2575 Road Triathlon - Las Olas - Ft. Lauderdale, FL

2575 Road Triathlon

2nd Place AG
10th Overall out of 90 ladies

Swim: 0.75k Bike: 20k Run: 5k

01:13:59.837

3539

2

Female

00:11:22.460

00:37:14.933

00:22:57.330

Equipment used: Huub Axena wetsuit, LG custom Tri Kit, LG Course Helmet, LG T-Flex  2SL Shoes, LG TR-40 Bag, Xpedo M-Force 8 Ti, Salomon Mantra shoes, Suunto Ambit 2 S, Light and Motion Solite, Kuat NV Bike Rack, Clif Shot Gels and Salomon 150ml Flask.

This was my first time racing a road triathlon…

So many people I know race on the road and there are so many amazing races all around available to participate in. Also almost anyone can do it and road riding requires less time investment in the riding skills but…

I had only two days of practice on a rented bike and simply had to learn how to ride not only a road bike for the first time ever but how to ride tri - bike in the TT position.

It was an adventure and my nerves were worse than during my first Xterra a few years back.
I had little trust in those little tires (hey I am a Mountain Biker after all!) and felt jittery, unbalanced and definitely not very confident on this new type of bike during my practice.

But a bike is a bike you would think, and thankfully this turned to be true when the race day came about. I raced like I rode on the road for quite some time, quite confident and aggressive and I even found a joy of speed on the road while my quads were burning and reaching top speeds of 27.5 mph.

Shockingly I didn’t yell during the race “this is red cone central!”, since I never saw before that many cones all at once… And also “Where are the trees!” since for the first time I was not in the bike park or the forest. But somehow I was so focused on this paved path that I didn’t even bother… :-)

I finished to my complete surprise not only in top three but only 14 seconds off of 1st place. Little did I know I was actually leading the whole race until the final quarter of the mile of the run when I got passed…

The venue was beautiful: sun, ocean, wind, palms, city backdrop and all thousands of people around added this extra element to it. It was race to be remembered…

 

Now to the story...



I never pictured myself as a road triathlete even in my wildest dreams. A few years now of racing Xterra’s definitely gives me skills and fitness needed to compete in the race. But to this moment I still don’t own a road or triathlon bike and with my sudden decision to race today it became even more of a time pressed learning curve. Figuring out those small tires and controlling the bike in the time trial position was not easy at first, actually it was so unnatural and shaky that I almost gave up. Only person at that moment standing by me and believing in me more than I believed in myself was my husband who kept telling me to keep on trying… It was not easy but I found my peace with the bike and became even more comfortable on race day.

I was very lucky that stars aligned themselves and my friends encouraged me to race and thought that it would be a great thing for me to try. Also I am very happy for a new friend, Rachel from Mack Cycles, lending me a bike that will carry me into this new adventure.

The day before the race we went to the race site. The transition and finish area had been already setup and packet pickup and meetings were going on. I was anxious a little and wanted to see and hear anything that I could to learn as much as possible about road racing. It was pretty hot on Saturday and we were there right in the middle of the day. It was funny because I walked over to the announcer at the site to ask him few questions before the main meeting and he just looked at me and said “so, you are going to win your age group tomorrow”. Ha, I was shocked to hear that and found it kind of funny at the same time. I told him quickly that it will be my first ever race on the road tomorrow and I am looking forward to see what happens, but it would be really nice if he was close to being right. 

After the meeting Pax and I and our friend Jen who biked here all the way from her house to see us were going to ride around and preview the bike course. Oh it was really hot now and traffic on the streets was simply insane. Thousands of cars, buses, people, it felt intimidating at first but just minutes from getting on the road I was easing into it. I was happy to bike all the way to Birch Park since there I was able to find my peace in a quiet setting and surrounded by trees. A nice smooth paved winy road was very appealing and relaxing. I was very much looking forward riding tomorrow through this part. Also there was a beautiful view on the inter-coastal waterway before leaving the park and heading onto the main road. We had fun and finished with yummy fruit smoothies and some relaxing time while watching this surreal busy city-beach setting all at once. Shortly we headed home.

