Kristin Rides

I had finally settled on it: I was going to downgrade to B’s. And I can safely say, that was the best racing decision I have made all year, other then not prematurely upgrading to cat 1 in mountain biking.

It was sunny but cold when I left the house; I had a million layers on when I got to Rainier, and I was still chilly. I got my new number, chatted with a few people, and started warming up pronto. Unfortunately, given that I need to work on the weekends now to get my biz rolling, I can’t arrive 5 hours early and cheer. Once on the trainer I warmed up fast and was glad to see that it was going to be a jersey and bibs only day. Oh, and my very first race in the Hammer Velo kit! I started getting excited. As I sat on my trainer, watching Beth Burns almost puke all over herself doing sprints, I wondered if I would suck horribly. But then–who cares? I’ll be hidden in the Bs, no one will shout “good effort” because I’m 3 minutes off the back.

I discovered at the start line that my number was 3rd to last in the lottery system, so I would be about 12 rows back in the starting shoot. Mega suck. But if there’s anything I learned from mountain bike racing, it’s how to pass. I was ready. I was actually insanely nervous, because I felt like I had something to prove–to myself. I was shaking with nerves, and at the same time, grinning crazily. I actually liked it.

The gun went off. I didn’t try to move up at all, I just tried to avoid all the people swerving around in the gravel. Once on the road, the game began. Pass as many people as possible, as fast as possible.

At the top of the hill, I got caught behind some people going insanely slowly; once on the dirt, I saw everyone in an orderly single-file line, so I just went around them and passed about 10 people. Before the race, J told me to bomb the downhill, because most people took a breather there, and anyone with strong technical skills could catch up there. So that’s what I did, every single lap. Got in the big ring and flew. And caught air, of course.

I did a few full-on rear wheel corner skids (aw yeah!) and just kept passing. I saw someone, and when I got near, I just sprinted around. That’s how you pass–you must demoralize them so that they can’t possibly imagine catching your wheel. It.Was.Awesome. Rainier is MADE for me. Not only is it a bit technical, but that big ass climb is a power climb and I always catch people there. In fact, I was catching people everywhere, since there weren’t really any straight-aways.

My #1 goal was to get points, my #2 goal was to catch Sierra, and my #3 goal was top ten. I got points, I passed Sierra (last lap!), and ohhhh, I got 11th. So close! But, I must say, I feel damn good about that 11th, considering I started in the back of the pack. Everything felt great, my legs, my lungs, in fact it felt like I got progressively faster with each lap. If anything, I have the stamina to power through 45 minutes of racing without slowing down.

That last climb, with two people right on my wheel, was fucking magic. I just kept thinking go as hard as you can go, you cannot let them pass you. My heart rate was 188 when I finished, I haven’t gone that hard in a loooong time. It’s funny, I was actually worried I would crap out on the last lap–not physically, but mentally. I got so used to feeling bad and failing myself, that I was worried I would give up for some reason. Right before the finish line, I was worried I would slow up because my legs hurt, or that I would give it my all and fail. But I just gritted my fucking teeth and pushed it. And I won. Hell yeah.