellar.

Sunday morning Nancy got us up before 6. Luckily I had gone to bed before 9pm the night before, so I wasn't ready to kill anyone! She also made a great oatmeal breakfast for Justin and I, which kept me happy most of the day. Other than the oatmeal, I ate half of a sweet & salty chocolate/peanut bar and two handfuls of goldfish crackers. Then dinner at about 5:30. And I wondered why I had a headache?

At any rate, we got to Southridge, put our bikes in line and got on the first shuttle to the top. Justin agreed to take a few photos of me. We went the whole way down, took a second shuttle up, worked on one section that I didn't know the fast line, hiked back up a second time to hit the section, and down we went, from top to bottom. I felt okay.

After seeing that there weren't really any Sport women racing on the seed list, and seeing as how I was listed in the wrong class anyway, I bumped myself up to Expert Women. I was a little nervous, but figured I should be able to handle it, and the worst case scenario was that I'd come in 4th.

Ann and Andy showed up, so I chatted with them. Sarah and I hopped on the shuttle the first time they called out for K's. Some people don't like sitting up top, but I like being up there, having time to get myself ready, watching others, getting the flow of the starts, etc. We sat up there for a bit, but soon enough I was called to line up.

The four of us chatted a little, as Sarah and I were both new to the Expert Women's DH class, and both in Path jerseys, which were greatly represented out there!

Sunny took off first, and said a bit before her start to call out if I needed to pass her. HA! As if that would've happened. Joy was after me, and then Sarah.

I took off, and felt somewhat slow and sluggish up top in the sandy corners. Cornering is not exactly my strong suit. Once out of the top area and next to the pavement I felt pretty comfortable, but the pedaling was really starting to ache.

I could totally feel the 14 XC race pace miles in my legs from the day before. Every pedal stroke on the 40lbs + bike in a high-ish gear could be felt in my quads. But, I pedaled like a mad woman (or so I felt like I did). I really need to gain some confidence in speed through the trickier sections. I still grab mad brakes and roll everything a lot slower than I should. I went through it all with no dabs, no crashes... I got to the wall and noticed a family of about 5 or 6 meandering in my direction, walking abreast so there was no room for a speeding downhill racer and her bike. I yelled out to get out of the way, and had to dodge one of the people.

That caused me to slip a pedal, and then I noticed I was headed right for a big rock. Had to grab more brakes to keep myself from a bad crash, and then tried to stand up and mash the pedals to the end. I got about 20 yards from the turn with the little jump on the right, so close to the finish, and I was just out of juice. I had to sit. My lungs were searing in pain, my legs hurt.

I crossed the finish line, and kept going toward the little fire road where the XC race starts to keep myself moving a bit. I hurt, a lot. I turned around and realized I should count to see how far behind Joy was.

I counted 12 seconds, but I didn't know how long it had been since I crossed. I thought maybe 15, so our times might be close. Annie was her way down to get me the truck keys so that I could get my camera and something to drink before we headed up to take pics of Justin and cheer him on.

We didn't quite make it back, as he was just entering the wall. I got a crappy photo of him, but we cheered him on to pedal pedal pedal!!

We hung out and watched everyone else, and finally around Z Justin came up to join us. Joy came over a bit after our race ended (I'd gone directly up to spectate) and said Congrats. I didn't know what she was talking about. She said I'd gotten SECOND!! I was so stoked! I ran right over and told Ann. I was less than 2 seconds away from 1st (Sarah).

If only it hadn't been for that slipped pedal! Nancy told me "that's racing", so I got over it. Better luck next time.

Justin came in 4th in his class, out of 19, which I thought was awesome. He may have a shot at the series title in DH Sport in his age group next year! After the race concluded we all went over for the awards ceremony and raffle. It was really crowded! They were giving away an Ironhorse frame, two wheelsets, some Dainese armor, TLD leg armor, Sponsorhouse shirts, DH tubes, and much more.

We won a set of grips we gave away, and a DVD from like 03 that followed the Houseman's and Eric Carter, along with Orlando Martinez. It was an interesting video. Some cool stuff in it for sure. Oh, and Johnny Waddell was in it also.

All in all, an awesome day. We came home with 1st and 3rd in XC and 2nd and 4th in DH. Now we're just patiently waiting for the Winter Series!

The Denmother planned a weekend of DH shuttle riding on the weekend of my birthday.  That made my choices the Push-a-Kona ride (which was unfortunately relocated to a county park from the national forest/mountains due to the fires last month) and football on Sunday, or a weekend of fun with around 30 friends.

Naturally, I chose Bootleg, after some cajolling.  We drove out Saturday morning with two friends, and arrived around 8:15.  Off we went in the shuttle just after 9 am.

If you've never done any DH riding at Bootleg, you probably don't understand how horrid the hike-a-bike up to the trails is.  I thought the HABage at Southridge was bad, but it doesn't compare.  Definitely not knocking the shuttle ride at all, but damn if that isn't a long hike up to the start. 

Snakeback starts out technical right away.  Whether you ride over and down the rock garden, or go straight down the easier section, once you get to choose straight or down to the right it's not easy.  I walked quite a bit of the top portion a few of the runs, but did eventually ride everything, including all of it in one run probably 2-3 times, which is nice.

The entirety of Snakeback is a great run.  I also liked coming down Diva and Reaper.  My rear wheel hit on one of the middle drops on Reaper a few times... good thing it's pretty strong!  Luckily no flats for me, but quite a few others sustained more than one over the weekend.

Saturday evening we rode the pump track (which really you can't pump very much).  I never made the table top.  The Demo just soaks up the bumps quite a bit.  It's not an air bike, for sure.

Saturday we went to a Mexican joint in town right down the street where we enjoyed some Patron, and lots of food. 

Sunday we were back out there at 9 am ready to start shuttling again.  We hit Snakeback - Ona Lee - lower Ginger.  Not my favorite route.  I'm not really good with rock gardens and lots of exposure yet.  Maybe some day.

I quit a bit early to start packing up and chill with Clinky, Danny, and Jeff.  We enjoyed draining the coolers.

All in all, great weekend.