Snake Alley Crit

Growing up, Memorial Day weekends were always filled with rainy camping trips and soggy sleeping bags. It was a given that, no matter the forecast, it *would* rain. It was such a sure-thing, that we used to have a rain pool betting on when the rain would arrive! Though the camping trip tradition is long-gone, the rain has always fallen on this first weekend of summer. This year started what may become another Memorial Day weekend tradition: a trip to Burlington for the Snake Alley Criterium.

As a tri geek, I always thought that cycling was proceeded by a swim and followed by a run. The thought of just racing a bike was foreign at best and scary as heck. Since making a foray into mountain bike racing, the single sport of bike racing isn't as frightening, but yet the idea of a crit, especially on Snake Alley, wasn't even on my radar. But knowing that my choices for the day were to sit/stand around all day with no chance for a workout of my own, or to throw my hat in the ring and give the Snake whatever I could muster, I coughed up the dough for registration and went for it!

We pulled into town about an hour before the start of the Cat 4 women's race. As Cam and I signed up for our races, we saw some of the Punk Rock Cycling team, including Keri, who just 12 weeks ago had a beautiful baby boy, registering for the race as well. After a good warm-up, including a few trips up some of the steep side streets, I headed to the start/finish area. Besides the 4 PRC girls, I also recognized a couple ladies in pink from the All 9 Yards team. I borrowed a few words of advice and strategy from the more experienced riders. I set myself a goal of not puking before the race started.

Soon the starter sent us off, and we all hit the gas. The first trip up was rough, but not because of the grade or the cobblestones; the problem was the density of bikes and bodies all vying for space on a narrow, brick, steep roadway. Balancing a bike under these circumstances is challenging enough, but with others swerving around you, the intensity increases dramatically. The Cat 4 race totaled 6 laps. Each lap up the Alley was more painful than the last, but as the crowds thinned, the chances of eating a brick diminished. I went back and forth for much of the race with Dee Mable; I could catch her on the climb, but she'd fly right past me on the downhill parts of the lap. I ended up 17th, not near the front, but not DFL. I'll take it.

While it was fun to try something new, I don't think I'm gonna make road racing a regular part of my annual schedule. However, I just may keep Snake Alley on the list. It is probably as close to mountain bike racing as you can get in a crit. There isn't as great a chance of getting caught up in a big mess since the Snake opens up the pack racing that usually characterizes crits. And the skills needed to climb the Alley are similar to what is needed to conquer some of the big climbs in MTBing: control, balance, correct weighting over the bike, slow cycling skills.

After my race, I rode a little to cool down, then made quick time back to Snake Alley to watch Cam take it to the competition in the 40+ race. It was a good race, but on the last lap Cam turned the screws on the guy stuck to his wheel and pulled out good lead and win.

The PRC girls and I watched the Cobble Climb, grabbed some food and beverages, then went back to the hill in time to watch Cam try for another win in the 30+ race. Though he did very well; he finished second - no small feat considering the winner hadn't already raced earlier in the day!

The weather remained beautiful for our races, but soon after the 30+ race, the skies clouded over and the tradition of rain on the Memorial Day weekend continued!

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.

Platte River Battle Royale

After a disappointing race at Sylvan Island to open my 2009 mountain bike racing season, I was really looking forward to getting back on the Mongoose and doing some racing (as opposed to just riding around in the mud and rain, blah!). The next opportunity came in the form of a trip to Nebraska for the Psycowpath Series' Platte River Battle Royale at Platte River State Park.

It was a chilly morning with nothing but sunshine forecast for the rest of the day. The rain we had experienced in Iowa had basically missed Platte River State Park, so the trails were good to go! Cam and I arrived with enough time to allow me to take a lap at my own pace to get a feel for the course. Per my usual nerves, it took me a while to get a feel for riding off-road again. My heart rate spikes as soon as I start pedaling, even a slow ride in the grass. I think my reaction is akin to Pavlov's dog's reaction to the ringing bell and his upcoming meal. Something deep within my brain knows how much fun I am about to have, so it starts pumping out the adrenaline long before it is necessary. This premature excitation is becoming somewhat troublesome, but I'll have to explain that in a later post.

