Peak 2 Peak 2013.........

After last year's P2P dreadful weather, I hesitated to even look at the weather forecast for this year's event/race.  That cold to the bone feeling has seriously scarred me.  I put my hand over my eyes, allowed for a small crack between my middle and ring fingers, squinted my eyes slightly (as if doing so would make things better) and checked the weather network in the middle of the week.  Well it was looking to be about 10 degrees warmer than last year but a 60% chance of rain come race time.  I packed my bike bag in preparation for any type of weather.  This year Erin and I had an awesome addition to our riding gear.... we have the Pactimo clear, feather light, breathable, rain jackets.  This would help us, should we need to deal with the downpours of past!

We (Jay, Erin and myself) arrived at Crystal Mountain around 3:30ish, brought our stuff up to our room (we stayed on site), put our layers on and went out for a pre-ride.  It was cool and overcast out.  It did start to rain while we were out but of course we were prepared.... thanks to our awesome rain jackets!!  We managed to get lost and slightly off course for the 3rd year in a row. (Just a small section with no signage) Something that my teamie has taught me, is to see the landscape that surrounds the trail when you are out "just" riding!  The fall colours were out in full force!  It was beautiful, in fact we commented on how things almost looked fake.  

The course had a slightly different route this year.  A section of gravel road and sandy double track was added and a section of single-track was omitted.  The final climb up the back side of Crystal Mountain was no longer going straight up, it went into the trees that paralleled the green monster.  The climb was wide and had steep punchy sections followed by a short flat before hitting another steeper section.  I liked this new way of climbing the mountain.  To me, it was an improved climb and although it tested the legs, it was broken up.  Being in the trees is better than being in the open!!

(The colour, the beauty!)

(LMAO.... I just put anti-fog on my glasses, and when we stopped to take pictures my glasses fogged up, except where my eyeballs were!!  Unbeknownst to me that I looked that creepy, I kept taking pictures, until Erin burst out laughing. That is when I realized what I really looked like and took a couple more pictures sans-glasses!!)

(Bikes always get first class!  Our room was cozy, and our view spectacular..... overlooking the front side of Crystal Mountain.  The race course was in "our backyard")

It rained pretty heavy Friday night.  Which was very reminiscent of a year ago!  The forecast was now only 30% chance of rain come race time.  Well Saturday morning came, the temps were fair and it was not raining.  The ground looked soggy but the skies looked bright.  

(Good morning racers!!  This was the first wave(s) start, again the view from our room.  Let's just say, hearing the loud speaker, and seeing racers make their way to the start area had my tummy flipping and I was "down to race weight" pretty quick!)  ;)

After a good warm-up, we got to the staging area with about 2 minutes to spare.  A very quick chat with the other girls and off we went with the elite men! 

(Staging area!)

The race headed out in front of the ski hill and then narrowed onto a paved path as it turned to the right.  Well with all the riders, of course there was a slight bottle neck.  I was in a pretty big gear and coming to a stop made it a bit tough to get going again.  Mackenzie Woodring had gotten through and grabbed on to the tail end of the elite men.  She was gone and gone fast.  My high end seems to take a bit longer to kick in! So now with the group split, I was pulling the rest of the elite women's field.  I held a conservative pace out in the open.  Once we hit the single-track, I picked up my pace and pushed a bit through the winding trails.  I soon had a distance on the remainder of the women's field.  With all the rain that had fallen on Friday night, the trail was slick and the thin layer of mud zapped some energy out of the legs but overall the trail conditions were pretty good!!  In the sandier areas, it was bone dry.  We had three 12.5 mile laps to do.  I felt great and rode smooth and strong without any issues..... well that was until I came around on my last lap!  It was the final descent, I went around the orange snow fence chicane, the ground was really loose.... as I made the turn my front wheel dug into the "sweet spot" and I bit it, yep in front of the cheering finish line crowd!  Oh, it was pretty "saweet"!  I took a mouth full of dirt, had to fix my dropped chain and then pedaled my way underneath the "finish" banner shaking my head!  