I’m not going to hide that I was nervous. This giant unknown of how a road triathlon is set up with all the biking and running on the street, with all the rules and all the racers that I don’t know, I felt like I was racing once again for the first time. I was unsure of my borrowed bike and had no clue how I was going to handle it in a race setting. Simply even after turning off the lights my mind never went to sleep to get some rest. The thoughts of what it might be like and what are my key things to focus on kept spiraling in my head for the whole night. Very unlike me I was almost completely awake at 3 am, but still had a little over one hour until the alarm went off. At this point I just wanted to be there and simply race.

The drive to the venue wasn’t bad; surprisingly we didn’t have any problem finding a parking space. In a matter of a few minutes I was on the race site going to set up transition. On the way there we had people doing body marking and giving timing chips; this process was amazingly fast and quite clever. It took me a while to find my numbered already bike rack which happened to be right on the exit, I didn’t expect that but it was just perfect.

It was still dark out, very windy, ocean was just a few hundred feet away and I could hear the angry waves all the way in the transition. It was nice to see some familiar faces of my Xterra friends like Melissa and Jonathan. I felt more organized now setting up my transition space comparing to my last triathlon race and had time to get out for a small warm up. When on the dark road we noticed guy from one of the restaurant’s hosing down the sidewalk and all the water was draining out on the street where we were going to race. I was hoping it would dry out before I rode over it. A few final touches and it started to light up and I grabbed all my swim gear and walked over to the race start. 

The waves were huge, currents were strong and wind was gusting with no mercy. When I walked in to warm up in the water I realized how difficult it will be to get out to the first buoy or to even get back to the shore. The ocean was simply pulling us in all different directions; most of the times where we didn’t want to go.

There was not much time to be wasted and the Wave starts were about to happen. The Pro field was going first. They were jumping, dolphin hopping, running and doing everything possible to get out and go by the angry waves, but it seemed like there were there forever and had hardly any progress. It was going to be a rough swim. Same applied to all the classes after and there was finally time for all the ladies to go. I was shocked that our group was so big comparing to the other start waves. When the announcer said 15s I was like “here we go”. We charged into the waves, it was rough, but got really bad near the first buoy which we somehow reached without many issues. The ladies were everywhere, on my both sides boxing me in and pulling on my legs while the monster waves were topping us off. I was not happy at that moment if anyone can imagine and questioned myself for quite a while on what I was doing there. It was mayhem and when I was trying to get some control and focus on the swim I gulped a nice mouthful of ocean water from a huge wave. I just wanted to swim and it was so difficult in those conditions already. Some moments went by and finally I was able to escape the grips of the ladies by my side and focus on my swim. I started sighting for the next buoys and counting them down, it was a total of 5 and I was searching for the 2nd one. By that time one of the waves jammed so hard into my face that I got water in one of my goggles, but at that point I didn’t care. All my focus now was to swim straight and don’t get intimidated by the water conditions. We were swimming parallel to the beach and huge waves were coming in from my right side and totally trashing and swinging me like a pendulum side to side. With my head in the water and constant rocking left and right I started to feel dizzy, but the last thing I wanted was to think about it and let things get worst. So I took it off my mind and kept on looking where the main groups of swimmers were and for the next buoys. One time I glanced left into the beach and all I saw is a big white wave going staring on the tall building, I could not see the sand at all. I was nowhere near anyone during most of my swim and was very happy to see the final, 5th buoy. Went around it and headed on an angle to the shore. The waves were pulling me now in and out and it was a journey to try to get out to the shore.

