Photos Courtesy of Amy DykemaSo I spent yesterday catching up on a bunch of stuff and ended up not racing in St. Charles. Good thing...I actually got a lot accomplished. That lent itself to a bit less anxiety compared to my normal pre-race mind traffic, which is typically somewhat out of control. No, it's typically very out of control. On the drive up to Milwaukee the sky was looking quite overcast and when we arrived at the race venue it was actually raining a little, so the course was a bit muddy in some places. Oh, and it was cold. WTF is up with Wisconsin? It's always cold there - even in July!! Fortunately we were running ahead of schedule and as the day's racing progressed the weather improved and the course dried out.
The Estabrook Park course is decidedly flat with a lot of grass, one short run-up that requires a dismount, a lot of twists around trees, three sets of barriers, a short single track section before the run-up and a few short pavement sections. I was able to take a few laps before our start which provided a small amount of confidence before I hit the trainer and blasted some Pearl Jam, Velvet Revolver, Nine Inch Nails, Led Zep and Perfect Circle through my otherwise fragile, anxiety-filled psyche. Representing for Kenda today were myself, Kristin, Monique and Susan in a field of about 15. I have to mention that I love racing with the Wisconsin contingent - they're all strong athletes and just really great girls to ride with. I'm fortunate to have them as teammates.
Things went off the start line rather fast and before I knew it two other riders and I had established a gap by the end of the first lap. Interesting also was the fact that the three of us started picking off members of the men's 30+ field along the way. We pretty much rode together the entire race, sharing the work at the front and letting things be decided on the last lap. I knew that both of them were strong enough to close any gap that an attack would create so I was content to sit and see how things would be at final sprint time, since I have a decent sprint and was feeling good. As the pace ramped up we started riding through some man traffic and I got nearly Jones'd by a guy on the run-up which created a gap that I could not close. In the end I finished 3rd, a few seconds off the lead. A decent finish and a little money too - the post race coffee was perfect since I was freezing!
Thanks to all the hardcore 'cross fans in Wisconsin who cheered and encouraged us to ride hard and work together. It was a good, positive race - no broken nails, no new bruises, no crashing. Thanks to MetLifeGuy for driving and providing entertainment - the guy did two races today, AGAIN. Makes me tired and sore just thinking about it. I also want to recognize Kristin, Susan and Mo - awesome job today ladies!!
Up next - a weekend off (well, from racing anyway) and more Chicago Cross Cup on the 18th....
