This year was my first full cyclocross racing season and
there were a lot of surprises and fun along the way. No one told me how cyclocross can take over
your whole life and you end up caught in this current sucking you into more and
more races.
What surprised me the most was what I needed to, and thankfully
was able to, put in to doing well. The
majority of that was time and a lot of it.
Each weekend I was on the highway traveling somewhere like Bend, Canby,
Washougal, Portland, etc. I got well-acquainted
with Oregon towns I hadn’t even heard of before. I
pre-rode every course before the race.
In most cases this meant getting up early, going to the course when it
opened at 8:00am and riding it until the men’s beginners’ race started. Then I’d head back to wherever I was staying,
relax, work, etc. and head back to the course at noon to be ready for another
pre-ride at 1:00. There is no doubt in
my mind that getting up and getting all of that pre-ride time in improved my
performance dramatically. Having an
experienced teammate like Richard with me helping show me lines, telling me to “just ride it”
when I was scared (which was often), and thankfully being patient as I worked
up the guts to do it made a huge difference for me as well. Of course not everyone needs to pre-ride but for
me it was a game changer. Oddly, I
rarely saw any other women out there, especially in the morning. Was I the only one caught in the
current?
One of my favorite parts of this season was being a part of
the awesome Tensegrity Physical Therapy team and Eugene cycling community.
Having other teammates and friends at races to cheer for, heckle, and spend time
with was very rewarding. Watching others
develop, earn upgrades, and race successfully made me feel a part of something bigger
and I am so stoked for everyone who is out there racing.
While the season didn’t end as planned due to unexpected
weather, I am very happy overall as I look back on a great season. I am looking forward to racing in my new
category next season on my new Stoemper.
Thanks to everyone who was a part of the fun this year!
