After leaving at midnight Thursday, driving 12 hours, a few stops, and crossing 4 states we finally made it to our destination, Eau Claire Wisconsin! Wisconsin boasts the largest state mountain bike series in the U.S.A., known as W.O.R.S. (Wisconsin Off-Road Race Series). Jay and I made the last minute decision to pack the kids up and give the race a 'go'. We pulled up early Friday to the expo center where the Chippewa Valley Firecracker Race venue was. We set up tent on the grounds and called it home for the weekend. It makes it so much easier to be able to stay right at the venue. After a quick lunch I headed out for my first pre-ride of the course. After getting lost (the course had not been totally marked yet) a couple of times I made it back to the campsite after 45 min.! Feeling like I was off course the majority of the time and like I had no flow I wasn't sure what to think of the course. So, Jay got ready and we went out together to ride it again. What a difference! More markings, the course flowed and it was a lot of fun!! There was not a lot of climbing, 70-75% of the 13 km loop was tight single track, a few bowls, a couple of small stream crossings, a few bridges throughout, a 30-40 foot rock garden and some open double track linking it all together. The course was different than what I am used to racing but non-the-less super fun. The kids had the freedom of roaming the grounds, Clayton and Nolan wore out the kids course (fun through the bush) while Nelson and Paiten took on the bigger stuff, and Jay he rode lots!! Friday night saw many 'tenters'/campers roll in. Saturday morning came and so did the people. By mid morning the 'W.O.R.S.' crew pulled up in trucks, and trailers and the venue began to unfold as the start/finish, commercial tents, sponsor signs, kids jump zone....... were put up. Jay took the kids to the indoor water park (next to the venue) for the morning/early afternoon as I chilled at camp. Around 1:45 p.m. I went for my last pre-ride of the course (all marked), and pushed with a bit more flow. Late Saturday afternoon and into the evening the kids played in the kids zone and were off and on their bikes. By 9:30 p.m. they had a bike movie playing on a 27' outdoor screen (reminiscent of the drive-in days). We pulled up our chairs and took in the movie. Family fun, what an event! The grounds were covered in campers/tents, this was bigger than what I had thought!! Sunday morning came and once again more cars were strolling in as the racers came in for the day of the big race. We went to the all-you-can-eat breakfast at the expo building ($5 got you eggs, pancakes, french toast, sausage, juice and cut up fresh fruit) great deal!! Jay registered Paiten for the 9 mile race, citizen category, under 14 (she was not happy at first because she wanted to do the shorter race), but dad knows best! She lined up with women/girls of all ages. Overall, in the citizen category, starting in different waves, there was 177 racers!!! She was off the line with a competitive face and I knew she would tear it up. She finished in 55 minutes, 4th in under 14, and 23rd overall (23 out of 177 racers!!!!!) She was the second youngest racer in the citizen category!!! We are so proud of her. Nelson opted not to race but cheered for his siblings, including Clayton and Nolan who took part in the kids race. Medals and happy kids was the outcome!! So, it was now time for me to get ready for my race. Race time 1:30....... Warm up, the whole pre-race routine and to the staging area. The field had 25 pro women!! That's a very big field and I was aware of the state race leaders and knew that the group of women would be strong. The national anthem was sang, elite men were off and then the elite women took the line. After call up, I still managed to make my way to the front line for the start. The announcer did his talk (rules, laps...) then, "one foot on the ground, one foot on the pedal, tires behind the line (as if my nerves weren't bad already), 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 (silence)..........GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! He held 'go' for as long as his breath could hold. I took the hole shot. Just before the first turn Kyia Anderson popped out in front of me and pulled off a super fast sprint. I did not jump on it, and stayed back with whom I knew to be the series leader, Abigail Strigel. There was a group of about 4 of us that stayed together in the longer open starting loop. Kyia stayed on the gas and was soon out of sight. By the time we reached the first section of single track, Abigail had taken the front and I was behind. After hitting a branch with my left foot, I 'endoed' (no injuries and bike was fine), hugged a tree on a tight downhill, I came around in 3rd on the first lap. (Best part... after each lap there was a mist tunnel, ohhh, so refreshing!) On the second lap I started to make some ground up on the leaders, Jay along with spectators informed me that I was catching 2nd place. ( I wasn't sure at that point who was in 2nd, Kyia or Abigail) Still in 3rd after lap 2, I picked up my pace and started to find more flow as I increasingly got used to the course. On a climb in a section of open double track, I caught 2nd place Kyia. So the race would come to an end, Abigail 1st, Me 2nd, Kyia 3rd....... I was pretty happy with my ride! I needed to work on my single track so it was perfect timing for the race! It was an awesome weekend. Everyone had fun! We packed the van and by 7:00 p.m. we were homeward bound!! This time taking a couple of rest stops throughout the night (much needed power naps for Jay), we made it home by 9:00 a.m. Monday morning! Maxxis (our dog) welcomed us back home and the unpacking of the van began, fun!!!
Cheers,
Sue
Cheers,
Sue
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