velocorapture.net

I can’t lie, I had Jay-Z stuck in my head the whole time at Iola.

Don’s hospitality on Saturday night (bed and shower!) was much appreciated and we grabbed blueberry waffles and coffee at Diane’s cafe in Amherst at 7:30 on Sunday morning. Pretty much a perfect start to the day. I got ready without rushing and warmed up for too long, though I enjoyed it. At the line, I felt happy and relaxed. I clipped in on the first try (a first!), rubbed shoulders contentedly with the lady on my left (another first, might have been Sue, I didn’t look at the time), and we were off. It felt good. I got to ride with Sue Juedes for a while at the start, which was terrific. She was on her first MTB ride of the season. The only time I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing Sue in singletrack was when she was our instructor at the Ladies Dirt Clinic last year. Let’s just say I figured she would be likely to drop me like a lead brick. Anyway, it was cool to ride the double track and some steep hills with her for a while.

I finally feel like I know my body on a bike well enough to go “my pace”. I raced it until the second lap, when I started to have crazy leg cramps. That was super-duper weird for me during a race. Granted, when I was in Sport, mashed up every hill, couldn’t shift for %$#, and would often look down in the finish chute to realize I was still in my big ring - I would get cramps in my calves on the last lap. Last year, not really at all. Anyway, I figured I should hydrate and eat and decided not to attack the hills, much. In hindsight, I think it was my too-long warm-up and my lack of high-intensity training this spring. Hill sprints, here I come.

I had a great race in terms of meeting my long-term goal of being closer to my best mental space. By which I mean, to enjoy a race like the really good ride it should be. I enjoyed every second on the trail, and with my mind NOT worrying about who might be behind me, I instead watched the Comp riders who passed and could focus more on the trail ahead. I’m still getting used to the idea that the guys out on the course are faster (when you race sport, and start behind the sport men - you only see the guys you pass). It’s fun to ride with them when I can. Matt lapped me towards the end of my 4th lap, and Jen took a smart pass around me in the singletrack not long after. I couldn’t catch her without a wide-open space between there and the finish, and she was stronger mentally, physically, or both to have caught me twice in that last lap. I was mightily frustrated between the time she got around me and the line, and as soon as I crossed it I wanted to find her and shake her hand.

Much thanks to Geo, my hero with the hand-ups during the race, who had a fine race himself on Sunday!

In a nutshell, I got sick again, got better, got a sunburn, moved house, finished being a professor, worked in the garden, and have spent the last week trying to get rid of a vial of cocaine (that the DEA doesn’t want) and cryopreserve mouse sperm. All true.

I’m surprised, getting back on the bike, that I feel as good as I do. I’ve been chasing my pain box all over Dane County and it keeps receding into the distance ahead of me. Perhaps I need to pedal harder. Anyway, it feels weird. We’ll see what happens on Sunday. I’m looking forward to riding on that particular patch of dirt.

In the meantime, the roommate and I have been decorating…

…and such.

By Sunday night, after a BBQ and an ill-advised trip to see Wolverine, I crawled into bed completely exhausted from the first warm, sunny weekend of the year. It was a blast, and began on Saturday morning when Trek held a race at their trails. Last November, I showed up to spectate and ended up winning a time trial. This time, I came to race and expected to destroy the competition without effort - seeing that, as of Friday, I was the only lady to have signed up.

Fortunately for me, more women turned out. During the pre-race meeting, we decided the second place prize was the one to take home, but I ended up winning. In my defense, I was 5 minutes slower than the last time. Matt, on the other hand, was 3 minutes faster than last time.

It was a great way to spend our Saturday morning.  It’s not often that I’m able to ride at Trek’s invitation-only trails, and I really enjoy them.  The trails are built by the man who runs Talon Trails out of Austin, TX.  Despite the rain earlier in the week, they were in great form on Saturday morning. This was the Paragon’s first ride on trail for ages, and we had a fine time.

Matt killing it

Geo post race

After the races, we enjoyed food and some fun events, including the Ghost Bike, Bike Toss, and Slow Race. Here I am in the Bike Toss.

Jim’s Trails fun from velocorapture on Vimeo.

Afterwards, we went home, rearranged the cars, and SmAshley, Geo and I headed to Cam-Rock while Matt went to help out at the West Side Trek Store for the afternoon.  It was my first time riding at Cam-Rock, and I enjoyed the trails.

Geo clearing a rocky uphill switchback

On Sunday, we got up early and headed to the Kettles with Smashley and Andrew. Smashley was trying out a new Paragon, and it was her first trip to the Kettles. We went for a tour lap of the Blue Loop and when I decided to give it a bit on the rocky hills, I looked back to find her on my rear wheel like glue! Sport women best recognize.

I got a present in the mail today.  Matt got me something great!  Sometimes, a blog can be a scary place.  You wander in, innocent, and then - bam! - someone shares something way too personal.  That’s yuck, AND you feel implicated.  Because you looked.  This could be one of those times.  Because, wearing my new kit today?  Made me feel faster than I am.  And I mean that in an uncool, sincere and ridiculous way.  I like it though.