But I got there and had a short beach run, street crossing and into T1. Since I didn’t have time to change the sport mode on my Ambit 2 on the beach run I had to do it now in the transition, it took only 2 seconds. The worst thing for me was to put on my socks and shoes and after numerous attempts and me not being able to simply stand on one leg since I was so dizzy from the swim I finally gave up and collapsed into the ground and got my shoes on. Helmet on and into the street. Now everything that I feared the most was about to happen. I did run all the way to the mounting like and jumped on my bike. I had no clue what was going to happen now; it was weird, so weird being the first time on the road and racing. But I took off and never thought much of it really. At that moment I was on the bike and even though this is not my type of bike, biking is still my element. I picked up speed and was getting faster and faster from now on. In the matter of minutes I had to figure out and practice my passing, and it had become the theme of the day. I think I was doing great and my inner ninja came out and I was pushing on those little cranks like there was no tomorrow. Going out we had a wind with us so it was easier to go fast and I was happy to go by so many riders announcing “on your left, your left, passing on your left, Thank You!” Right in the begging of the bike course however I stumbled upon the only two obstacles on the road, first was the still wet patch from the neighboring restaurant and second was a little sandbox area some ten feet wide. Thankfully bike just floated over the sand and didn’t react much to the water patch and my friend Jonathan mentioned after the race that it should have been my favorite part since it had some dirt on it! Ha ha, maybe if I was on my mountain bike.

So when ducked in the TT position huffing and puffing and trying to figure out how to drink safely while being pushed by the strong wind I finally started getting to turn around point on A1A.  At this time I got quite familiar with one male rider in a red outfit that already went maybe two times back and forth with me. But this was only the beginning of our journey. I passed him again and was first to head into the wind and turn into the Birch park. The wind was brutal but in the park things relaxed a little bit and tree cover gave us some break from those windy conditions. It was for sure my most favorite part on the bike course, but just seconds into the park my friend in red was back and was passing me again with some other rider. After that I saw both of them settling into a comfortable pace and this is when I passed them once more. And we kept going that way throughout the park and really throughout the whole race. I jetted by them when getting back out on the street and into the wind. This time heading south was simply brutal, the speed decreased greatly but the burning in the legs increased tenfold. We had at least two miles going that way and now when I think about it it’s not that far at all, but at that time when your body is on fire and you push on the pedals as hard as you can and your heart rate is in the red and as high as it can get, than all those smallest miles look like monsters.

Right before the turn around point for the second lap I saw my husband on the right ducked down taking pictures. Usually he would be yelling, encouraging, cheering, this time he was just there quiet. It was different but felt good knowing he is right here by my side, even for this little split second when I just zipped by him. And I made a U turn and was on my way north with the fast wind on my wheels, helping and propelling, allowing me to reach speeds of 27.5 mph at some point. I passed more people and to be honest I think only there was a handful of people that passed me on the bike, and usually I would know that someone was approaching for a pass because most of them had those huge, deep and loudly buzzing wheels. When I looked to the left on people biking south I saw a man in what seemed like TT position and he was holding to his bike by his only hand. Amazing, I was scared to ride while there is a man who cannot be stopped even racing with one arm. I was quite inspired of human strength and willpower and definitely it helped me to forget about my own fears. 

Later on I saw the same man once more on the run…

Same things happened, water, sand, more passing, more suffering and again into the wind and into the park. Biking south once more was even more painful on the second lap but then there was not much to be saved for later. There were a lot of people now going this direction and it really became kind of crowded. And it culminated at the turnaround point where people were turning left for the second lap but also there was a group that was trying to go to the transition including me.

Unfortunately we were all almost stopped and were not sure where to go, few seconds later we got back to speed and realized that we still had little less than a quarter mile to go before heading to the dismount line.  Few seconds had been lost for sure but things are never perfect in any race scenario.

