Thunk!: NMBS#3 XC Mount Snow 6/17/2006

After a few days recuperating in Upstate New York with my family, my husband and I made another road trip further north to Vermont. The third USA National Mountain Bike Series was in beautiful and weird West Dover, VT at the Mount Snow Ski Resort. The scenery explains why Vermont is called the Green Mountain State and I think the lack of sunshine during the long winters may explain the goofy flair of the local residents.

My husband was not going to be able to stay for the cross country race. It is rare that he has missed any one of my races. But it was important for him to attend a special family event in Massachusetts instead. Anticipating that he was not going to be there was making me nervous. He is my biggest fan and gives me the moral support I need to remain somewhat calm around race time. Without him there the night before the race I did not sleep very well. But I was surrounded by great energy and support from my family and friends to race 3 laps of a very technical 5.5 mile loop.

A large family contingent arrived in VT for their first adventure as mountain bike race spectators and I tried to get everyone settled. Early in the morning before the race I gave them a tour the main race area, feed zone and spectator spots. I also enlisted them to help me prep for the race and to hand me water bottles and gels in the feed zone. In cross country races, competitors may only take water bottles and food from specified feed zones or they will be disqualified from the race.

Warming-up for the race, my legs were feeling a bit tired. I was hoping that I would be able to acclimate into the race even though I was not feeling up to par from residual NC racing fatigue. My good results from the race in NC allowed for me to be called up to the start line somewhere in the middle. I was glad I was not going to have to fight my all the way from the back. Like NC, it was so cool to have family waving and cheering for me from the sidelines.

The gun went off and we all sped off for the first short climb. There were about 60 racers and it was not a good scene at the first technical root and rock section. Although I had started in the middle of the pack, I was held up by a train of racers who had dismounted and were walking through sections of the course that I was able to ride through easily a couple of days earlier in a pre-ride. This was incredibly frustrating since I could not find a way to either ride or run my bike around the crowd.

After meandering through the trees, over roots and rocks, we descended through some double track of mud and rocks and then climbed some single track as far as legs would pedal. This included a hike-a-bike section that did not seem to end. I know many racers were able to clean this area with some effort, but for me and many others it was a difficult section. My heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest just trying to ride it. The course led us through more climbs and difficult descents. There was no room to hide, pass or take a break. And some of those who tested their limits were not so lucky. One gal I passed was receiving medical attention for a broken hand. It is considered the toughest course on the circuit by the top pros.

I made it through the first lap wondering if I was every going to recover from breathing so hard. The rain that had soaked the area for the previous six weeks made a lot of the sections greasy with mud. I was having flashbacks to competing at Sea Otter in April. I knew after this race I would be at the bike wash for a while.

Coming through for a second lap I yelled to my Uncle in the feed zone, “Shower!” This means he had to take the top off the water bottle so I could douse myself with the water to cool off. He executed this duty perfectly. I was off for a second lap, feeling refreshed and ready to go. I did much better on the climbs in the second lap, but on the descents I got a little sloppy. And I kept taking the same silly lines as I did in the first lap in the downhill technical sections that led me straight into trees or deep puddles. The pro men, who were also racing, started catching and passing the women. Only a handful of them were pleasant enough to let me know they needed a room to pass (which I was glad to give them) and the rest were overly aggressive sneaking up on me with a few almost knocking me off my bike.

For my final lap I was geared up but needed some energy to keep me going. I shouted to my Uncle, “Gel and shower!” He already had two bottles in his hand and looked confused. He handed me a gel and I held the packet in my teeth and promptly held out my hand for the water bottle. All of a sudden I feel water streaming through my helmet, in my eyes and down my back. To my surprise, my Uncle was taking care of the shower part. Letting the water drain off my helmet I kept riding. Then all of a sudden I feel and hear, “THUNK!” He had tossed the water bottle and it hit my helmet. Later I found out that he figured that by tossing the water bottle the remaining water in the bottle would finish off my shower. It did not work. Someone else in the feed zone jokingly called out, “Line foul.” My poor Uncle thought he got me disqualified from the race. From now on, my family will not pass on any opportunity to torment him for many years about his feed zone skills. Sadly pictures are unavailable since our camera battery died.

Fortunately, I finished the race without any more incidents or a concussion! Although I placed 44th in this race, I am happy with how I raced. Each of my lap times was consistent and I was becoming much better with the east coast root and rock trails. I will only get better with more experience and time.