(The final podium - Mackenzie Woodring 1st, Me 2nd, Lauri Brockmiller 3rd, Erin Vicary 4th)

A HUGE thanks to Endoman Promotions - Tad Peacock and his amazing crew/family/volunteers!!  What an event, top notch, equal awesome payout, and great atmosphere!!  Also thanks to mother nature for giving us perfect weather conditions to race in!!  2 weeks to Iceman.......

Cheers,
Sue

Battle at The Burg..... A Real Battle........

Well September racing didn't start off too great.  I raced all of maybe 20 minutes at Addison Oaks before taking a pretty hard crash!  I was using Addison as a "get the legs ready" for Battle at The Burg (which was taking place the following weekend).  I felt great right from the start and had a commanding lead over the rest of the women's field.  With about 1 mile to go in lap 1 (of 5) I clipped my pedal on something and I went flying over my handlebars.  My right quad took a hard hit but I got up quickly wanting to keep moving.  As I picked up my bike I noticed I had snapped off my front brake lever.  I wrapped the brake cable around my handlebar and thought I can ride without it.  I straddled my bike to get back pedaling and with very little pressure on my handlebar, it snapped!  With the impact from my crash I broke my handlebar, brake, lockout, and rear shifter!  Now I had no choice but to walk.... because unlike some.... I cannot "ride a bike with no handlebar!"  So that was it, race over.  I limped around cheering on my teammate Erin and the other racers!

(Team G.R.I.T./Domino's post Addison)

All week I was really sore!  I couldn't bend my right leg completely until Friday.  My right quad was lumpy, bumpy and bruised.  I got on the bike on Friday to try some openers.  They went alright.  I did not have much power but I knew my endurance would compensate.  I did not want to miss out on this awesome race and I committed to going.  Besides.... the weather forecast looked great and I had some anger about my crash to deal with!

With the pro race starting at 1:30 on Saturday we were able to easily make the race a day trip.  We arrived at the venue around noon.  Registered, warmed up, went to the line.  For such a GREAT event, I was bummed that there weren't more women out to race.  The payout, the course, the sponsors, the promoter (Matthew Schmucker).... all top notch!  This race should be/must be put on your calendars to do next year!!  So needless to say, we were a small field but the ladies that were there, were supper cool and I am glad I got to meet them!!

(Top of the ski hill climb - Julie McGraw Photography)

I lead the whole race.  I felt pretty crappy.  I think I was pedaling with one leg, or so it seemed/felt.  My body was not recovered from my crash.  I just aimed to be as smooth as possible, as I battled with my focus.  In the end my perseverance paid off.  I defended my title crossing the line in first.  Not a pretty win but a win none the less.

(The descent - Julie McGraw Photography)

(Podium Pic- Jack Kunnen)

I'm not sure what I will be up to for the next couple of weeks.  Maybe spectate, maybe ride.... one thing is for sure I will focus on recovering!

Cheers,
Sue

Ore To Shore and the Freight Train Surprise.......

It's sad to think that one of my favourite weekends is now behind me!  The 2013 Ore To Shore Mountain Bike Epic, 48 mile, point to point race was as awesome as ever even with a surprise "visitor" approximately 11- 12 miles in!

My "road" to this race was bumpy.  After my National Championships "bust", I was feeling pretty blown out, mentally and physically.  I took a week off to recover and regroup.  On August 3-4, 2013, Erin and I took a road trip.  We went and raced the XC race at Big M promoted by Tailwind Racing.  It was 24 miles with about 2600' of climbing.  I felt good and was using that race as training for O2S the following week.  I won Big M and had an awesome time camping, riding, racing and hanging with my teamie, Erin.

(Big M podium)

The Experience - Ore To Shore (O2S)

On Friday, August 9, 2013, 6:00 am, the big white "bus" (aka our van), headed 8.5 hrs to Marquette, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula.  We set up camp at Tourist Park and soon Jay and I were joined by Erin and T.J..  We pre-rode the last few miles of the course.  The weather was perfect and I was excited to race!

