RACE REPORT: Vail Lake Kenda Cup -- Hope You Brought Your Snorkel!

On a day like that, all you can do is laugh. Krystof Andres photo

"Awesome job! Congrats Darryl!!" I posted on my teammate's podium photo. "Thanks Kris! Nice work getting on the podium yourself!!!" he responded. 

Wait, what? 

During yesterday's race at Vail Lake in Temecula, any thoughts of winding up on the podium evaporated when I lined up behind the likes of Lesley Patterson, Evelyn Dong, Larissa Connors, and Marine Lewis for my first race in the pro category of the Kenda Cup West/US Cup series. 

And what a day it was was.

Just a glimpse of the carnage to be seen at #KendaCup

I naively held on to the hope that it would be like last year -- an hour or two of non-raining to let the course dry out "just enough" and provide tacky excellence for the later start times. I was wrong. Instead, it poured right before, giving a course that had already been torn up by all the Cat 2s, 3s and endurance racers a fresh helping of slop and, I swear to god, peanut butter. That's what that was, right? Sticky, crunchy, but not-so-delicious peanut butter. 

I didn't warm up properly because I was too scared to leave the relative safety of the team tent. It was cold, raining and windy. "Belgium" was being thrown around as an adjective. Eventually, I summoned the strength and headed out to spin the legs and make sure my bike was at least going to start in working order. 

Rolled up to the start with 2 minutes to go, felt deeply intimidated to find myself surround by very fast humans, and quietly collected myself in the back row. 

On "Go" we sprung into action, quickly stringing out as all the wet brakes and rotors sang in a cacophonous symphony up the first climb. I was with the girls, and my one triumph of the day was clearing a wet muddy climb that had everyone else walking thus giving my shoes an extra two minutes free of trench foot. 

Lesley went around me when I baubled on something ... I don't remember what exactly but skateboarding was involved.  And then I was kind of alone for a minute while the Cat 1s caught up. Riding the next singletrack seemed out of the question, though not for lack of trying. I realize now I ought to have just kept moving on my feet because the constant slippery struggle of getting on and off the bike was eating up the clock. 

Will she ever be the same??

Racing in these conditions, my bike quickly had had enough. I lost my big ring's capabilities almost immediately, so I was down to middle and small (that's right, I rock a triple). Then only small. With the cassette skipping and jumping all over the place, and a pretty reliable sudden stop in the cranks for the last two laps as well. It turns out it's hard to pedal and find your flow when you're never sure when that sudden jam is going to seize your momentum and stop you dead. Speaking of stopping, don't even get me started on the state of my brake pads.

Anything off camber was particularly terrifying because not only would your wheel slide down laterally, but it also had the tendency to turn it off course. I promised myself as long as I could go, I would go, and just changed my expectations to finishing the damn thing. And also staying out of the way of the pro men ... who didn't seem to notice there was a problem with the course at all, at least judging by the moment race leaders Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain) and Stephen Ettinger (Team Sho-Air) came by me at full sunny-day speed. It was awesome to be on course just to see that.

Despite all this, I managed to only crash once -- not that I'm one to take many chances though. The worst part was that I was wearing my brand new Eliel kit. I was so bummed when I felt my bum doing a big slide through some of the rutted out muck as I bounced down the trail after what I think was actually a pretty impressive front wheelie.The spectators nearby cheered anyway. 

Ninjas Dan and Mark after the Cat 2/3 race

Sometimes, on the fire road, I did actually feel like I was going good (or at least as much as you can in the small ring) and that was fun. Also awesome to see how well my Racing Ralphs shed the mud as long as they got even a short reprieve. That's over and above, Schwalbe! Thanks! Because those were certainly not the best tires for the day, but they were what I had. (Then again, is there any tire that could stand up to that??) Then it would be back into singletrack [of doom] to try and keep the flow going. Only, I was afraid to really let fly because it seemed like you couldn't ever trust the trail -- at any minute, it might grab you for a little mud wrestling.

Anyway, nearly three hours of slip slidin' practice in the mud is not something we often have in California, and you never know, it might come in handy for BC Bike Race. To be honest, once I got over my preconceptions of what the race "should" have been, it was pretty hilarious to be out there. Like, laugh out loud funny. 

Here are some thoughts on racing in the mud after Sunday's race in the mud: 

1. Tires matter. Choose wisely. Duh. 
2. WD-40 Bike frame protectant, PAM cooking spray or the secret sauce of your choice should be applied to help keep the frame shedding those extra pounds of mud. 
3. Run water in your bottles so you have something you can use to spray off your drivetrain if you need to
4. If you lose control, let the bike drive a little until you can get it back. Fighting it usually just had me down  in the mud ... you have to relax and roll with the punches
5. Stay off your brakes if you can ... it invites more sliding 
6. Skateboarding: use with caution 

7. 

   Post race, pre rinse

   It's all mental: it's really easy to get negative in conditions like this, and it's also easy to check out entirely. Stay focused, and enjoy the chance to get dirty!
8. Have a good post-race game plan ready to execute with minimal touching of clean things with dirty things. 

By the time I finished my three laps, the course marshals had packed up. The pit zone tents were coming down, and there was zero traffic on the trail -- I had the whole thing to myself. When I rolled across the finish line, they were already announcing the awards. By this time, having not had much of an opportunity to eat or drink for the past nearly three hours, I was hungry, shivering, and kind of not finding it as funny anymore. 

