Burn Baby Burn!

2nd year at the Beezley Burn over in Ephrata, WA.  Do you remember last years post?  It can be found somewhere in the 2011 archives.  Here is all you need to know...I got my @$$ handed to me, and no amount of Hoo Ha Ride Glide was going to help the amount of pain I felt from riding my hardtail.  Fast forward to 2012. 

I had a pretty good race, although I had a really hard time riding smoothly.  Maybe it's because I haven't been on my mountain bike in...uuhh...weeks?  I think since the day before the Northshore Race.  Anyways, I had a pretty good start and made it into the single track first!  I have somehow significantly improved my climbing since last year so I was able to hold off any other women until the decent.  Natasha caught me and I let her by (aren't I nice?) but I stayed closely behind her.  I know I can be a slow decender so I didn't want to slow her up, after all, she's racing too! 

Top step of the podium

Going into the second lap I hit the single track first...again, my climbing was really on it's game!  Shortly after entering the single track I realized how thirtsy I was, because I hadn't been drinking enough water.  There where hardly any places to grab my water bottle and drink!!!!  Once I hit a fairly straight section I slowed down so I could take a Clif Shot and drink some water, then Natasha passed me.  So I stayed on her wheel all the way through the rest of the lap, taking notes.  Note #1 I took...I could climb just a pinch faster #2 how to decend a bit faster (she's a better decender than I am). 

Going into the third lap I hit the single track first, a bit ahead of Natasha and I just pushed HARD through the climb.  I knew if I could gain as much ground on the hill that come the decent, I could afford to lose a little without getting caught.  It worked out well for me, because I WON!  What a great way to start my mountain biking season!  I was actually quite shocked that I won, truthfully I was expecting to get either middle of the group, or last!!  I didn't know where I was going to stack up, and there where some heavy hitters that lined up!  It's cool to see myself improve from last year.  Here are some stats:

Last year I finished 4 laps with an overall time of 3 hours and 12 minutes, with an average lap time of 48 minutes.
This year I finished 3 laps (they made the race shorter for the open field) with an overall time of 2 hours and 5 minutes (according to my Garmin 500).  That puts me at an average lap time of 41 minutes.  I improved by 7 minutes each lap.  That's incredible!  That's HUGE!  The woman that dominated me last year...I beat, by 5 minutes!  BOOOO-YAAAAAA!

Did I mention I gashed open an old scar from last summer? 



Dad, this is for you.  Who needs health insurance?

Dr. Courtenay working her magic and cleaning up the wound

I will never be a leg model...ever.  Or any model for that matter. 

I love racing, and I love local races, but I hate racing at the same time as men.  Sorry dudes, but it's just so difficult when there are men on the race course, and then you catch them, and then they go slow up hill and make you tip over.  Then you gash your knee open. 

I'm working on a post from Walla Walla, but for some reason it's taking a long time.