2018 USAC Mountain Bike National Championships - Snowshoe, WV
FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m not a mountain biker...I don’t really know what I’m doing to be completely honest, but I’m really good at faking it. A few years ago, I had a bad crash during an XTERRA race in Richmond and ended up in the ER. That experience sort of put me off mtb for a while until I started dating (and became engaged to) a dreamy guy who likes to mountain bike. With his encouragement and support (as well as pro tips from my amazing coach), I decided to get back on the fat, knobby tires and give it another go. This year is my first to officially “race” mtb and it’s been a roller coaster ride. Some days I feel strong and confident, others I feel weak and pathetic. Mountain biking is hard AF! It’s no joke. But the people who do it are badass, rad athletes and I secretly want to be one of them.
This week, I competed in my first #mtbnats at Snowshoe Mountain. On the first day, Wednesday, I won the Women's XC Open (35-39) race and, even though it was a non-championship event, I was proud of myself for riding strong and relatively confident on what would have been a terrifying experience for the former, non-mtb’er Alex. There is a lesson in everything and the lesson here is that you can do (pretty much) anything you put your mind to as long as you stay focused and dig deep.
On the second day, Friday, I didn't do as well. You win some; you lose some. Wednesday I was at the front of the race; Friday I was most certainly not, but that’s the nature of the beast. Friday was hard. My legs fell off pretty early in the race and I could barely pedal up the hills. It was both frustrating and heartbreaking, but at the same time magical to be racing on a National MTB course and clearing things I would never have imagined riding just a year ago. I still maintain that mountain biking is hard AF and anyone who does it is a badass.
The best part of my experience was hearing people cheer along the way. There’s nothing like your coach running along side of you up a hill screaming “Go Spider Monkey!” A Top 10 finish in a strong field of primarily Cat 1 women at my first #mtbnats ain’t all that bad. Congrats to Kelly Paduch (Rocktown Bicycles) and Simona Vincenciova (Team Bikenetic) on their podium finishes, and to my fellow Top 10 finisher Avanelle Scales (Starlight Apparel). Let’s all do this again sometime...maybe in a few months? #crossiscoming
*Photo credit: Chris Merriam (i.e. Mr. Libbey)
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