Racing Bambi

Sunday was another Root 66 Series Race - this one in Putney, VT. I've only been to Putney once before and that was to watch S do a 70 road race that pretty much destroyed her. Let's just say I don't have pleasant memories of Putney (still have to do that epic cross race that's held there) so I registered for the race with much trepidation.

Google Maps said Putney was a 2.5 hr drive from my home. Apparently Google and I drive vastly different speeds. Up at 4am, on the road by 5, and zipping along a deserted Rt. 2, I made it to Putney by 7am. As I crossed the border from MA to VT, my thoughts turned to snowboarding and snow - things I usually associated with the Green Mountain state- so I checked the outdoor thermometer in my car. OMG! 39! It was a beautiful, blue sky morning so I was hoping the sun would warm things up, along with burning off the fog hanging in the valleys.

Since I was there so early, I had ample time to do a leisurely pre-ride of the course. Got the bike ready, had ALL my gear this time since I packed the car the night before, checked with the organizers about which way the course started and headed out. Super nice morning to be out in the woods - cool enough to discourage the bugs, quiet except for the birds and me. The sun wasn't totally over the surrounding hills yet so the dense foliage made it pretty dark which reminded me of getting lost in the Fells with the Luna Chix. And that in turn reminded me of my Luna Chick buddy who wouldn't be riding that day. I reminded myself how lucky I was to simply be able to ride, remembered what it was like to be in her situation and thought I would have to ride hard enough for two of us - today's race would be for her.

This was probably my most favorite course I've done this year (ok, ever, since I've only been mountain biking a year.). The race started in an open, grassy field going slighly uphill with a before it entered the woods onto a short single-track section that swooped down, leveled out and popped up a short, steep climb. A left turn at the top dumped you out on a wide, rolling xc ski trail that then turned into the first real single track. The next sections were mixes of rolling xc ski trails, single track and just a blast. No crazy rock gardens, not too incredibly rooty, no stream crossings (actually, I did miss those!), a few logs to ride over, and LOTS of hills. As I finished the first climb and headed down, I saw a deer ahead. She saw me, turned, and headed running down the trail but only fast enough to stay just a bit ahead of me. I swear, that doe was racing me! As I reached the bottom of the hill and slowed down, she stopped, looked at me and took off - white tail bobbing through the woods. :)

Back to the course, did I mention the hills? One even known as Heartbreak. There were three tough hills, one super long climb that I couldn't figure out if I should walk or ride. It seemed I went the same speed no matter which option I chose so I figured I'd be best doing whatever took the least amount of energy. Best thing about climbing though are the downhills. They were fun, fast, with some ruts and off-camber rocks to avoid. One big berm which was totally killer at high speed, a big grassy hill that reminded me of the hills in CA (no cows, though). The last hill was Cemetery Hill up to the finish line. Ow.

As for my race, my plan was to get the hole shot and go. Just go. Ride as hard and fast as possible. They did the usual wave starts and we started last behind the juniors. The whistle went off, I rode as hard across the grass as possible since I hate it so much , hit the woods in first and just flew down the single track making sure to carry enough speed for the short, steep uphill on the other side. Never saw a another woman after the start. Caught 4 junior riders and 3 50+ men riders (always makes me feel good to catch those guys who have a 2 min head start on us).

Second race in a row where I didn't fall! The hills killed me but simultaneously felt great (if that makes any sense). Lap times were around 36 min. My technique is improving, especially descending and that really helped on this course.

1st Place beginner women overall
1st Place beginner woman 35+
Still have the leader's jersey :)