I got into T2 by running through the paved street and then the soft grass. I was out in no time and back on the same road. I think my run started pretty well and I looked down at my Ambit 2 and saw a pretty good pace. But only a half a mile into the run I started to feel very tired and greatly slowing down. Usually in the race is the opposite and I wondered how I was going to go about it for the rest of my run. We had a very small space to run on and at least on the beginning I was able to pass a few people. Later on things changed and I was passed by maybe a dozen people, which still was not terribly bad but not as good as on the bike. Next time I looked at my watch and it showed only 0.75 miles, than 1.2. It seemed like this run was going to last for a long time and would hurt on every step of it. I couldn’t wait to see at least the turnaround point; I started seeing a women running already back by me in the opposite direction. I did my count and approximately I figured I had a chance to be in top ten, which would be great for my first race. But I really needed to hold at least my current position, this is when I saw my friend Melissa on her way back and it was just 30 seconds away from the turnaround point. It was good seeing her focused and determined to finish strong. When I got to the turn point I had some guy grab Gatorade, stop right in the middle of the narrow path and start splashing it all over himself. My goodness, I tried to go around him and duck from his spilled drink and get on my way. I still had 1.5 miles but it felt like I had at least 3 miles to go. I felt so slow and so hopeless; it was probably the worst run I can remember. While running south I saw Melissa’s husband Kenny who said a big Hi to me while still running north and also Jonathan who also gave me a big cheer. I was searching my body and soul for some hidden energy but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I was clasping my hand on the Salomon flask and was afraid to look at my watch. The pace now when against the wind was even slower. I was in a really dark place wondering how I will finish. But then I spotted this one lady in the distance just a little bit ahead of me. She was older, definitely not in my group but gave me motivation to try everything I could to get closer to her. And it worked, slowly step by step I was getting closer and closer, we had to be now only some 0.5 miles away from the finish. I caught up with her and made a pass, I think one of her family members yelled to the lady to keep going and to stay with me. I was almost there, still not completely aware of my position as far as my race group.

Now I was almost a quarter mile away and was thinking which way would be the best to cross the finish line, if I would crawl or if I would just collapse now so I don’t have to do it at all. I entertained all options I was so simply exhausted from this short but so painful all-out effort. And this is when I had some very fresh and quick feet go by me, I managed to look down and saw 3 and some scrambles. When I looked closer I realized she was in my age group and was at this moment taking over my spot. It stung and I tried to pick up my speed and stay on her heels and it was simply not going to happen. I had nothing left. I was so close but so far away, I wanted this race to be over with already. I was so sad I couldn’t keep my position I was telling myself I was going to regret it later and possibly I was losing podium in those final steps of the race. I finally crossed the finish and collapsed there for a moment. I found out minutes later that I was leading the whole race and just lost my first place by 14 seconds to the lady who just passed me on the last quarter mile of run.

What a bummer and what a great result at the same time. I wasn’t sure if I should be sad or happy. Those 14 seconds could be gained possibly here and there by little different decisions and circumstances. But the ladies that I joined on the podium were seasoned road triathlon racers and it was great to be among them in the top three on just my first attempt.

What an experience, what an effort. After all I was happy.

It was such an amazing setting and beautiful venue for the race. I met lots of new people here and also was happy to have good friends that raced by my side.

All of it wouldn’t happen if not for Jen and Melissa and Jonathan who encouraged me to race and Rachel who decided to lend me a bike and fitted me on it and gave me words of encouragement.

Also I was amazingly happy that I could use my new and beautiful custom Tri racing kit which was made by LG and was so comfortable that I didn’t have to think about it during the whole race, not even once. It fit like a glove.

And it wouldn’t also be if not for my husband Pax who doesn’t mind waking up at 4 am to go with me to the race site, be by my side for the warm-up in the darkness to the moment I cross the finish line, and in the meantime take ridiculously beautiful pictures documenting the whole experience.

I couldn’t do any of it without all this amazing support. Thank you everyone and until next time!



Of course my life is easier, my bike is faster my body is stronger and my dreams are possible because of all my amazing Sponsors:

Bike Tech Miami, Syntace, Magura, Stan’s Notubes, Schwalbe, ESI Grips, Clif, Xpedo, Trainer Road, Garden of Life, Pro Gold Lubricants, Kuat Racks, Light & Motion, KT tape, Cycleops and New for 2014 - Specialized, Louis Garneau, Selle Italia, Huub and Rotor Bike Components!

Specialized Southeastern Regional Championship (SERC) # 1 - Santos "Vortex" Trails - Ocala, FL

It was the most technical and demanding course on the whole race circuit.

