2008 Teva Mountain Games - Sobe X Country
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2008 Teva Mountain Games - Sobe X Country - CycleOther
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Bike
Comments: Thankfully, at the start line they announced the Expert women only had to do 3 laps instead of the previously decided 4. Started out strong trying to find a comfortable position. Since I didn't preride the course I wasn't sure exactly what I was in for. It was TOUGH. I knew there was a lot of climbing but it still surprised me. I quickly determined that it was going to be all about survival and convincing myself not to give up. On the first lap I saw a handful of people with mechanicals walking back. After I came through to start the 2nd lap, I saw another handful of people that had given up and were hurtin pretty bad. I knew I wasn't much of a competitor that day, so I turned it into a fun ride and tried to work on my cadence, perserverance and confidence. Confidence was the tough one, since this was the first race where I realized I was completely out of place. I really had no business competing in that class in Colorado. In Utah, I could hang. Maybe even in Oregon. Not Colorado. The athletes here are amazing. And they all seem to be sponsored! So, I enjoyed myself a lot. I came through the feed zone smiling big and laughing and saying ridiculous things, I chatted with spectators as I rode by... you know me. :) Since it was a short course (5.2 miles) and the pros started first and had to do more laps, they eventually came around to lap most experts. During one of the climbs, a pro passed me and an obvious support person was there cheering him on and asking what he needed. It was Ned Overand. An absolute LEGEND in mt bike racing. It was so cool. And to give you an idea of how hard the course was, Ned was only able to pull out an 8th place finish. I love Mt Bike racing. I mean, I hate it, but I love it. Even the pros are great people. When lapped on the climbs they would pass me ever so slowly (seriously steep) and say "good job" and "don't give up girl." I KNEW I sucked hard compared to them so it was cool that they were so encouraging. Those are my people. Post race
Warm down: Talked with some girls after then hung out for a few in the shade. The weather was gorgeous and YES, I wore sunscreen so I have no burns to report. Got cleaned up in the parking garage bathroom and hit the village for some grub and chillin before the run in a couple hours. All in all it was a really good time and the humble pie was especially delicious. Last updated: 2008-06-04 12:00 AM
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2008-06-09 9:48 AM |
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Had some breakfast, loaded up my gear and met up with a buddy for the drive up to Vail. It was the first time I had been up there and it was pretty cool. I couldn't believe all the activities that were going on and the events that were all right there for spectators to watch. Standing in one place, you could see the Mt Bike start/finish line, Slope Style (bike jumping), rock climbing, dog jumping and then later the mud run. Awesome. Not to mention a few strides away was the river with all the kayaking events. I'm bringing my kids next year.
Anyway, got the feed zone picked out since thankfully my friend was going to hand me my bottles, and proceeded to check out the course. Just did 1/2 hour warm up on part of the course. Yowza. Some good climbing from the get-go and some sketchy tight technical sections on some downhill. It was going to be hard to keep my head focused enough to keep from crashing in there after so much climbing. Warmed up well I thought. Went to the start line. Ok, so.... this race was for the Pro/Expert classes. I've kinda judged my fitness as a middle of the pack Sport racer, but that race was too late in the day so I chose Expert class. There were 175 racers across the two categories. Holy cow. Come to find out, there were no other National races or point-series races going on, so all the riders were here. Not to mention the massive cash purse to the podium spots. I couldn't believe some of the names that were there. AND the course this year was designed by the same guy who designs the World Cup race courses. So, pretty much, I knew it would be insane.