Bear Springs Trap

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This past weekend was my first race of the season and I survived. Bear Springs Trap is my favorite Oregon course. It is made up of about 80% pristine single track. It has a little of everything from rocks, shale, buff pine trails, creek crossings, log bridges to technical descents and climbs. Also, Peter the promoter always has a keg of beer at the finish….mmm beer….its not part of it, but still very important. If you want to travel to an incredible race next year, this is the one!

 I was nervous and made several trips to the blue room…in fact that was my warm up. I am a slow starter and I tend to ramp it up as I go. Which was no different from this race. I was really unsure where my fitness level was compared to last season.  I was the fifth woman up the first climb and once we hit the first descent I slowly made my way to third. It was a bumpy descent and swooped to a climb that many were off their bikes. I knew if I stayed on I could make my way toward the front. I was now in second, but hit a bump which bounced me on the back of my seat causing it to tilt nose up about 6 degrees…OUCH…No problem, I thought, I can handle this. Only like 28 more miles left. I caught my friend Brigette who was in the lead, also on a 29er. Her weapon of choice was a Rig and I was on my Superfly. We rode a lot of the race together, which was nice. She was destroying me on her singlespeed. She kept reminding me how great she felt as I was barely hanging on. Finally, I had had enough of my saddle nose up position….I could barely pedal. I caught back up to Brigette and she handed off a multi-tool and pedaled on. I leveled my saddle and hopped back on. Instant pressure relief. Sami caught me and I had to work hard to get back in front of her, I was able to get a gap and caught brigette. We started on a gravel road descent and I told her to grab my wheel. We were just talking about whenever you start to feel incredible in a race you know that the wall was looming around the corner. I think this is where Brigette was. I felt like I was on the verge of bonking the entire race no feeling of super legs was going to happen to me today. I raced on as hard as my body would take me. I survived and won my first Pro Race! Now I can retire.

It was a great showing for the 29er’s this weekend. Brigette won the Expert Women’s field on her single speed Rig, Jamie who also works and rides for River City Bicycles won the mens sport class on his paragon (sandbagger…time to nut up Jamie) and my friends Marila took third on her Paragon and Shannon Skerritt, top secret 29er crew member, had a fabulous race finishing third in the pro mens field just behind Erik Tonkin and Evan Plews.

 Well, we are off to the coast this weekend for a birthday celebration and my retirement party. Have a great weekend!