More UCI Races in Colorado

I went to Gunnison last Saturday to race ANOTHER UCI race in Colorado. This is really unprecidented! That one can get UCI points in Colorado! I'm so psyched, because the cross racing scene has favored East Coast riders for so long. Everyone in Colorado has moved onto Mtn Biking or Road Racing by now, but it's still cool that we can get points for all our efforts! That, and it saves a trip or two to the East Coast, because it seems to justify racing here in Boulder. The cross scene in Boulder is so excellent, recently. There are at least four really fast riders that moved here in the past year (in the women's category), and a bunch of pro mtn bikers that have come out of the woodwork to race this year! This makes for a much more exciting local scene. Myself and 9 others showed up for Ken Bloomer's Gunnison race. Ken's wife, Sandra is a super-fast races for Independent Bicycles, who just had a baby. She strikes fear in the hearts of many, still. I hear her bicycle is nearby, and ready to be raced next year, too. I jumped myself into 8th for much of the race, as people crashed around me. I don't know why I didn't crash, myself, but I will chalk it up to my skills. I was bumped to the back on the last lap, but Megan Monroe's head over bike crash spared me 10th, and I got 9th, and made $70. This is a lot for a women's cross race. They were even giving away skate skiis for the Women's Open. Those guys know how to throw a race! I got underway with the drive to Durango after cheering for the Clif bar sustainable team, Brandon, and kickin' it with Tod Well's wife in the pit. She's quite a pit crew! Little did I know the drive to Durango was up an endless mtn road with major drop offs... and it was dark. This was a little stressful, but I am mastering night time mtn driving. Scored some hummus and guac at the City Market, and settled into the Comfort Inn for the night. Willow was a great travel buddy. I watched a movie about Herbie the racing car, which was kind of cute. I didn't feel good for the girl who won the race at the end. I haven't won a race all season. It wasn't touching to me like it was supposed to be. Why do we glorify the win so much? It's the journey that matters, right? Representing the vegan community, and such great things?! Yeah! I finally felt not-nervous for a race in the morning. I managed to scarf some breakfast of bread and peanut butter, and hotel coffee with soy milk. I think theoretically it's better to eat before you race, but logistically, you don't want to throw it all up. I cater to my mood on that one. I felt good about my first UCI point. It seems special, because I got it in Colorado. I drove around the Fort Lewis campus trying to find the course for a while. It's a small campus, but the park is tucked into the campus, and I passed it on the way in. Backtracking worked, and I was warming up in no time. I ran into Nina Baum, while warming up, and we chatted it up. We got in a nice easy warm up, and she broke my skills in a bit with her quick lead. There were only eight of us there. Four of the group were on the Velo Bella team, which prompted a # of jokes from the rest of us. Like, 'what is this a Belo Bella practice?!'. I accused Melissa Thomas of having a secretive race plan at the start of the race. She claims to have no secretive adjenda at all. And she was running the berm that was in question. Definitely, the trickiest part of the course was a switchback on a hill, that descended down and up the hill 2x, with the barriers at the top of the second switchback. The other point of note on the course was a steep hill after a sharp corner, that took you into a really tight ... hey we're going the other way.... corner. The hill was a demon on my sore legs. I was riding it fine, but I would have had a lot more power had my legs not ached from the day before. The start went without note from the ref. All of a sudden he said quietly, "go.". There was no one minute time mention, as there ususally is, nothing! Melissa immediately started complaining. I, of course, thought I could use anything the world gave to me against her, and happily shot in front of her for once! She pushed me into the corner, like the agressive Melissa I know, and it all seemed so serious all of a sudden. I kept up for a few laps, before the girl in front of me crashed, and bailed. Or quit. Whatever, the race went on. Lap after lap. The Durango crowd rocked, and cheered supportively in the double-berm section. They were way cool. Natasha Cowie and Jen Tilly were not far ahead for most of the race, but I lost them at the end, and they ended up a minute ahead of me, at least, I think! I gave it all I had at the end. Happy I was 7th and not 8th at least! 3 min off the leader, who trains full time, and 1 min of Natasha ahead of me. It was a tough field with Dombroski taking the win over Melissa and Kristin Danielson in the group. Again, I got a UCI point!! And my start for Nats should be better than it was looking! I was faced with the drive home that night, so I took Dave Towle's advice, and left before the end of the Men's race, to get over Wolf Creek pass before it got dark. I drove quite a while in the dark. It's a six hour drive, at least. I find it hard to be tired and drive in the mountains in the dark, because people tend to blind you with their brights, and it's hard to see where you're going temporarialy. It's hard having to get up early to work the next day, but it's life. I am learning to quit my complaining a bit. I am staying in Boulder to race this weekend. I have hit every USGP race for the past two years, and am trying to allow myself some recovery before the USGP in Portland and Nats. There has been so much racing in Colorado this year, I'm not complaining, at all. And even if I'm tired from mtn biking this summer, too, it's totally worth it! Cross is a good off-season sport, but you can't let it run your life. It's a good bouncing board for roadies to get into mtn biking, too! (like myself!). I am in no way quitting, but it seems like the local scene will provide me with some competition, and I can rev up for Portland in a few weeks. Everyone I know, practically, is going to NJ to race, this weekend. I'm going to have to try to get the win in Boulder this weekend, to offset my absence! Kerry, Anne, Heather, Laura, Amy, Rebecca and I threw down in practice, today, which was a ton of fun, and got the legs moving in the morning where the high in Boulder was 44! Cold!