Doug strongly encouraged me to race Xterra Canadian National Championships which are conveniently held in Whistler, his dreamland of big mountains and endless mountain bike trails. Doug assured me he would be a great support for me if I went to this race. And, indeed he was a great support, but nobody could help me enough with the challenges of this race. This race was arguably one of the toughest Xterras out there. I knew the course would be challenging but after pre-riding one lap I wanted to cry. The course was two laps of 9km. Doesn't seem that long right? Hmmm, seems to have taken me two hours to do this during the race. Raised bridges, big old roots, raised bridges, oh did I mention all the skinny bridges. Not good for this girl who is still relatively new to mountain biking and has a small fear of heights. After digesting the course I went out for another lap on Saturday and actually started to have fun. I was clearing and able to ride about 95% of the course and was feeling confident. The pictures below are a small sampling of the many bridges on the River Runs Through it Trail that was part of our 9km loop.
On to race day. We swam two loops and the way out was straight into the sun..not fun. It was disheartening when we got close to the first buoy and the whole group I was swimming with cut the buoy in a major way. I ended up swimming backwards to ensure I went around the first buoy rather than following the masses on their shortcut. I still managed to almost catch up to some of the group that I was with and was the 3rd woman out.
I opted for my Specialized Era since I didn't know exactly what the course would be like and for me more suspension is usually better. My bike worked flawlessly. It was all about the operator having a rough day that caused me to move backwards in a hurry. Trying to ride the course at race pace was very challenging for me and I messed up so many times on sections that I rode perfectly the day before. I hate to say it but I was a mental weeine and really struggled to keep my head on straight. I kept trucking along and "survived" the bike hoping that I could at least have a fast run. And indeed I was running fast until bam I fell really hard on my right side and jammed my left foot into a big root. I told myself get up, shake it off and focus so that doesn't happen again and then bam again I went down this time wiping some skin off my left hand. Seriously, I thought I was a runner. The course was so hilly and full of rocks and roots that I think the trail beat me down and my hip flexors did not want to lift my legs up anymore. In the end I passed one girl on the run but wasn't close to catching anyone else. I ended up 6th on what was one of my roughest days since starting Xterra. Yes, I was bummed to say the least. However, I had to put it all in perspective. I am so lucky to have the ability to maintain a job and a sport I love, I have great friends and family that encourage me along my journey and heck I still had 3 more days of vacation in Whistler to enjoy.
Doug and I hit the slopes of Whistler for some downhilling and I left feeling confident that yes, I can ride a mountain bike. I'm a little worried that I liked dowhilling a bit too much and want to get my hands on a proper downhill bike.
Doug hitting a big drop
Me getting some sweet air
Next up is Xterra Nationals in Ogden, Utah. To say I'm excited is an understatement! My mountain goat climbing skills will come in handy and the S-works 29er will be a superb weapon of choice.
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