But racing it was so much fun and if anyone would ask me to do it all over again tomorrow I would be there in a heartbeat.

I enjoyed this race greatly and had really amazing time on those insane Vortex trails.

Santos Park is just a gem that keeps on getting better. We need more places like this around the state!

Women Pro/Expert - 4th place

After a strong effort I managed to be only 40s and 1 minute back to the third and second place all of whom were Pro or former Pro riders. I'm very proud of myself on how I raced and how I managed this extremely demanding course with such a stacked field of skilled riders.



I only wish that lap count was not voted down to 3 laps from the scheduled 4, since I feel I was gaining on the podium ladies and the final lap was very detrimental on the final results.
But again, I have no regrets and had an incredible race.

Small video from the race:

http://vimeo.com/88727236

Also nice video by Jane of one of the rock gardens:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVPClASS39w&feature=share&list=UUGgXlMabvbypnFZohYIgLJw

Couple videos from the pre-ride and from the free riders...

http://vimeo.com/90605603

http://vimeo.com/90605543

Our First trip with the New Black and Chrome Kuat NV Rack.Go ahead and get yours...

Onto the story....

 

I love coming back to Ocala…

There is so much going on over here, vast open terrain designated purely for one purpose; riding and playing on a bike. There is a little bit of everything for anyone here, from free riding off cliff drops for the brave souls, to the BMX type jumps and tracks, to insanely technical MTB trails and also those less demanding, but fast, swooshy and so enjoyable single tracks. It’s a huge forest with nice elevation changes which we don’t find easily in the state. All of the terrain is covered with massive oak trees, moss covered boulders and wild Yellow Jessamine vines all over the place dripping beautiful bell shaped flowers on the biking path. Not sure if there can be anything better than that. Plus all of the man-made crazy features like giant wall rides or even bigger ramps like Cork Screw you can find in the park.




Now add in a weekend long Fat Tire Festival and also our SERC series race and you have more than a perfect get away surrounded by nature and bike enthusiasts.

I was very excited driving up to the park, not knowing how the course would be setup but I was certain that it was going to be fun and tough at the same time.

To make things even more exciting I had my brand new custom LG kit waiting for me in the hotel to be picked up. I couldn’t simply wait and we drove over to the hotel first before heading to the park. It was the perfect race to open my new season in my new kit. The design came out so beautiful that I could not ask for anything more than that, I’m so happy and thankful for the amazing work the LG Team put in to create this awesome outfit!

Also it was our first trip with just fresh from the factory gorgeous Black and Chrome Kuat NV Rack which not only looks stealthy but also performs as such!



Also I’m so happy to have all my sponsors and supporters featured on my outfit as well and I’m very thankful for everyone believing in me and being a part of this amazing journey with my racing.

Thank you! Now only thing I had left besides looking fast was to race fast but more about that in a second!

When we arrived at the park it was beautiful and sunny and the trails were just waiting for us. I put on my beautiful outfit and we were off. We had our friend Jonathan accompany us on the pre-ride. I found out quick that the first 2.5 miles were smooth and fast. But that was about to change quickly with the moment we had to pop a wheelie to go over a massive rock eliminator to get to the Vortex trails. This is where things got very interesting right from the start and this whole section of ultra-technical 3 miles was ran in the opposite direction to what I rode here year ago.



I loved this course but the constant sharp and steep pitches, turns, rocks, log overs and drops were extremely taxing and not for the faint hearted. It got even better on the second part of the Vortex system where rock gardens - this time massive ones - and riding on the edge of the cliffs were part of the course. This is where I really took my time to scrutinize those sections, more than I normally would.  I knew that all the little details and possible mistakes here could be strong deciding factors in the final results.

After lots of patience from my husband Pax and our company Jonathan I was able to tackle everything that was out there. I was happy but wished I had more time on those amazing trails.

After our ride we visited the expo on the other side of the park where the Fat Tire Festival and Specialized Demo was going on. But the day was heading towards the end and the sun was already low and temperatures were dropping quickly so we headed to the hotel.



