RACE REPORT: After a long hiatus from racing, I was really anxious to kick off the 2016 season. It was pretty exciting to jump right into the largest and most competitive 17-18 UCI girls group that has ever taken place on American soil. This race was my first chance to grab some UCI points and I knew everyone would be vying for them, so I anticipated a battle for each and every position. I had a second row call up, the gun went off, and I settled into the pace line, somewhere in the middle. My main goal was to stay in tune with my body and focus on how I feel rather than what place I’m in. I treated it as an opportunity to see where my race fitness is at and familiarize my body with high intensity again. All in all, it was quite a shock to my system, which I expected. I almost cracked the top 10, crossing the line in 11th. I anticipated a similar result considering the fact that I’ve been doing mostly base training and very little high intensity. With that being said, I was neither disappointed nor thrilled. I was just glad to have some sort of starting point and something to build from. A week later, I was lining up at Bonelli amidst another big field hungry for UCI points. It rained off and on all day, so the course was sloppy, making things a lot more interesting. I had another second row call up and the gun went off. I started hard to get a good position before the singletrack because it was hard to make up time and pass in the sketchy conditions. After the initial surge, I dialed it back a bit and paced for 4 grueling laps. I kept it steady on the first two laps, kicked it up a notch on the climbs on the third lap, and emptied the tank on the last lap with an attack on the last climb, securing the my gap on the girl behind me. I knew I hadn’t cracked the top 10, but I was really happy with my performance. I proved to myself that I still have the mental fortitude and grit that has led me to success in the past. Once my upper-end fitness shapes up after I get some more racing and training under my belt, I know I will unlock my potential. I have a good feeling about the second half of the season. Time to go home, kick training up a few notches, and head to Missoula, Montana in June. I want to send a big thank you to the guys at DNACycling for supporting me this season.
2 Comments
Thomas
5/12/2016 11:33:55 am
Always a pleasure to read your blog! Keep working on the trails and on the keyboard!
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Hi Veda,
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