Urban Mt. Bike Race:Southridge 3/12/2006

One of the many reasons I enjoy mountain biking is getting away from the city. Usually after a mile or two into a trail you can leave behind the noisy intrusions of human life. It is very peaceful being out in nature with your own thoughts while grinding up a steep hill and being surprised by a bobcat that jumps out on the trail and runs off into the woods.

Unfortunately Sunday's race is not a race I attended for its scenery or the wildlife. It was for practice. The Southridge Winter Mountain Bike Race Series is a local event held in Fontana, CA. The cross country mountain bikers fondly refer to the area as "Fontucky." It is a great sample of urban mountain biking. Do not get me wrong, it is not a piece of cake course to navigate. In fact there is more single track on this race course than in some of the races I have attended in the local mountains. But you never escape the urban elements. The course sent the racers through a homemade paintball arena full of broken bottles and paintballers in fatigues, down a steep dam wall over some broken plywood makeshift bridge with an old baby crib mattress off to the side to cushion you if you fell, then through a chain link fence and around bulldozers. Fortunately, someone finally removed the overturned grocery cart from the course.

Sunday was the last race of the local series and the second one in the series I have raced. A month ago I was able to score a second place finish. Sunday was very different. The recent weather made the slow, soft sandy and deeply rutted out trails nicely packed and fast (see the picture of the snowy mountains on the way to the race). The pro women's category had a solid showing of eight women including Jimena Florit a 2 time Olympian. You may wonder why pros would spend so much time at a local mountain bike race. It is all part of the preparation for the NORBA National Series. One of the NORBA events will be on this very same course and we all have the same thing in mind-learn the course to go faster.

For the 3 lap/21 mile race, my fast was not working too well. I gunned it from the start (see the picture of me leading the field out) to get a jump on the single track so as not to get caught up in the bunched up bikes for the first left turn. In my head it seemed like a good plan, but my legs did not agree. I was quickly passed by the more experienced pros and then picked off by a couple more. My strategy was to stay with pros for as long as my legs could keep up. It was very short-lived attempt. These gals were wicked fast and smooth including my teammate, Chrissy Bono, who was in rippin’ good form and took 4th place. Once my breathing and heart rate calmed down, I was able to settle into a steady pace. I had some of the pro gals who passed me in my sight for most of the race, but I just did not have enough juice to reel them back in. I ended up finishing in 6th place.

Although I did not feel terrible during the race, I was not 100%. The best part was that I am still closing the gap on the time difference between myself and the veterans. I am glad that I am still improving and that I have not reached my physical ability ceiling. Still, it was a wake up call that this year racing is going to be very different from previous years. It is going to be much more competitive and challenging. I have a lot to learn about mountain biking and a lot more work to do to prepare for this season.