WORS / MNSCS Border Battle

It’s been a little while since Cam and I headed to the Great White North for a race – actually it was the middle of June since I’d gone racin’ in Wisconsin. I’ve been enjoying some fun times testing my skillz in some recent Iowa and Nebraska races, but I was ready to throw down with the larger women’s fields in the north. A quick check of the MNSCS and WORS schedules showed the annual Border Battle between the two series.

Before we could head out for the weekend’s race, we had another little something to do on Friday night: the Iowa State Fair! Cam’s company gives him two admission tickets and $20 worth of food tickets. Plus, one of my favorites, Gary Allan, was playing at the Grandstand on Friday night. If that wasn’t good enough, the first Friday of the Fair is also traditionally East Sider Night, so the people-watching would be exceptionally good! We ate our way through the evening (sadly, nothing we had was on a stick) at the Beef Producers booth, the Turkey Producer’s booth, and the ice cream trailer; we also managed to take in the Big Bull, the Big Boar, some sheep judging, and even a little bit of beer drinking. Although Cam isn’t much of a country music fan, the company was good and we enjoyed our little evening out. Then it was time to start thinking about racing again!

Held in River Falls, WI, the Border Battle pits the Wisconsin riders against the ones from Minnesota for a year’s worth of bragging rights and a traveling trophy. Being from Iowa, our rides would be of no consequence to that end, but having basically twice the competition would mean that we would need to step up our game to compete!

We weren’t really sure what the weather would do – rain was forecast, but no one was saying exactly when or how much it would be. The pre-ride on Saturday turned out to be perfect – the weather, the course, everything. We hit the grocery store on the way back to the cabin we shared with Tyrine, Tim, and Michelle, and cooked up a great dinner. We were able to eat dinner out on the deck before the rain started. It rained all night long, and only started to clear off by a couple hours before my race. As soon as I was partially warmed-up, I rode over to see how muddy the racers in the beginner class were, and to my surprise they looked pretty clean!

The rest of my warm-up was similar to my experiences at these bigger races. My stomach was doing flip-flops and I felt like I was on the verge of bonking – just nothing in my legs. I’ve sorta learned to accept this as “normal” for me now, but I still haven’t figured out how to deal with it in a productive manner.

Twenty-four women lined up for the start of the Cat 2 race, including me and Michelle. I knew I was gonna have another bad start, but I really got left behind this time! We took a short run through the grass to the base of the first climb; I was in dead last (again). I had hoped to make up some ground on the climb, and it didn’t take long for that to happen. People were unclipping all over the place, but I managed to find a workable line among them and cruise to the top. I think I passed 8-9 ladies on that climb.

I stuck to the wheels of a couple gals through the first half of the lap and worked my way around them and a few guys, too. The course was in great shape and despite a few minor hiccups with other competitors, everything was going well. Cam was out taking pictures on the first lap, so I had a little bit of a cheering section! Lap two was more of the same. A fourteen year old and I swapped places back and forth for awhile, until she took off and left me in her dust. After she faded into the distance, I rode alone primarily for the rest of the race, except for a couple of guys who made me work for my position. I never saw another female, either behind me or in front of me, for the rest of the race.

When I crossed the finish line, I noticed that I wasn’t working very hard. Apparently, I needed a rabbit of some sort to chase. That is an area that I really need to work on – keep diggin’ til the end of the race. I ended up 10th place overall, 2nd in my age group.

Cam’s race began soon after mine ended. I had a chance to get out on the course to snap a couple pictures. Following his warm-up, Cam wasn’t too sure his legs were 100% up to the challenge, but he marched his way steadily through the field and came out with a strong eighth place finish.
Next up is another race close to home: Seven Oaks in Boone. I’ve never raced there. In fact this is where I watched my first race last year. As I understand, there is a lot of climbing, but everyone seems to like to race there!