Momentum..................

Seems like so much has happened since my last post!  There was an article on me in Windsor Life Magazine and to my surprise they also had me on the cover!!  I was pretty pumped about the whole thing and the feedback and positive comments have been appreciated and overwhelming!!  Thanks!

So the next stop on my race calendar was the WORS (Wisconsin Off Road Series) Battle of CamRock.  WORS is the USA's largest state mountain biking race series.  Erin had this race on her schedule, however I was up in the air until mid week and than I made my final decision to join her and Amanda Ryan (Einstein Racing).  Jay agreed to join as well and take on the tedious job of driving the 7 hours.  As a passenger, with two other great ladies, the drive flew by and very seldom was there any silence.  :)

The Battle of CamRock is in Rockdale WI, USA.  The course is a blend of tight twisty single track, with roots, rocks and logs and some open fast flowing two track.  The trails were very dry and the ground hardpack, making traction tricky going into some corners a bit "hot".  I chose to race on my Kenda Kozmic Lite tires and that was a perfect choice!  There was some fast single track downhills and some deceiving climbs that by the time the 4th lap came around seemed to tire the legs a little more!

We got to our hotel around 3:30 pm (to my delight 2:30 pm WI time), checked in and then headed to the venue to pre-ride, sign in/register. 

After doing 2 laps of the course, the consensus was the trail/course was soooo much fun!  We happened to grab a flyer for the Camrock Cafe and Sport and after loading the bikes back in the van headed over to check it out.  It appeared to be an old house that had been redone as a cafe, bike/kayak/paddle board sales/rentals, sold beer and had delicious sandwiches.  Probably the best sandwich I have ever had and the cost was only $6!!!

Oh yes of course race day (Sunday) came in a flash!  The temps were in the low 80's and clear skies.  The start was straight up a toboggan size hill.  The climb lasted a couple minutes in length.  The pro women started 1 minute behind the pro men.  The countdown was 15.... 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 and a long pause..... GO!!  He said "GO", now GO, I missed my pedal.... and the rest of the field went.  Need I say more?  Another poor start!  I watched Erin dart up that climb like as if she was on flat ground.  Abby Strigel (Honey Stinger/Bontrager) made an attack as well and flew up the hill with Erin.  At the end of the climb was an open field section and a small stretch of singletrack.  I was sitting in about 5th at that point.  When the course opened up again I knew I had to make more passes.  I got around a couple more ladies and then Erin gave me the lead into the singletrack.  I was now in 2nd place.  I soon caught the tail end of the pro men and my pace slowed down as some areas bottled up.  Abby had managed to pass some of the men already which put distance between her and I.  The race continued on and I could see Abby out in the open field where the trail would wind but I was never able to catch her.  I came in for a 2nd place finish and was real happy with my effort and race.  Erin came in 7th and was pumped as well!!  Amanda was on her 4th and final lap and was riding strong, when she got a flat! :(   

(Finish line high 5!)

The awards were originally slotted for 4:00 pm but were moved to 4:30 pm.  That meant a later departure and arrival time!!  We couldn't travel on an empty stomach, so we headed back to Camrock Cafe and Sport and each one of us ordered the same thing as we had the previous day! YUMMY!!  Once again the drive went by fairly quick and we got home around 3:45 am!! 

Thanks to WORS and Capital Off-Road Pathfinders (chapter of IMBA) for putting on an awesome event!!  The count was over 800 participants!!  The atmosphere is chill, the people are very friendly and there is strong competition.  I can't wait to race at another WORS event and if you have not had a chance to give one a try, I highly recommend you do!!

Cheers,

Sue