(On our way U.P.!)

(G.R.I.T. Headquarters)

(Preride - the sand dunes)

Here we go..... the big day....

(Ore To Shore route/race breakdown)

(On our way to the start line.  Look how happy we are and it's early!)

(The mass start!)

August 10, 2013 - Race time 9:45am

Hundreds of riders lined up at the start line.  Because of my strong O2S finishes in the past, I was granted preferred start.  I was able to be about 3rd row from front.  It's a crazy mass start.  "Go" came soon enough and the large group of racers were rumbling through the town on pavement.  It gets pretty sketchy with the high speeds and volume of people.  As we made a right hand turn I got bumped on my right side and then was countered with a slight bump on my left which kept me upright!  I heard a voice shout out to "hang on Sue" and I did... phew.... I felt strong and was holding a good position.  Soon we were off the pavement and rolling through/over red rock wide trail which lead to the first climb.  Just to test the legs.  I knew the woman to beat would be Jenna Rinehart so I kept her in sight just up ahead of me.  At the top of the climb the pace picked up and a small gap formed between the group I was riding and her group.  I worked hard to hold the group and we had a nice pace going.  Next thing I knew around 11-12 miles in we were braking.... coming to a complete stop!!  Railway track + front of locomotive + train cars extended beyond sight = turning point in race.  I was front row.  If only I had got there a little sooner.  :(  I watched in disbelief, are you kidding me?  At this point the race was blown apart, the leader gone and the gap I had built on the other women no longer existed.  Hundreds of racers were stacked behind.  This would cause a "restart" to the race.  However, more shocking was the behavior of some of the racers.  A few that got there at the same time as I did, outran the front of the train and cut across the track within feet of the "bumper" of the train.  The train began to slow down and came to a stop.  With that a few more racers tried to (some successful) cross over the train cars!  Then the train began to back up and that caused more chaos as racers were now yelling at the idiots who were trying to jump through the train.  At this point I had been waiting probably 6 min and then the train came to a stop again.  This time we all pedaled down the side of the track toward the locomotive and we safely crossed.  Momentum lost, positions lost, I had to work my a$$ off again to reclaim my original position.  I was able to grab onto a strong group of riders.  At Misery Hill (long hike a bike, rock, eroded, power line, cut climb) I had a small lead on 3rd place lady.  I knew how important it was going to be to hang with these guys when the trail opened up to pavement.  I did not want to take the wind solo, nor the loooong road climb on my own!  I slowly gained some time on third.  With 7 miles to go, I was feeling the fatigue in my upper body and losing some power in my legs through the grass and sand.  Finally after 2hrs 54 min, I crossed the finish line in 2nd out of approx. 80 women!!  Even with the hold up I managed to beat my time from last year!  Erin came in 9th and was smiling from ear to ear!

(Post race - 2nd place)

(O2S podium pic!)

On Sunday, Jay, Erin, T.J. and myself went to ride Marquettte Mountain.  That place is amazing!  I cannot even begin to describe it.  You have to experience it for yourself.  Gawd, so much fun!!!  Sunday night we jumped off of the Black Rock Cliff into Lake Superior.  I hate cold water but it really was worth it!

(Riding at Marquette Mountain)

(The views and trails are just awesome!)


(Rock/cliff jumping into Lake Superior.... in my kit!)

(Some cool shots on our travels home!)

What an awesome weekend.  Monday was our travel day.  As sad as it was to leave Marquette, I had 4 kids I was excited to get home to see!

Cheers,
Sue

(Lake Michigan)

The How To Suck At National Championships Guide........

I could say that the title of my post just about sums things up but heck I'm going to go one step further and blog about it!  So they say "every dog has its day", well this "biatch" hasn't really had her day for about 2 weeks.  Rewind, to a week ago..... I raced Brighton XC (promoted by Tailwind).  I won but felt like sh*t (for the lack of a better word).  I had no spark, no focus, no zip.... I continued with my training through the week (broke my rule; listen to your body).  This was the week leading into the Canadian National Championships.

