GS Boulder Cat 4s Rock!

Joining the GS Boulder cycling team was pretty “out of the box” for the triathlete and I am SOOO glad I did it. Not only is the team strong, well organized, fun and committed to the cycling community…the Cat4 Women are freaking bad asses and I am so proud to race with them. I have only been able to do a couple races; the team TT at Haystack – which we won and even beat the Cat 3s! Booya! Hugo 80 mile road race which was a day from hell and if I recall correctly I was in the top 5 or 6. The wind erased my brain before we ever left Hugo! The Niwot Crit, another team race which was sooooo fun! I had done the Mt Evans Hill climb the day before. If you read back in my blog you will learn that this is a 14.5 mile uphill run on the highest paved road in North America. It took me 3:05 and it was a blast but I knew it would compromise my power for the crit. I offered up my services to Tasha and Jennica since they are both in the running for points, “catting up” and big mugs of beer or something. I am not really sure about all the details of bike racing points however I do know that Tasha and Jennica have been racing their butts off all season and have had great showings so decent finish at Niwot would add to their successes.

There were 5 of us who started the race bright and early at 8:00 AM. Tasha, Janie, Jennica, Anne and me. It was fun to start and be in line and shake in my boots. I am not really nervous about racing and placing…just crashing. Last year when Sonja crashed right in front of me at the Bannock Crit I was shell shocked for days. The sound and the anxiety of knowing it can really happen freaked me out. So as they started us at Niwot I pushed thoughts of Sonja out of my head and replaced them with pictures of me cornering strong, pushing hard and hanging tough. The race was a 40 minute PARTY! There are about 10 turns and although the race crew cleaned corners there is still some serious anxiety whenever we hit a turn…which was every 90 seconds! I stayed true to my commitment and tried to pull Tashs and Jennica as much as I could. I would lead out and hammer for a while and then sneak back in to recover a bit. We finally made a break from the pack and I think there were 8-10 of us. Anne was with us and sadly Janie crashed. She slammed her jaw pretty good but I think she came out of it OK. Phew! Jennica pedaled down a couple times and that sound would normally freak me out but I was really centered during the race. I was up there with the youngsters and holding my own. The last 6 laps is when the race really starts and for some reason Jess from Big Ring and I decided it would be a good time to recover? Ugh! I was thrilled to recover but I knew my recovery would be 50% of what hers would be and I would be crushed when she lit it back up! I held on until the last couple of turns and Tasha and Jennica went blazing by me...I was toast. Really fried. I felt great and had achieved my goals; no blood, bike was safe and the girls had great results. I LOVE BIKE RACING! Just for the record!

Plus it was fun because John and Jewels were there and I am always so happy when friends come to watch me race. It is fun to share my crazy experiences with friends!