On the drive over, Cam had warned me of a couple of sections of the course: the rock garden and the gully. My brain automatically balks at the term "rock garden," and immediately translates that to "section Julie should just hike-a-bike." When I rode up to in on my recon lap, I didn't think it looked that horrible, but I didn't see a line I was 100% comfortable with either, so hike-a-bike it was. And the gully was sandy (my nemesis, grrr!), but very rideable. By the time I had finished my recon, the temperature had increased enough that I could shed some clothing, have a little snack, and just chill before the start.

I had hoped to see a bunch of ladies toe the line for this Nebraska race, but at the staging area I only saw two others - one for the the Cat 1 race and another (Nicole) to join me in the Cat 2 race. While our Cat 2 race was shorter than the Cat 1, everyone - men and women - started together and raced on the course at the same time. This meant I would most likely be lapped by Cam and the other experts somewhere on lap 2. It's not usually a big deal, as I can either hear them coming or they will announce their arrival behind me so I can pull over to let them by.

My M.O. at the start of these cycling races is simply to keep myself upright and out of trouble. When starting in a mass (or mess, as the case may be), I simply don't have the confidence (or ability to sprint) to charge right up the middle and go for it as soon as we get the "GO!" from the starter. So, I always seem to find myself bringing up the rear and heading very close to dead-last into the singletrack. So far, that has worked out okay, as it gives me some people to chase!

This race was no exception to that. I followed the Cat 2 men and Nicole into the first climb. About halfway up the climb, many were slowing more rapidly than I, so I passed Nicole and a bunch of guys. After calming my heart rate a little following the first climb, I settled in and started chasing down the guys. I ran into an issue in the open field that divided the two halves of the race, and while I dealt with that frustration, I saw Nicole slide past me. Back on my bike, I was 50% annoyed with having been put back in 2nd place and 50% thrilled to have a rabbit to chase down for the rest of the race.

I walked the rock garden and rode the rest and got updates from the spectators on the gap between me and Nicole. By the end of Lap 1, I had closed the gap to less than 30 seconds, and about 5 minutes into Lap 2 I passed her again for good. With no issues to speak of for the rest of the race, I had a blast on this fun course. There were lots of tight twisty parts and some of the most fun rollercoaster sections I've been on. Cam and the rest of the expert guys let me know when they were coming and all got by without any altercations. It's actually kind of fun to have some of these guys come by, as the ones I know will shout out some encouragement to me as they rocket past! There are some good peeps in this sport!

I cruised to the finish, rode a cool-down, threw down some post-race nutrition and made it back to the start/finish area to see Cam come through to start his final lap. By now the sun was shining brightly, the temps were near perfect at 65-70, and just a little wind! Awesome. Cam brought home the W with about a one minute gap on second.

No pics of me, but a couple of Cam and three of one guy who chose to "ride" the rock garden:





All in all, it was a good day for the Vardaman-Kirkpatrick Team. A Cat 2 win for me and a Cat 1/Overall win for Cam!

New Challenges

It seems like every single day someone asks me what I am training for this season:

"Are you doing Hy-Vee?" (no)
"Are you training for Dam to Dam?" (yes, kind of...)
"What triathlons are you doing this year?" (maybe one or two)
"Are you going to do another Ironman this year?" (not a chance)
"When is your next big race?" (big race??)

And, while I am thankful for the awesome support and encouragement I get from my family, friends, and training partners, it is admittedly hard to answer a lot of these questions. After spending the past five years training for triathlons/Ironmans and running races (with marginal amounts of success), I found myself at a bit of a crossroad. I always knew I loved training for the longer distance stuff (halfs and Ironmans), but it wasn't until last year that I fully realized why.

Swimming has always been a challenge for me, and I made great strides last year - I even looked forward to some of swim workouts! And I've enjoyed running for as long as I can remember. My run fitness improved - I threw down all PRs in my races last year - and I was learning to embrace the pain that comes with speed. Pushing myself beyond what I really thought was possible for me in swimming and running was very satisfying for me.