(Brighton fun times with the boys..... swimming, biking, fishing.....)

(The start of Brighton XC)

The final day to sign up for the National Championships was Thurs. July 18th.  Up until that morning I had yet to make a final decision, was I going to race or not?  The idea and the magnitude of the race and the fact that it was being held in Barrie, ON (only 4 hours from home), was pretty persuading.  So next thing I knew I was filling out my registration form by noon (Thurs.).  With the click of submit I dropped $75 to race.  Now committed to race, I scrambled to find a campground to pitch our tent.  Found one and booked it!  I expected myself to get in race mode mind and body within the next 24 hrs.

(Loaded up and resting on the way to Nationals!!)

Fridays drive up was smooth.  We set up the tent, made lunch, then headed over to Hardwood Ski and Bike to pre-ride the course.  I was happy to see a fellow elite racer, friend and all around awesome girl, Mandy Dreyer before heading out.  She gave me a quick breakdown of the course and it went something like this: "500' of climbing per lap, 5 laps, 6 km course, new Joy Ride section has a smooth transition rock drop, followed by a double and a wall ride.  The new added rock before the Boneshaker throws a pitch and the logs after need to be bunny hopped, but there is a sandy bypass that you can take." Alright, sounds good, lets do this!  I signed in quickly, I won a draw prize (saddle bag) and then rolled out to examine the course.

It started with an open long gradual climb that eventually got a bit steeper and was followed up by a short pitchy switchback climb at the top.  This little climb had 2 lines to take, the shorter line was on the inside, so I tried it but got hooked up on the roots at the top.  I went back down and tried the wider line and had no problem.  I thought I should give the inside line one more shot, so I turned around to ride down the uphill and I'm not sure exactly what happened.  My front wheel came to a dead stop and I was flying over my handlebars, head first, full endo!  My head, chest and hands all hit the ground at the same time and I whacked my knee off of something.  From what was described, my legs and feet went over my head backwards, and I folded in half.  I guess it looked pretty violent.  Luckily I was ok.  I was a bit achy with bumps, bruises and covered in dirt.  The rest of my pre-ride was pretty choppy.  I cleared all the rock gardens, descents and climbs.  I loved the addition of "Joy Ride", super fun!  As we finished the lap, they were announcing over the speaker for everyone to come off the trails and go inside.  A severe storm was about to hit within 15 minutes with tornado strength winds.  GREAT!  Jay and I hustled back to camp.  The winds picked up.  The storm moved in.  Thunder, lightening and heavy rain.

(Post pre-ride lap crash..... can't stress the importance of wearing a helmet!!  That stone was lodged in there pretty good!)

We spent time in the van at the campground listening to the radio for weather updates.  We were under a tornado warning!  Perfect time to be in a campground, I'd say! NOT!  Eventually the storm moved on through.  I made an early supper, then laid down for a 2 hour nap.  I woke back up around 7:30 pm and then retired for the night around 10:15 pm.  It stormed off and on all night.

Woke up to a beautiful morning!  My neck, chest, head, and shoulders were stiff and sore from my pre-ride crash and I wasn't exactly excited to race.  It was a mental struggle.  BUT I was there, I spent the money, I've trained for this.  Why was "not racing" crossing my mind?  I kitted up and we drove to the venue.  

My warm up was nothing spectacular, my legs were dead, my focus was brutal.  I battled with the thought of not even starting, but I pedaled to the start line.  It was a big field, best of Canada, and there I was not thrilled at all.  2 min, 1 min, 30 sec, 15 sec, then the whistle blew.

(The final words at the start line!)

