Every now and then you have one of those days where as soon as you hop on the bike you know it going to be a tough race. After taking the ACT, taking my finals to finish off my junior year of high school and almost 250 miles on the bike this past week, I knew it was going to be one of those days.
As I started to warm up I was hoping my legs would come around but I could feel the fatigue in them and things were hurting a lot more than I wanted them to.
I got called up sixth and lined up front row with the usual suspects. After Don did the count down we hammered up the long start climb before dropping into the rocky, technical descent, which the Top Fuel killed. I was quick off the line and stayed on the front group, emerging from the woods in 8th place on Tristan Schouten's wheel. Things started to stretch out and I chased him and Corey Stelljes for the rest of the first lap with everything I had but was popped before the start/finish area.
Stuck in no mans land I struggled with some back pain, shot legs and the mental battle until David Carew and Fletcher Arlen caught me part way through the second lap. I refocused my self realizing I was still in sixth and put it on auto pilot for the rest of the second and third lap trying to recover as much as possible.
Going up the start climb into the fourth and final lap I put it into gear and took off. Fletcher dropped off the back and I ripped the technical downhill as hard as I could, getting a gap on David. I kept the pace high for the rest of the lap and managed to open the gap to just under a minute.
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| Congrats to my sister Emma on her first WORS pro women's win! |
When I crossed the line I was very relieved that it was over. The course was unrelenting and difficult which made for a challenging and brutal race. All in all I was disappointed with my performance but not surprised given the week I'd had. I was however happy with the way I dealt with the challenges I faced and how I played my cards to maintain my position. Regardless it is always fun to ride bikes in the woods with friends!
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| New Bontrager Kovee XXX wheels are killer! |
Big thanks to my coach
Joseph Maloney, my family and my team,
Team Wisconsin presented by KS Energy Services/MOSH for
all the support! Also huge thanks to
Emerys Cycling, Triathlon and Fitness,
Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital, Trek Bicycles,
Bontrager,
ESI Grips,
Wolf Tooth Component
Mike's Mix and
Honey Stinger for helping me have a great weekend!
Every now and then you have one of those days where as soon as you hop on the bike you know it going to be a tough race. After taking the ACT, taking my finals to finish off my junior year of high school and almost 250 miles on the bike this past week, I knew it was going to be one of those days.
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