Okay folks. This was my cyclocross season in the smallest nutshell I can find. The season started back in September with Jamestown CX and Charm City CX. Charm City was a decent weekend...I finished up 12th on Sunday, my highest placing in that race to date, but not feeling 100%. I felt like I needed one more weekend to feel great. Julie Hunter (who had an amazing season this year) mentioned that she wanted to go to Massachusetts the following weekend for GP of Gloucester, but didn't want to go by herself. That left me wishing I could go and Chris askng me 'why not?'. So, I decided and by the time we got home from Baltimore, Julie had someone to go to MA with.
GP of Gloucester the following weekend should have been great. It started out with an uneventful trip up with 4 bikes, 9 wheels, tools, bags, and a trainer in the back of Julie's Honda Fit. A large feat on its own! The venue was awesome. The course was right on the water in Stage Fort Park. The water was just as blue as it is in Florida. Small white sails scattered the harbor in every direction. Beautiful.
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| This was my view while warming up on Day 1 in Gloucester, MA. |
We get to the line. One of the largest mass start races I've ever competed in. There were over 50 women in the Pro 1/2 field and quite a few big name pros. I would like to say that I wasn't nervous at all, but I would be lying. But my legs felt great and I was hoping for a top 25 finish. Call ups took a little while and I had a spot on the left side a few rows from the front. Not a terrible spot overall. Twenty seconds after the whistle however, I thought otherwise. Into the first S-bend turn, everybody bunched and my front wheel stopped. Quickly. And I hit the ground just as quickly. My shoulder hurt and my head was throbbing. Somebody ran over me and I curled up in a ball trying to keep more people from hitting me. Everything got quiet and I took stock of what was broken. I thought, certainly my collarbone. F***. 900 miles to hit the ground. There were people around me pretty quick. Stacey Barbosa was the gal who went down with me. She was checking on me (thank you!!!) when the paramedics - who were conveniently 10 feet away during this - told her that she could get back on her bike if she was okay. The paramedics walked me off the course to the ambulance - again only 10 feet away - and sat me down. The onsite Dr found us, did some field tests, and decided I needed x-rays on my shoulder and my cheekbone. The hospital was 5 minutes away. But I obviously wasn't there by myself and besides, I had to watch Julie finish here race. I could at least yell at her to go faster...
It got caught on video if you haven't seen it yet... GP Gloucester Elite Women's Highlights Day 1 by dirtwire.tv
Small nutshell. Right. Anyway, the ER visit was quick and uneventful, and I was told that I didn't have to worry about any broken bones. The grocery store, a shower, and sleeping were all pretty painful. But, we still had made a 900 mile drive, one way, for this race. And with that I was able to justify racing on Sunday. My goal, don't get last, don't get lapped, and don't get pulled. Check, check, and check. And I took a dollar hand-up! Wasn't able to do much for my results, so I may as well have a little fun! So that's the weekend. We got back at 3:30 Monday morning. I crashed on Julie's couch and made it home to see Chris off to work, walk Zuma, and get to work myself.
The following weeks consisted of doctors visits, a separated shoulder diagnosis, and the doctor saying I didn't need surgery and activity as tolerated. So, I raced. After all, I could tolerate the pain. I'm pretty sure that's what the doc meant... I couldn't imagine making any more big trips at less than 100%, so my new focus was trying to get enough points to win the VACX series. I was doubtful that I had any chance. It took a few last place finishes for me to finally take a weekend off of racing. And then I decided to do 50+ miles worth of mountain bike racing the weekend after that. Smart, right?
But I couldn't miss the Tidewater Mountain Bike Challenge. Its one of my favorite events. The two 20-25 min Mountain Crits Saturday and the 20ish mile Single Speed race were wearing on me by the time the Pro/Expert race came around. Four laps into my second race Sunday and I'm absolutely cooked. But everybody was hanging around yelling for me like I was lapping the field or something. That's weird, this many people don't usually hang out for the end of the Pro/Expert races. Chris' friends are here, but they missed his race. Weird. Oh well, they're taking pictures... may as well smile like I feel great! Coming across the line I feel like I should raise my arms with all these people cheering. I need to be last more often apparently! So anyway I got second for the Women's Trifecta (overall points for the Mountain Crit, Single Speed, and Pro/Expert). As I get ready to step down, here comes Chris in a coat and tie. Well damn, it all kinda makes sense now.
And in case you couldn't hear, I said 'yes, of course!'
So obviously, the proposal left me on a kinda high the next few, well months really. I'm actually still on it... I had a few more races until I finally had my first win of the season. The race at Bennett's Creek was the closest I've felt to normal in a long time. It was really a huge mental boost for me.
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| The jump at Bennett's Creek |
So that's it. My cyclocross season in what turned out to be a pretty big damn nutshell. It was a good season overall I guess. Just got thrown off a bit in the beginning. Anyway, a big congratulations to Julie H for her phenomenal season. And congratulations to Sally M for an awesome season as well. For those who haven't seen me, this was how I celebrated:
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| A big thank you to Rosie at Shear Touch in Yorktown for helping me donate my hair to Locks of Love |