I stayed mid-pack amongst the group up the opening climb.  We got to that little pitchy quick switchback climb and a couple girls bobbled and we put a foot down.  I lost touch with the main group.  My first lap was a struggle on all the punchy climbs.  No power and no recovery.  I cleared the technical stuff but overall felt flat and slow.  DNF (Did Not Finish) was non stop in the back of my mind and I was barely 20 minutes into the race.  About 3 kms into my 2nd lap, I did it..... I called it quits!  I DNF'd.  No getting around the fact that I simply sucked out there yesterday at National Championships. (Period!) 

So what happened?  Why did I feel this way? Why didn't I care if I started the race or not?  I DNF'd yesterday before I tried, before I even got started.

Sometimes even our trained minds crack. Oh! my mind cracked, and it cracked at the wrong time and my body followed suit.

Time to re-evaluate and get back on track!

Cheers,

Sue

ON to WI and the States in Between........

Well it's July 1st, Canada Day.  I am ironically bundled in a thermal undershirt and plaid flannel (a la Canadian stereotype), as the temps dropped and the rain is falling hard.  It's not feeling like summer today.

Where have the last few weeks gone?  Geesh seems so long ago that I was in WI yet it's only been just over 2 weeks!  So going back to June 15-16.....  our trip to Wisconsin and my W.O.R.S (Wisconsin Off Road Series) race.  It was W.O.R.S. race #4, Battle of CamRock.  W.O.R.S. is the largest MTB Series in the U.S.A.  We did the early morning wake up on Saturday, picked up E-Racer (a.k.a. Erin, my awesomest teamie) and her and I slept for most of the 7.5 hour drive.  We were not very good company for Jay.  We arrived at the venue around 2:00 pm (WI time) to get a pre-ride in.  To our surprise, after the loooong drive, they had closed the trails until further notice, due to the heavy rain falls they had received within the last 24 hours.  Gah, all this way and we can't ride?  Erin and I kitted up and thought we would just go spin out on the road but before we hit the pavement, we went over and talked with the trail/course designer/coordinator, Tom.  He was a super nice guy and gave us a thorough rundown of the course via a map.  After a lengthy conversation, I think he took a little pity on us for our distant travel and gave us the go ahead to "inspect" the course and come back to him with feedback on the trail conditions.  We assured him that we wouldn't damage the course and we would avoid any section that looked like it was in poor riding conditions.  As it turned out, the trail was a bit slick and we chose to stay out of 80% of the singletrack.  We pre-rode the double track which really didn't help in getting to know the course.  It was going to be a 2 lap race.  Tom had further explained why he added the 1.5 miles of open grass double track.  He felt like it provided for great passing and also would give racers a chance to play out some strategic attacks.

(Erin snapped this picture of me as we stayed on dry grounds to "pre-ride" CamRock.)

Just as quickly as night time and bed time came so too did morning.  With our 1:30 pm start, there was no need to rush in the morning.

Fast forward to 5 minutes before the race......
We were informed by the promoter that there had been a change in the race course.  We were now going to be doing 3 laps instead of 2 and that the 1.5 miles double track section had been taken out.  Alright, the one section we pre-rode was now out.  No biggie..... let's just race!

(Pro Women start)

In words that went something like this, "One foot on the ground, one foot on the pedal, tires behind the line..... 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5,  , GO!"  The 16 pro women were off and heading up the opening climb.  I wasn't very quick off the line and definitely not the fastest one up the hill.  I was 4th cresting the top and heading into the first twisty, flat, short singletrack.  I knew the rider to beat would be the hometown and WI favourite, Abby Strigel (Honey Stinger/Bontrager).  She was leading the way.  I wanted to be behind her and because my poor start I was 3 behind her. Bah!  Early in the singletrack the 2 racers in front of me collided (I think), and we were foot down already.  I got around one lady and about 15 ft later the other women "endoed".  I did a quick check to make sure she was ok, hopped around her with my bike in hand and got back in the saddle.  I was probably close to 25-30 seconds down from Abby and we were only about 3.5 minutes into the race.  The way the trail flowed and weaved around, Abby was out of sight.  As I got into the tougher singletrack section I caught an pro male rider.  He managed to endo in front of me as well.  I had to grab the brakes pretty hard and managed to stop in time, with just a tap of my front tire onto his frame.  He was ok, I was off my bike sort of hopping over him.  I got through lap 1, sitting in 2nd.  I struggled with my flow and focus through lap 2.  On my 3rd and final lap I tried to let things roll a bit more.  I came across the finish line in 2nd.  