However, it was the cycling that really put a smile on my face. Cycling fitness doesn't come through running or swimming. One must place her butt on the saddle and turn the pedals to improve. And as the miles and hours tick away, the smile on my face grows and grows! Still as a triathlete, I was not finding the satisfaction in racing that I found last fall in my brief introduction to mountain bike racing. I have found myself in love with a new challenge.

Old Capital Crit

A couple of shots of Cam's race at the Iowa City race this weekend. I forgot to take pictures at the road race on Saturday...

Sylvan Island: Ridin' in the Rain

I love spring for so many reasons. The grass turns green, the trees begin to bud, and the sun stays up later and later; basically, it means summer is on its way. And the one thing I love about summer is that I get to ride my bike in the sunshine!

I was very fortunate to have two opportunities to go to warm, sunny locales this winter to ride my bike: Maui in January and Phoenix in April. What a blessing those two trips were! The Iowa winters seem to get to me more and more every year. They seem to get longer and progressively more brutal the older I get (maybe that's just a sign of me turning into a grumpy old lady, too, but I'm just sayin'). Between those rides and a bunch of early Saturday mornings spent riding at the Garage (where the walls would literally drip with condensed sweat) with 20+ other tri geeks, I feel like I have put down a pretty decent foundation to build upon in the coming months.

After ending last year's race season on a couple of high notes, I've spent 6 months jonesin' for another mountain bike race. A couple early season possibilities were ruined by rain, so both Cam and I were looking forward to getting back to the Quad-Cities and racing at Sylvan Island.

We arrived at the race site on Saturday afternoon to check out the course and give me a taste of the tight, twisty, turny course that Cam described to me as Sylvan Island. After about 30 seconds on the course, I realized he was not kidding in the least! I continue to be so thankful to have him to show me around these places so that I don't have to do it alone. Cam is extremely patient and does a great job of talking me through some of the more technical sections on the one recon lap we do together. I know that it probably kills him to have to crawl through these courses at my speed when he could just as easily tear through them without a second glance. Just one of the many reasons I love him...

We were pleasantly surprised to find the course in great shape as it had rained quite a bit in the days leading up to the race. More rain had been forecast, but everyone was holding their collective breaths that the rain would either hold off, or at least be less than predicted.

We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting my mom in the hospital following her knee replacement, then had dinner with Royce and Randy before a quick stop at Whitey's on our way to Cam's sister's place for the night. We enjoyed having some great "conversations" with Kennan (who turned 2 on April 26), and Cam played "Toss the Toddler" (Kennan's favorite game to play with her uncle Cam) to burn off the Whitey's malt calories.

On Sunday morning, we were excited to see that the rain had not started overnight and the roads were dry! That only lasted until about 9am... Cam's mom's race (does YOUR mom race a mountain bike???) started with just a sprinkle of rain falling, but picked up in intensity throughout the race. Over 70 beginners showed up and looked to be having a blast in the rain.

After seeing Cam's mom have such a good time in the rain, I couldn't not do the race, so I got dressed and had my turn at things. The rain kept increasing in intensity and we raced in basically a deluge! Cam's pre-race instructions to me involved reminders to go my own pace and to not get into a situation that could put me in harm's way. The other 90% of the instructions involved how to minimize damage to the bike while riding in the crappy conditions!

I did end up going at my own pace, which put me way back in a place where I "raced" by myself the whole time. I still had a lot of fun getting messy and muddy, but I was not setting any speed records... After two of the prescribed three laps, the officials pulled me from the course. I was pretty disappointed because I was having a blast and really wanted to finish my race. I was WAY more disappointed when I learned that the other female a couple of minutes behind me was allowed to finish her third lap. We are still not sure what happened there...

The earlier races had pretty much destroyed the course for the finale of the day, the Expert Race. Cam got dressed in the Jeep and prepared his bike in the Jeep, and pretty much hung out in the Jeep (and out of the rain) until the last possible minute before his race. Cam's mom, sister, and niece and I weathered the rain, cold, and wind to take some photos and cheer on our man.

