The first real race of the 2012 season and first ProXCT are under my belt! Overall I'm happy with my race. I was called up 23rd (out of 24) and finished 15th (22 finished), full results here. I could see the 3 girls that finished right in front of me throughout the entire race. I emptied the tank trying to catch them and thought a few times I would.
The course didn't have much passing and no sustained climbs. It was quite rocky and technical. I'm really glad I had a chance to pre-ride and find good lines. There were rocks that were challenging to get up and over and if someone wobbled just a bit, the riders behind them would end up walking. That happened on a few different laps, but overall I cleared the rocks and sections I was a little nervous about. That's why I'm please with my result, the course didn't play to my strengths, but I maintained my calm and powered when I could. My bike performed perfectly, I was over the moon grateful for full suspension. The Rocky Mountain Team Element was THE bike to have on that course.
My short sleeve Kuhl kit hasn't come in yet, so I got to represent CarboRocket this weekend via my kit and in my bottles. (Same story next weekend at Bonelli Park- ProXCT #2).
To celebrate the fact that I was the only mother to toe the line, I took along my son's toy train log in my jersey pocket. He put it in my bag without me realizing it until I got to Texas! When I found it, I knew it was my good luck reminder for the race.
Shimano had neutral support in the staging area and I couldn't have been more grateful. During the pre-ride on Friday I realized very quickly my rear rotor was bent. They replaced it and my ride was smooth. But Saturday on my warm up the brake pads were rubbing, pretty loudly. With 20 minutes to call up I rode back to the Shimano tent and they rebuilt my rear brake in 6 minutes. Miracle workers I tell you!
I also found great generosity from the Team Giant tent. Kelli and I had ridden together recently, so I stopped by there to see if they had an extra air cartridge. (You can't fly with compressed air, so I've ended up buying air and leaving it unused with a local rider). The Giant mechanic let me borrow air & chuck taped together. Luckily, I was able to take it straight back to the tent after the race, unused!
It was a great weekend, as nice and smooth as I could have hoped for. Now it's time to rest and recover, 6 days to the next race!
The course didn't have much passing and no sustained climbs. It was quite rocky and technical. I'm really glad I had a chance to pre-ride and find good lines. There were rocks that were challenging to get up and over and if someone wobbled just a bit, the riders behind them would end up walking. That happened on a few different laps, but overall I cleared the rocks and sections I was a little nervous about. That's why I'm please with my result, the course didn't play to my strengths, but I maintained my calm and powered when I could. My bike performed perfectly, I was over the moon grateful for full suspension. The Rocky Mountain Team Element was THE bike to have on that course.
My short sleeve Kuhl kit hasn't come in yet, so I got to represent CarboRocket this weekend via my kit and in my bottles. (Same story next weekend at Bonelli Park- ProXCT #2).
To celebrate the fact that I was the only mother to toe the line, I took along my son's toy train log in my jersey pocket. He put it in my bag without me realizing it until I got to Texas! When I found it, I knew it was my good luck reminder for the race.
Shimano had neutral support in the staging area and I couldn't have been more grateful. During the pre-ride on Friday I realized very quickly my rear rotor was bent. They replaced it and my ride was smooth. But Saturday on my warm up the brake pads were rubbing, pretty loudly. With 20 minutes to call up I rode back to the Shimano tent and they rebuilt my rear brake in 6 minutes. Miracle workers I tell you!
I also found great generosity from the Team Giant tent. Kelli and I had ridden together recently, so I stopped by there to see if they had an extra air cartridge. (You can't fly with compressed air, so I've ended up buying air and leaving it unused with a local rider). The Giant mechanic let me borrow air & chuck taped together. Luckily, I was able to take it straight back to the tent after the race, unused!
It was a great weekend, as nice and smooth as I could have hoped for. Now it's time to rest and recover, 6 days to the next race!