“B” is for Bonelli 4/23/06

Sunday’s cross country mountain bike race of choice was at Bonelli Park in San Dimas, CA. It consisted of 2 nine mile laps, with 1,100 feet of climbing, and a classic mix of fire road, single track, double wide, a bit of mud and a tricky water crossing. The beginning of the course featured a moderate climb, overgrown with tall yellow spring flowers, while the back side of the loop was a stiffer climb and hike-a-bike section if you did not pick your lines right.

In previous years, Bonelli has been blazin’ hot. Luckily we were greeted with a nice cool day in the mid-sixties. For me, Bonelli was going to be a “B” race, or a race that is not my primary focus in the season. In other words, it is an expensive training ride that allows me to experience intensity that I would not be able to replicate out on the trails by myself. I was in the perfect mood for it: blah.

The weekend prior to the race, I pre-rode the course and encountered peanut butter mud that caked on my wheels and bike so badly my bike gained several extra pounds. There was also the festering water crossing with a nice blend of trash, trees and other terrible things. I was not looking forward to racing in similar conditions having just fought my way through Sea Otter’s mud festival and bike mechanicals. Also, I was not anticipating the best race conditions since it had rained the night before. But my bike was in better condition, sporting a new stealth black fork/shock.

Lining up at the start line the music was booming from the loud speakers. A bunch of us, Christie, Teri, myself and others, were bopping to the music waiting for the official to send us off. At the word, “GO!” we took off zigzagging through the staked out course in the grassy park, through some mud and up to the first single track climb. We had to dodge around a few of the men that were sent off before us and were not interested in letting us pass, causing a minor pile-up. I call these guys “huff daddies.” They try so hard to not be passed by women that they huff and puff and blow themselves up trying to block female racers and keep a fast pace.

My first lap was a slow grind. My teammate, Chrissy, spanked me on my bottom as she passed me. It was her bid to persuade me to get moving. I maintained my own pace, trying to keep everyone ahead of me in sight. I was still settling into the race and eventually lost sight of the leading women. I was happy with my technical performance. I comfortably cruised through the tricky water section and over technical obstacles. Fortunately, for the one nasty water crossing the promoters had built a bridge. Otherwise I think I would have needed a booster shot for diphtheria or medication for some other bacteria infection.

By the time I started on my second lap, my legs began to open up some more. I found a faster tempo without having to breathe too hard or burn up my legs. This lap was definitely my best and faster lap. However, it was too late to make up lost ground to catch and pass the four racers in front of me. That was a big bummer. But I was not breaking a sweat, based on a spectator’s comment, as I was winding up to bolt toward the finish line for 5th place. (Picture: Blabbing with the pro women after the race.)

Even though this was a “B” race, I made some big improvements. Sunday, I beat my previous time-I was faster by almost 19 minutes compared to last year’s race, I was only 7 minutes behind the winner and I battled through my blahs to for a strong finish. Based on this experience, I am sure the “B” races will only make me better.