Erik's Spring Cup - Inver Grove Heights, MN

With no mountain bike race on the Iowa or Nebraska schedules, I opted to skip the Jordan Creek Duathlon to go to Minnesota with Cam for the first race of the Minnesota State Championship Series. Since the race was in the Twin Cities, it allowed us to visit Cam's aunt and uncle who graciously put us up for the night before the race.

Saturday, we left Ames driving north into a fierce headwind, but the skies stayed clear the whole way. Since neither Cam or I had ever ridden this course, we headed straight for Inver Grove Heights to check things out before Sunday's race. I was thrilled to get on the bike and head into the singletrack feeling good but without the usual hyper-elevated HR that usually accompanies my mountain biking excursions. And, it didn't seem to take more than a few pedal strokes for me to feel the love of the singletrack. I remember thinking to myself that maybe I had turned a proverbial corner with this mountain bike racing thing and hoped that some of that BS was behind me.

My other thought was that Cam would probably do really well on this course; it was tight, twisty singletrack, but with lots of places to make a clean pass and some wide-open sections that would allow for some serious hauling of the mail. And, although it was relatively flat (and Cam can climb with the best of them), one of his other strengths is his fitness - if he could get in a position that allowed him to drop the hammer, he'd leave everyone else behind. With no idea what to expect for competition in a Cat 2 race, the only thing I was sure of was that I was going to have fun and (probably) not finish last. I really like the flow of the singletrack, and the open sections are usually where I like to hit the gas and gain some ground. I've noticed that a lot of the gals in other races I've done tend to do just the opposite and use the open fields to un-cross their eyes.

Volunteers were out working diligently to mark the course and get it ready for race day but were not yet done when we rode. Consequently, it wasn't until I was done riding, had changed my clothes, and had a snack that Cam rode back to the Jeep and said that our practice laps had all been run backwards to the race direction! Cam went out for a couple more recon laps (this time done in the correct direction), then came back and told me that he wasn't sure this would be a great race for him, as it didn't suit his strengths well. I just kept my mouth shut and decided to see what happened on race day...

Following a good dinner and my pre-race ritual of ice cream (Haagen-Dazs Pineapple Coconut - tastes just like the fantastic pina coladas that Mike made in Maui), I had a great night's sleep and awoke to incredibly gorgeous conditions: 50's and sunshine. We ate breakfast with Jeff and Heidi, then headed east to IGH. We scored a sweet parking place (Cam has a special gift in his ability to sniff these out...), got registered, and got me dressed and ready to ride.

I checked out a bit of the course (this time in the correct direction) for a quick warm-up, then headed towards the start/finish line and noticed that my heart rate was through the roof! So much for getting my pre-race jitters under control... I found my place in the mass of people and waited with the other Cat 2 females while wave after wave of Cat 2 guys began their races. I took some deep breaths in a unsuccessful attempt to calm things down in my gut. When I am this amped, even the thought of turning the pedals makes me feel like my heart might explode. Finally it was time for the 14 Cat 2 women to start. The starter said, "GO!" and everyone took off in a mad sprint for the first corner. I took a second to get clipped in, then acted as the tail-end escort (hey, somebody has to be last!) for the field. I pedaled my rubber-filled legs as best I could, and even passed one girl just before we dropped into the singletrack.

Soon I felt like I was back in my own skin, and, although my HR was still sky-high, feeling better and ready to race. It took me nearly a third of the first lap before I got up the nerve to attempt some passes, so I just hung back and followed some significantly slower gals until things opened up and I could make a move. With every pass, my confidence increased, I got more under control, and I got hungrier for more spots!

By the end of lap one, I had passed a hand-full of girls and kept the pedal down through the start/finish area to pick up another place. Lap two had heavier traffic as we ladies were now in the thick of the traffic of some of the slower Cat 2 men, so I spent more time passing men than women. But, by the time I neared the end of lap 2, Cam told me that I was in sixth place, just behind a girl riding her cyclocross bike. Shortly after seeing Cam, I passed cyclocross-girl and tried (unsuccessfully) to leave her behind. She and I had been going back and forth throughout much of lap 2, where I got by her on a sandy corner, she by me a little later, and I repassed her when she wrapped herself up in a pine tree (lot of sap in here...). She yo-yoed off my wheel throughout the third lap, but I never could shake her.

I tried to keep my eyes looking ahead for 4th place, as my goal had now become a solid top five finish, and I wasn't 100% sure what was going to shake out with cyclocross-girl once we hit the final open stretch to the finish line - I needed to get past 4th place to insure that goal. Heading into the final third of the final lap, I spotted 4th place and made steady progress in her direction. I passed her on sandy uphill switchback and hoped in vain that cyclocross-girl would get caught behind her. Coming out of the singletrack in 4th place with cyclocross-girl not far behind, I pushed the pace. As I topped the short rise, I spotted 3rd place! She was making quick progress to the finish line, but I was pretty sure that I was gonna make her work for that spot! I dropped the hammer, but cyclocross-girl followed suit and sneaked past me. A few very short seconds later, we were both steam-rolling past 3rd place who probably peed her chamois with surprise! She tried to respond, but was too surprised to make any real run for it. I finished 1.1 seconds behind cyclocross-girl and 2.3 seconds ahead of the girl who needed to change her shorts.

I think we all crossed the finish line with huge smiles on our faces (well, maybe not the girl who dropped two places in the last 100 feet of the race, but whatever... it ain't over til it's over!). It's so much fun to have a race like that for the finish! I so enjoyed racing in Minnesota, mainly because there are some people to race with! I told Cam after the race that I will go race any day in Minnesota or Wisconsin. Now I totally understand why he used to spend every weekend driving out of state to race. I might have been bit by the racing bug a while ago, but I am fully infected with the disease now!

Cam had missed my finish as he was out warming up for his race. I know he was disappointed that he missed seeing that final sprint, but I did my best to fill him in on all the details. I tossed down one of Cam's signature post-race smoothies (he made me one after a long training ride on day, and now I fear for him that he might have to make me one for after each race!) and changed clothes. The day had turned out even better than we could have hoped for - now it was in the 60's, empty blue skies, and just breezy enough that you didn't cook yourself standing in the sun.

I watched Cam's start, but had to hang around for the Cat 2 awards during his first two laps. As soon as they were over, I bolted for the course to try to snap a few photos. Though he had predicted that he wouldn't do well on this course, I wasn't surprised to see him in the top 6 or so after three laps. He continued to pick people off through the next two laps and ended up in third at the end! He was also pleasantly surprised with his success and, like me, wished that his race had been another lap or two, as he probably could have gained some more ground.