Cam finished in first, with about a one minute margin over second. He was literally coated from head (in his eyes, ears, nose, etc) to his toes with mud, and there was no place to clean off the humans or the cycles. I tried to help clean Cam off enough to get him into clean, dry, warm clothes sometime before hypothermia set in, but it was a challenge, to say the least.

I guess we got what we wanted: a mountain bike race. But it wasn't exactly what we were looking for...

Next week are the Iowa City Road Race and Crit. Stay tuned!

IronCamp Arizona 2009

Just a couple of quick pictures from the girl's (long) weekend in sunny Mesa, AZ. We had a great time and really enjoyed the cycling, eating, cycling, drinking, cycling, and sunshine!

An Eggs-periment

I loved my CSA last summer, so I was pumped to find out that one of the farmers was offering eggs. These aren't just some eggs that you can run to the grocery store to procure. No, these are some pretty special eggs.

I've been reading An Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollen. What a great book to describe where exactly our food comes from, what we in the US have done to food to make it cheaper, and what we have sacrificed along the way. I highly recommend the book, especially if you are concerned about the quality of the food you use to fuel your body. Aside from looking at the corn that surrounds me in Iowa in a new light, I have also gained a better appreciation for the proteins that nourish me as an athlete. Eggs would be one great example.

I eat about a dozen eggs a week. They are quick and easy to fix and can be eaten in a number of ways and in a number of combinations. Between the slow economy and my frugality, I usually find myself leaning towards the least expensive option for eggs. I've tried nearly all the varieties that Hy-Vee offers, from plain-jane white eggs to the organic brown and everything in between. Truth be told, I couldn't tell much of a difference - not in taste, not in quality.

Tonight I picked up my first dozen eggs from Small Potatoes Farm. They are amazingly beautiful eggs. Unlike the white eggs from Hy-Vee, they were not all uniform in shape or size. Nor were they any shade of white! Please note that the upper left hand egg is the white Hy-Vee brand egg, put in the container for comparison purposes.

These beauties are green, pink, and blue! They look like Easter eggs, but aren't colored by Paas, but by the chickens that lay them.

I decided to do a side-by-side comparison of my typical Hy-Vee egg with the new rainbow of eggs from Small Potatoes.

Test One: Size and Color.

Winner: A Tie - The colored eggs are amazing in their variety, but the white eggs are a brilliant white, too. The colored eggs vary in size from small to extra large. Who am I to say that one size is better than another.

Test Two: The Shell

Winner: The colored eggs - with barely a tap on the counter, the white egg split and leaked some egg before I could get it to the container. The colored egg required a sharper whack, and the shell was much stronger and less brittle than the white.

Test Three: Consistancy

Winner: The colored eggs - the first picture shows the colored egg. Notice how firm the egg white is and how the eggs stays together as opposed to the second picture (the white egg). The white spreads out more and the yolk is less firm.

Test Four: Taste

Winner: The colored eggs - I didn't fully realize how much flavor an egg contains until I tried the egg from Small Potatoes. Much richer and bolder taste. They say that some chefs have to modify their recipes when they cook using very high quality eggs such as these because the characteristics and flavor make such a difference!

I am eggs-ited to eat these eggs for the next 10 weeks. If I start running faster or blowing past people on my bike, you'll know why!

Maui 2009

What a way to kick off the new year! Once again, I was blessed to be invited to spend 10 glorious days in Maui with my family. Jeff & Jeanette and Erin & Lance started a tradition a number of years back to get the family together in a warm locale every other January. This was our third trip in a row to Maui, and we've not been disappointed yet!

It's great to get to hang with the family for a week, and this year was even better as Cam was invited, too! We knew we wanted to ride a bunch while we were there, and after talking to the guy at the bike shop, we decided to take our own bikes, rather than take a chance with what they had to offer. It was a very good decision... My uncle ended up renting for a day, and he was less than thrilled with what he got. Mike, my cousin from Seattle, also brought his bike to join in on the fun.

Day One: Mike, South of Makena, with Haleakala in the background

Day One: South of Makena

Day Two: What better place to get a flat than in Maui?