(Somewhere out there!)

(Photo courtesy: Cyclingnews, Xtreme Photography Unlimited)

(Podium with some great racers!)

As for the last minute course change;  by her own admission, Abby had talked to the promoter 15 minutes before the race, she felt the race was going to be too short at about 1hr and 30 min, so he decided to change it, to omit the double track section and add a lap.  Guess that's the way the "cheese" crumbles in WI. ;)  Regardless, the course was awesome, challenging, and demanding.  A real MTB race course!  I love racing W.O.R.S., the competition is so strong, the people are very friendly, and the atmosphere is welcoming.  If it wasn't such a far drive, I would probs do the whole series!

(Awesome cafe, awesome eats, awesome vibe, overall..... awesome!  CamRock Cafe!)

After awards (which last a long time), we went for a quick bite to eat and headed home.  We rolled into our driveway around 4:00 am!

I took the weekend after WI off from racing.  Instead opting for a couple of fun laps at PLRA!

Last week was my recovery week.  Dang, recovery weeks are tough for me!  I get very hungry, antsy, restless, and my sleep is effected.  Seems like those weeks are long..... I chose to add a race at the end of my recovery week.  I raced the Bloomer Park Daze promoted by Tailwind-Racing.  They did a great job at getting the course ready for the race, including the removal of fallen trees and rerouting the course (because of all the rain and storms as of late).  There was only one glitch with the lack of trail markings (lap 1) but I ended up back on track/course and they quickly had it marked come my second time around.  I rolled through the finish line in first.

                               

(Bloomer Park Podium)

Here we are today, I am looking forward to a couple of hard effort days this week.  I plan on taking this coming weekend off from racing, so I may need to find myself some fun trail to ride!

Happy Canada Day, Happy Trails, Happy Riding.... and for darn sake.... please return the sun and the heat!

Cheers,
Sue

Magic Number 5..........

5th month, 5th race, 5 bottles, 5 Hammer Gels, 5 laps, 50 miles, 5th win!

After 4 weeks of good training, I will take the 5th week off for recovery!  :)  It is perfect timing for a week off after the Stony Creek Marathon yesterday!  The weather was perfect, the trails were in great shape and surprisingly after my hard block of training my legs felt pretty strong!  Right from the start I settled into a nice pace and after 50 miles, I came across the finish line in 1st!    

(Photo credit: Scott Kroske)

(Left to right - Melanie Bernier (Reynold Cycle), Wendy Zamzow-Blumerick (Mom and Pop Racing), Me (G.R.I.T. MTB/Domino's), Erin Disterheft (Wenzel Coaching), Amanda Ryan (Einstein Racing)

Cheers,

Sue

Archives..... 

When I see the trees I tried to squeeze between, I will forever be reminded..... that's not the line to take!!

The aftermath of my crash at Stony Creek Marathon 2009!

Just below my nose was a deep cut that opened like a flap when I moved my mouth!

G.R.I.T. Travels to do the Grit (and happenings leading up to it)..........

I have had 4 races in the last 5 weeks!  I've been training through all of them and my body is not very happy about it!  Since my last post, here's an update on how things have gone.

Fort Custer Stampede XC - 1st

Queen and King of the Fort 2013!  Fastest lap by a woman and man.

Island Lake Induction XC - 1st

And now a true race report to re-cap how the 2013, Arcadian Grit and Gravel went down........

This was the 2nd year for the Arcadian Grit and Gravel, in Arcadia, MI.  Endoman Promotions is the event organizer.  I was back to defend my title.  The race is approximately 27 miles long (17 miles of road, split up by 10 miles of singletrack).