Tonight we were changing time to the spring daylight savings time which I really do not like at all and it would mean one hour less sleep and getting up when it is still dark. Brrr.

And as predicted it was dark, quite cold and moist on this Sunday morning. Early dew was sitting on leaves which were covering the ground. Faint sun rays were trying to warm up the cold and sleepy terrain. Dressed in nice warm jackets we went for the warm up. I could feel the frigid air getting through my gloves to my fingers putting them in cold and a little painful state. But by the time we all conglomerated on the start line the sun was much higher now and it felt very comfortable.



While all the ladies did line up on the start we were offered to vote for 3 or 4 laps. I was hoping for 4 but had a feeling that majority would vote for less, not to my surprise by just one vote we were set to race only 3 laps which I felt would put me in a disadvantage.

I was relaxed, calm and Dave announced “10 seconds” to go, I started my GPS and was ready.
The moment we took off once again I didn’t clip in properly and was watching ladies speeding away. But just seconds later I was good and quickly gained some lost ground and was even able to make a pass before heading to the single track.



We dipped down to the funnel like swoopy and fast trail system which comes out to be very enjoyable to race on and very soon I was gaining ground and making passes when possible on the riders ahead.

We were going so fast that I had at some point teary eyes which by the way were of course dressed with my racing glasses. I felt fresh and fast and at some point I got to the max speed reaching some 19.5-21.5 mph which is pretty good in my terms for riding in the trails. I was happy and had a clear view of a few girls in front and did catch up with Amy somewhere mid-way through this fast section. I stayed with her for a long time and felt that I could go even faster and finally on a sharp right turn she worked with me and allowed me to make a safe pass. I took off and this time the trail headed slightly uphill and was a little slower than the first part but minutes later I reached the rocky eliminator; the entrance to the Vortex trails.




This part, or a whole 3 miles of those trails are the meat of the meal and true happening place where most likely today’s results will be decided. I knew than any flaws and mistakes here will mean making or breaking the race. I was set to ride fast, strong, safe and within my limits at the same time. First part was very demanding and hitting us on an instant full of sudden and sharp hills and drops with close to impossible turns in the same moment. Step ups, wooden walls, narrow tracks filled out the scenery. This is where the legs are burning, arms are tense and your heart rate goes through the roof but at the same time you are trying to go as smooth as possible and as fast as you can. All of it is not easy and after a narrow almost 180 degree turn we were spilled to the free ride area just for half a minute tops and were pulled back to even a tougher single track.
 

This time around however we did hit the rocks right away. Rocky climbs, turns, descents, more climbs and we climbed to the top of the cliff. This is where we got an amazing view that you really don’t want to check out during your race of the free ride area below. The path is so narrow and drop off is so tall that mistakes here would be quite costly. Also a mountain wall is right on your shoulder and big boulders stick out into an already narrow path. Here you kind of need to do the opposite to what your logic tells you and stay far left very close (inches) of the cliff in order not to hit the rock on the right. But your mind and your bike just steers you to the right and on my second lap I got clipped by the rock and had to regain balance quickly while riding right there on the complete edge. The trail opened up once more to another drop off and then we headed to the next part with another nice wall ride and numerous rock gardens. When I was approaching the first set of boulders this is where I had Duffy right in front of me trying to get through the rocks. I was right there just inches away and after the rocks I had to make a quick pass, since only 15 feet later we were heading into the longest and most intimidating rock garden.  I focused, opened my mind, took a deep breath and started riding it.



I was not fast but rock by rock I was able to get through the section while listening to the quick footsteps of Duffy right behind me who chose to run the section. Seconds later there was another set of big rocks and then another rock over and right away another one. The path did clear for a quick while but shortly I approached another set of rocks, those this time were tall boulders on both sides of my bike and had a very narrow path to maneuver the 90 degree uphill turn at the same time. Even though I had no problem with this part before this time I had to happen to be too close to one of the rocks and got stuck on it and fell to my right while still clipped in. It was nothing big really but definitely did cost me some time.  Few more technical sections and we were spilled into the open reaching the shoot. I managed to handle the second lap as good as first one and felt like I was enjoying even more the fast parts of the course.