Day Two: What a view!

Day Four: South of Makena

Day Five: My ride to Iao Valley State Park

Day Five: Iao Valley State Park

Day Five: Iao Needle

Day Five: Rest stop!

Day Six: Honolua Bay

Day Six: Cousin Mike, me, and Uncle Jeff at Honolua Bay

In all, I rode 7 of the 10 days we were on the island. Cam rode 9, including 2 trips up Haleakala and one ride on the the Road to Hana. Neither one of us can stop talking about going back next year (even if it is an "off" year for the family vacation)!

Dirty Duathlon

Following another great day of riding (and practicing, for me) at the Science Center on Saturday, we geared up for the main event of the weekend: the Dirty Duathlon. Cam was teamed with his friend Kristy to defend their title from last year in the relay event. Originally, I was going to do the whole 2+ mile run, 12+ mile bike ride, and 2+ mile run alone, but after riding a couple laps on Friday and Saturday, I called in a runner, so I could just concentrate on the riding.

The amazing weather continued, and as race time neared it was in the low 70s! In November! Awesome! The beginner race took quite a bit longer than I think anyone predicted, so the main race got underway about 20 minutes late. There was a great turnout for the event.

Jan started things off for our team, I waited for her to come into transition, then it was my turn to hit the gas! We did four laps of Rollercoaster and the hillside. It starts off with a good climb (basically you go from sitting still in transition directly into the red zone), a couple of ups and downs, then the water crossing, my nemesis. It is a quick, easy stream crossing followed by a little up-down-and-turnaround that I had trouble getting figured out. There was so much congestion on lap one that almost everyone around me had to bail off their bikes and do a hike-a-bike up the switchbacks that follow.

As the lap progressed, traffic started to space out a little more evenly. I passed a few guys, and a few guys passed me. It didn’t take me too long to realize that there weren’t many females riding bikes that day. I think there may have only been two of us on relays and maybe five or six doing the event solo.

It took a whole lap for me to really get things dialed in, and after that, though still pretty painful, I started to have some fun. On lap two I got to the water crossing and nearly made it, but I ended up having to unclip to avoid another rider who didn’t quite make it. I got clipped back in and worked my way up the switchbacks and nearly made it all the way. Oh well, there is always the next lap!

The proudest shining moment of my entire athletic career came in the middle of hillside on lap two. I pedaled up behind a rider who was really struggling with the whole mountain bike riding thing. It turned out to be TJ Tollakson, a pro triathlete known for his cycling prowess! Not only did I catch him, but I whizzed right past him and never looked back. There aren’t too many people who can say they’ve beat TJ in a bike race, but I can! Though I passed a professional triathlete, I also spent much of lap two getting lapped by the leaders in the midst of their third lap. Cam, Andy, Kent, and a few others came whipping past me and all offered some encouragement as they went.

On lap three, I was more determined to do better on this little water crossing. This time I finally made it across the water portion but got in trouble a couple of times on the climb out. So close! I knew now what it would take to make it all the way, so I was actually glad that I was gonna get one more shot at it.
When I came around to the start/finish line to start the fourth and final lap, I was again greeted by Jeff and Liz who’d been cheering there on every lap. Cam had finished and passed off to Kristy to finish their repeat victory, and he was there cheering with them. I chugged my way up the hill one last time to begin lap four. As I made my way down to that darn water crossing, I could see Cam waiting to see how I’d do. I had no other racers to contend with, so I just went for it. It wasn’t necessarily pretty or fast, but I kept at it and cleared the water and the whole climb! Cam was cheering like crazy and his excitement soon had some of the other spectators cheering me on as well.

Cam showed up at a couple other spots to cheer on lap four. As that final lap progressed so did my enjoyment of the event. I’d been out there riding for over 90 minutes, but was having so much fun, I really didn’t want it to end right away! Soon enough, though, I was climbing back to the transition area to pass off to Jan for her final run portion. She ran a strong finish leg to end our race. Although we didn’t set any land-speed records, we did pretty well for a couple of girls!

Photos courtesy of FryGuy and Justin Bruce.