Race #1 in the bag, it can only get better from here!

   It seems like my first race every season tends to be a bit of a mess in one way or another.  I felt much more prepared than previous years but that didn't seem to change the outcome, though it may have kept me from finishing dead last.  For better or worse, it's out of the way, and the only bad part, actually, was the top half of my race run and the 2 crashes it contained.  Otherwise I had a blast meeting some new people, getting to know others a little better, and spending time with rad people camping in the desert.  Not to mention riding bikes--yes, that's the best part!

   On Friday I was able to tag along for a walk down the course with reigning national champ Jackie Harmony and scope out the best lines.  At first I was doubtful of the gnarly "Kevorkian" trail us pros were routed down, but as it turns out, it's a whole lot easier to ride a bike down some things than walk them!  I wound up having a blast just practicing and might have ridden more if it didn't get so darn hot out there in the sun.  Coming from the mountains down to the desert was about a 30 degree temp difference so 80 degrees felt like you're in an oven!

Hanging out in the shade

   Saturday's practice was uneventful, feeling smooth through all the techy stuff and finally getting a new line I'd been trying for unsuccessfully on Friday.  Seeding runs started at 3 and we gathered at the top of the mountain to prepare for takeoff.  I was third to go off, a little worried about catching the girl ahead of me, but was surprised to see her off to the side after only the first turn on the course.  Felt smooth and relaxed all the way to the off-camber traverse through some rocks and then realized that my bike felt a little too squishy...uh oh...flat tire! Bummer! I walked over to the steep rocky section to watch the pro men qualify, feeling gypped out of a great timed practice run and annoyed that I'd have to walk an otherwise perfectly good bike 2/3 of the way down the entire mountain.  Fortunately I wasn't injured like Lauren, the girl who went just ahead of me; she wound up with a sprained knee and decided to let it rest instead of racing on Sunday.

   Race day I took just one practice run and felt good about it, so I went back to the van to relax and keep hydrated.  Some races there would be something I'd be freaking out about a little, but no particular part of the course was that worrying to me at this point, which I took to be a good sign.  Just had to remember to slow down and take it easy in the upper part of the course, since that's where a mistake could really cost some time... Alas, I was unable to keep that in my head when I left the starting gate like a bat out of hell.  First 4 turns were good and then things went wonky when I got off my line trying to go too fast through the off-camber section, and wiped out on my left side.  I don't think anybody else crashed there at all--maybe some cat-2's?  Silly me.  I picked my bike up and hurried on down the course, and made it not very far to the slightly technical crossover to the more gnarly part of the course.  There I forgot to pull up when my front wheel found a big rock, and went OTB, quite spectacularly according to Kit and our friends watching across the way.  My bike tumbled down the hill a ways, so I had to retrieve it and scramble through the loose rocks back up to the trail to keep going.  Still uninjured, thanks to my habit of wearing full armor, I pulled myself together and stayed on the bike through the rest of the run.  Carefully picked my way down the steep Kevorkian chute, around some narrow sidehill sections, and then cranked as hard as possible down the remainder to the finish.  My time was not spectacular, but considering all the extracurricular adventures my bike took, I think 7th place out of 10 wasn't all that bad.  Of course a podium finish would have been better, and quite within reach without the second crash, but that's downhill racing for you!
   Jackie won by a huge margin, almost a minute over second place, and everyone else was scattered in the 1-1.5 minute range behind her. Wow--I want to be like her when I grow up!  Teammates Allison and Lindsay were 2nd and 3rd in their Cat-1 age groups, and my friend Gretchen won hers, so she'll hopefully be joining me in Pro after the Fontana Pro GRT! Results

Race run down Kevorkian

   Now, I just need to figure out how to eliminate my problem of crashing only in race runs--after a whole season of the same thing last year it's starting to get really old!

More photos here: Exposed Imagery

   Another highlight of the trip was our stop in Bishop on the way home for some climbing at the Owens River Gorge, a favorite winter spot that somehow we hadn't gotten to at all this winter.  We forgot the guidebook in the van but remembered a few classics that kept us entertained for an afternoon.   I missed that place so much!  We had brought skis along planning to hit some fun lines in the Mammoth area as well, but the weather didn't want to cooperate, with a small storm blowing in to ruin our spring skiing and not predicted to leave much snow.  Oh well...back to the lake to prep for my team's fundraiser this weekend and another road trip to race in so cal next week!