The technical parts went well and as predicted however this time around I had two guys in front of me while reaching the grainy rock garden and first of the riders just totally flew over his handlebars doing a scorpion like a stunt and not by the first choice both of us was forced to get off the bikes and run the section. Here goes more time. The course was so technical and so bumpy in all parts of the race that on the first lap I had even no chance to reach for the bottle. After time however I figured out the best spots to drink quickly and didn’t have an issue with it any longer. But the constant focus on the terrain kept me so occupied that I never looked down at my speed, lap time, cadence, and heart rate, really nothing. I remember glimpsing only once since I felt my heart rate belt was sliding off and was certain it would not record anything any longer, but when I looked down there was a reading, so that was good and it meant also I was alive!




And here goes lap three, the final opportunity to get closer to the first three ladies. This is where I was some 40 seconds back. I had some really fast, proven and skilled ladies in front but at the same time I felt great today and quite capable of catching and passing whoever was there in my way. I felt like an eagle on the fastest parts, little more tired on the uphill ones, tackled the technical as I did on the previous laps and now I was heading through the open to the final most demanding miles.

I was now 25-30 seconds back. Problem was that this section was going to favor more experienced riders and any little burp will change everything. I kept looking out for and I’m quite certain at some point while on a berm with a wall ride I saw finally the third rider. I had mixed feelings since I was so close but so far away and I was just about to reach all the rock gardens.  I sped up even more but when I got to the biggest rock garden for the third time my pedal caught on a rock and I was simply stuck. I was standing there in between rocks and not moving forward for probably a few seconds but it felt like an eternity, I could hear seconds just going by and I yelled at myself to wake up from this delirium rock hypnotizing zone “Beata, get off this bike!”. And I did, I jumped off and ran as quickly as I could to the bottom. Still hoping that I had some chance I cleared the rest of the course and was approaching the final narrow climb. Not to my luck there was an older man right there in the middle of it simply pushing his bike up. I was upset now, there was no were to go but to unclip and follow him and wait until he gets to the top. It hurt and when I was on the final stretch I had another guy just what seemed to be sightseeing while on his bike and once more right in the middle of the trail.



Obviously it was too late now for me to catch anyone since the finish line was right there, but still I didn’t feel like going half speed for the last few hundred feet, but was forced to.  I crossed the finish and was happy with how I rode. The announcer looked at me and said here is our third female rider, I thought for a second how great that would be but I quickly corrected him.

Unfortunately I finished in fourth and was only 40 seconds back from the podium. So far I always had some amazing performances and really crazy times and efforts during my SERC races but for some unknown reasons I always had been only one spot away from the podium. So here goes another one.

But knowing how strong my competition was today, how tough the course was, how nicely I went by riders that often overtake me on the race circuit and how close I was to the top riders; I think I should not have much to complain about and hope that one day this box is just going to wait for me.

Big congrats to Shelly Allen who flew today on this amazing track and was completely untouchable and it was great to see her performing so well and ride to her full potential. Also Sarah Hill who rides for American Classic and Kimberly Flynn a seasoned Pro rider raced today hard and were not bothered by the technical terrain. I was happy to hang so close to them during this demanding race. Also awesome performance today by all the ladies that raced and were brave enough to go to the start line and tackle whatever was waiting for them out on the trails.

Great job everyone who raced and finished on this beautiful course!

Big Thanks to all my support and to my husband Pax for everything.

Of course my life is easier, my bike is faster my body is stronger and my dreams are possible because of all my amazing Sponsors:

Bike Tech Miami, Syntace, Magura, Stan’s Notubes, Schwalbe, ESI Grips, Clif, Xpedo, Trainer Road, Garden of Life, Pro Gold Lubricants, Kuat Racks, Light & Motion, KT tape, Cycleops and New for 2014 - Specialized, Louis Garneau, Selle Italia, Suunto, Huub and Rotor Bike Components!

Until next time!