So my first collegiate mountain bike series was a blast :) I loved racing for the Fort Lewis College Cycling Team! Here are some mini-race reports from each weekend:
Gunnison race: For my first race I really had no idea what to expect. When we lined up on the start line I recognized several of the girls, but there were several new faces as well. We raced over in Hartman Rocks, and it was an awesome course! Once you get over the ridge and drop into the trail area, the riding is smooth and super flowy. There were several climbs, but they were all pretty gradual and spread out throughout the race. There were also a lot of rocky sections, not too technical but quite a few big drops and gaps. The only thing was once you got up on the rocks, it wasn’t always easy to see where the trail went and pretty much everyone got lost a couple times! My race started off pretty slow, especially since I had only been in Durango a week and wasn’t acclimated yet, and Gunnison is even higher (like 9,000 ft I think?). But as soon as I got into my rhythm I was flying and passing up the field. I ended up in 3rd and I was stoked! A great finish for my first collegiate race :) The rest of the FLC team had some good finishes as well! The next morning was short track for me, and I didn’t feel too great, just since I worked so hard, at altitude, the day before, and it definitely showed in my performance. The course basically climbed up along the ridge, and then down collarbone alley. I can’t remember exactly but I ended up somewhere in the middle of the pack. Camping was fun too! We had a pretty sweet campsite, and we played a lot of shuffleboard in between races :)
Sol Vista race: The next weekend we went to Sol Vista (such a long drive…) which I was looking forward since I am more familiar with the riding there. The course was kind of a combination of both nationals courses, AND WE DIDN’T HAVE TO GO UP THE GIANT HILL!!! Which was pretty exciting. Basically we did a start lap of the beginning from this years nats course, then climbed where we had come down, kept climbing up the course from 2 years ago, with some sweet new singletrack, and then down the same epic descent from 2 years back. So it was about 6 miles and we did 2 laps. Sorry if that’s too confusing! My race started off really well. I was climbing strong, and sitting about 4th or 5th I think. But on the waterfall section of the descent, which is really loose and steep, I slid out and hit a tree with my leg locked out. It took me a little while to get back on the bike, but I was somehow able to get down, and then do my second lap and finish the race. I lost a lot of time, but still pulled out an okay finish. The next morning I wasn’t able to ride, which meant no short track. When we got home I got my knee checked out and turns out I dislocated it, but they didn’t think I tore anything which is good.
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| Womens A start |
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Durango race: Since my knee was still messed up I didn’t get to race in our home race which was a bummer, but FLC did really well with lots of good results in all disciplines! Since I couldn’t race I took a ton of pictures so I’ll post some here :)
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| FLC B men leading out the short track |
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| Fielding racing dual slalom |
Winter Park race: This was my first time riding at Winter Park, and even though it’s only a half hour from Sol Vista it is way different. The XC course climbed and climbed and climbed and the first lap felt like it took forever! The climbing wasn’t technical, mainly fire road, and wasn’t too steep expect for a few sections. The descent was sooo fun though! It was rocky, but not really technical, and had a lot of big, smooth switchbacks and you could just fly down it! We did 2 11-mile laps. The start was pretty cold, but I warmed up pretty quick. I was still struggling a lot with my knee, but riding didn’t feel too bad. My first lap was pretty slow, but the 2nd lap I went all out and felt awesome. I think I finished mid-field, which I was happy with. As soon as I stopped though my knee completely locked up, so I decided not to race short track the next day. Once again FLC performed very well! Another highlight from the weekend I have to mention was our amazing tent that Kaila brought :) It was one of those large canvas tents, and it had bay windows and an awning and was pretty much a mansion. We slept 8 people in there, so we were cozy and warm!
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| End of XC |
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| Daniel in DS practice |
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| Greg leading out in DS |
Overall the season went great for our team! There might still be one more race, then nationals in a few weeks, and then cyclo-cross season starts. I am hoping my knee will heal up soon so I can race more!
On a side note, college has been going great :) Durango is amazing, and I love being able to ride literally right outside my dorm. The Fort is really cool, and all my classes are going well. I think racing and riding has been my favorite thing so far though!
