Speaking of the spirit of mountain biking, I finished yesterday's race just feeling bad. I had a long talk with my husband that night during which I told him what I wanted to do the next day. I knew we had a 17-mile TT and anything could happen, but I just didn't feel right about anything that has happened here all week. I wanted to do what little I could to make it right. So, I talked to Sarah before the TT, told her that no matter what happened today, I was going to split my prize money with her. I didn't ask her to split her money with me if she happened to beat me by 5+ min. in the TT, nor would I ever have expected her to. I just wanted her to know that from day 1 I have thought this race was unfair and that I wouldn't feel right about going home with any more money than she. We had a great chat, decided to go out and race as hard as we could and just enjoy riding our bikes. She of course told me that if she had been in my position, she would have made the same offer. I love mountain bikers.
We both did our warmups on the course and saw that the course markings were terribly confusing. I sprinted back to the start and talked to both the race timer and the director about them. The problem was that there was 2-way traffic on some parts and riding up to junctions all you saw there were 2 white arrows going in different directions and it was up to you to choose which one to follow. In some cases you were expected to cross over and take the one to the left, even though if you were riding on the right (as we all do on racecourses) the natural way to go would have been to go right. So, there was a 45 min. delay of the 10am start so they could get course marshals up to the course and it seems that the stage went off nicely because of this last minute addition of course marshals.
Thankfully, the TT was the best riding we got to do all week! It was super buffed, twisty singletrack, had a bunch of uber steep climbs and a handful of hike-a-bikes. Oh, yeah, it was HOT. Another 100 deg. day. There were also a few hairy sections where I think I attained a personal best for the amount of time I rode with the saddle on my chest. 17 miles and one little crash later, I pulled into the finish in one piece, grateful that I rode as hard as I could and ended this week on a high note.
For me, this week was more a mental battle rather than a physical battle. I am bruised, scratched, sore, sunburned, a little fitter and hopefully a lot smarter. Keeping my head in the game after an incredible ride on Monday, only to be 38 min out of the GC was hard. There was an overwhelming temptation to pack it in and go home after day 1, but I am glad I stayed. I got some phenomenal training in for the upcoming Leadville 100 and I made a lot of new friends. Plus, I got to spend the week riding a phenomenal bike and equipment given to me by my incredibly generous sponsors, supported and helped every day by my wonderful husband/mechanic/cheerleader, in a new city, on new and unique terrain with a group of really cool people. Everyone was super supportive of each other all week long and we all got to enjoy playing in the dirt for 200 or miles or so. As a racer and a mountain biker, I am leaving feeling profoundly grateful for a week full experiences one can only find at an epic stage race!