We arrived in Arcadia Friday afternoon, checked into our quaint motel and then did a pre-ride of the singletrack.  It had been lightly raining there all day, the temps were in the high 50's.  With all the sand in the area, the rain was perfect for the trail.  IMBA designed the singletrack and it is perfection in its given environment!  My legs were pretty sore and my pre-ride was high cadence, light effort, but its hard not to get consumed by the fun flow of the trail.  We had an awesome dinner (thanks to my wonderful teamie Erin), and I went to bed early sporting my compression pants.  I hoped that my legs would have a turn around after a good night's sleep!

Pre-riding through all the Trillium that blanketed the forest floor!  With the Trillium being Ontario's provincial flower I felt like it was a warm welcome!!  Lake Michigan was calm, clear and beautiful!!

Let the race begin......

I lathered my legs with Arnica gel/cream like it was body lotion, hopped on my bike and Erin and I proceeded with our warm up.  It was evident that with the strong road racers at the start line, road tactics were going to be needed.  The elite men and women went off together.  The pace was controlled as we rolled out into a head wind.  Many of the women held in the group of men.  Once off the pavement, we came upon a sand road climb and poof...... my legs lost power!  I was getting nowhere, my legs were not recovering.  Not the way I wanted the beginning of my race to go.  Lauri Brockmiller (Hagerty Cyc;ing) went whizzing by and I had no counter to go after her.  She pulled away and gained about a 30 sec lead, over the next few miles.  My plan of not riding by myself had vanished as I took the headwind and open roads solo.  I kept Lauri in sight as she worked up the road with an elite male racer that she had managed to hold on to.  Slowly but surely I began to close the gap and felt confident that I would catch her before the singletrack.  Next thing I knew Melissa Ryba (Hagerty Cycling) was flying by me on the left!  I didn't realize that her and Kati Krikke (Freewheeler's) were not far behind working together.  I grabbed her wheel and we pushed.  With Melissa and Lauri being teammates I was always aware of what team tactics they may use.  Melissa would push hard on the downhills and I would just tuck behind her, and I would lead up the gradual road climbs.  The gap between Lauri and us got smaller and smaller.  When we caught Lauri, she had put a small distance on the elite man she had been riding with and I grabbed her wheel.  The three of us ladies stayed in a row until the elite man that had been dropped came pedaling past.  I knew I had to go, so I jumped in behind him, and with that move the Hagerty girls popped in behind me.  We went up the longest gradual dirt/gravel climb at a comfortable pace.  Just before we crested I went around to take the pull and picked up the pace with 2nd and 3rd place ladies on my wheel.  We made a left on to a short stretch of road that would bring us into the first section of singletrack.  Just before entering the singletrack, I moved a bit left to make the really tight right hand turn and as I steered into it, I had a small collision with Melissa who had been drafting and was heading straight past the turn on my right.  We had to put both feet down, I grabbed my bike and threw it around her to get back on track.  I was first going into the single track and for the first 5 min I kept a real conservative pace, waiting for my legs to recover a bit.  I then picked it up and pushed a bit more.  After that I had no more contact with the other ladies, and I didn't look back, just kept pedaling.  When I came out of the final section of singletrack, I was able to grab on to the wheel of a group of fast moving expert men.  I had to give whatever was left in my legs to hold on.  Soon enough, the finish line was in sight and I crossed the line taking the WIN!!  Erin had her own body aches to deal with as well and she battled through to take 3rd!!

Lauri Brockmiller 2nd, Me 1st, Erin Vicary 3rd

A huge thanks to Tad Peacock and the crew of volunteers!!  They rock!!  

I had told Jay that I would ride the 10 mile singletrack with him after my race.  So sticking to my word, and moving my sore legs I enjoyed one more lap of the awesome trail!  I look forward to racing with fresh legs soon!!

Cheers,

Sue

We took the back roads to get to the highway and this "guy" was curious as to why we stopped to admire him.  He was huge and beautiful with a blonde mane and tail.  Country roads, take me home.....