I headed over to the remnants of casa Team Ninja to check in and say my so-longs. I used the last of my energy to get back to where I'd parked. I was so happy to see the RinseKit I'd packed. Usually Gerhard uses it when he goes surfing, but this thing's powers became the highlight of my day. After slogging it out, battling with the mud, FINALLY I was going to come out on top. I got my destroyed(?) kit off piece by piece, standing on RinseKit's handy lid, trading my jersey, bibs, best and warmers for dry layers as I went. I hosed off each piece and left them soaking in the top compartment for the ride home. I think rinsing my kit with RinseKit saved my kit from stains. Straight into the washer when I got home, and it came out almost like new. One more round and it's like it never happened. Check out RinseKit for your next mud race (or a thousand other uses):



Oblivious to anything but my need for In N Out and my car's heater on full blast, I hopped in and drove my sorry mud-butt home. 

But I forgot something. Turns out I had a podium finish for all this trouble, but hypothermia must have caused brain freeze and I forgot to check results. Had I done that instead of lock it down into  self-preservation mode, I would have a podium shot to share from the hardest, muddiest race I've ever done. And a trophy to remember it by! Not that I'll have any trouble forgetting it. 

My kit survived!! I thank RinseKit for on-site headstart!

Congrats to everyone who stuck this one out. Congrats to everyone who even showed up. 

Results: 

1. Larissa Connors - RideBiker Alliance 
2. Evelyn Dong - Team Sho-Air 
3. Kris Gross - Team Ninja 

And of course, big thanks to my friends and teammates on Team Ninja. This was only fun because of your smiling faces and good sense of humor in the face of this crazy adversity we paid good money to ... um ... enjoy. Check out Darryl's version of events here.

Big thanks also to anyone who came to support a racer, take their photos, and to the organizers for responding to conditions and delivering a memorable day in the harshest environs ever. My own parents are in town but I advised them to stay home for this one!

A perfect day to kick it with a caramel macchiato!

And thank you to my sponsors and helpers for all you do!! 

Eliel - I'm so sorry for what I did to your kit. But it survived! It's just as beautiful as ever. I was stoked to show it off at its first Kenda Cup. 

GU Energy Labs - "I'm only bringing salted caramel with me today because I'm going to need all the happy I can get" - Me, before rolling out to battle. 

Rocky Mountain - Don't worry. I did not make this bike-destroying mud fest the new bike's maiden voyage. (Meanwhile I think I killed the one I did bring ...)

ZOIC - Thank you for providing the soft, warm, easy-to-get-into clothing I had for post-race. I have never been so happy to get into a pair of Naveahs. 

RIDE Cyclery - The bike ran awesome ... For the entire warm up ;) I know I can count on you guys to help me bring my old girl back to life, and that was the thought that kept me going instead of calling it a day. So awesome to have you in my corner. 

See everyone at Bonelli! 

More photos: 
PB Creative 
Kystof Andres

Race Report: Rim Nordic #3

With my hand feeling almost normal, I decided to put it to the test on the mountain bike for a weekend up in the Big Bear neighborhood. Pre-riding on Saturday, I noticed some aches during descents/heavy braking, but otherwise, I think I'm out of the woods.

At least physically.

Mentally, I was definitely having a tough time shaking my observation that lately, bad things seem to happen to me while I am mountain biking. So, I set no performance goals for this race, applied no pressure, and just recognized it as an opportunity to accelerate the processing my brain needs to catch up to my healed bones.

It also happened to be my first race with a "pro" license so that was an interesting dimension as well. Especially since the other pro who showed up was the one and only badass lassie, Lesley Paterson  - 2012 Xterra World Champion. An honor and privilege to share a race course with a truly elite athlete -- a quality she exemplified when after cruising to victory (she had six minutes/lap on me ...), she suited up for a trail run. That's rainbow stripes stuff. I, on the other hand, went straight for the nearest Coke and deck chair.

Warming up wasn't a problem -- it was over 90 degrees and dry out. I kept mine short opting to hang out in the shade rather than spin laps on the asphalt parking lot across the road, baking in the sun.

Nerves had my stomach in knots and nothing brought me relief except for when they finally said "go." They ran the pro/expert category together and I was stoked we had seven women to race, including my Ninja teammate Michelle! I jumped off the line, got a good couple pedal strokes in to lead the pack and then tried to find a pace that would suit the climb and the heat. Lesley stayed on my wheel for a little while, and then came around for the hole shot. I was half waiting for her and hoped to hang on to her wheel but with the heat, (and my inferior legs ... I shamelessly admit it) I had to cut our clinic short.

I settled into my pace for the rest of the climb, keeping Lesley in sight, but only just. The last I saw of her, she was punching the last of the singletrack ups. In fact, that was the last  I saw of almost anybody. Racing alone is always a tough one. But it gave me a chance to exercise my brain a bit. I felt like I had some mtb OCD or something; I had to check every line choice, corner, and obstacle ten times whereas before my various wrecks, a single glance would have told me all I needed to know.  It takes a lot of time to check and re-check your decisions, so I could feel myself getting slower. Also, did I mention it was HOT?!

By lap three, I'd made peace with the course a little more, found some flow and even some other people! I also hallucinated a car on the double track and large black floating orbs. Pretty sure the swarms of bees were real though. It was a tough day for me, but I checked off the only goal I set for myself: finish safe. (I also took home a silver medal, $50 cash money and a sweet raffle prize - yay! Thank you Rim Nordic!)

Ninjas were out in good form as well. There was a lengthy awards procedure afterwards as the cheery crew at Rim Nordic handed out medals, trophies and raffle prizes for this final event of the series. We collected a pile of hardware, including the third spot in the team overall! Congratulations Ninjas! And thanks to the La Chinas for helping me with transportation and being swell people to hang out with all weekend. Likewise to "the Three Bears" -- I'm stoked we got to get to know each other a little better and you guys are awesome. A great crew for our last Ninja Cabin weekend. Where did the summer go?

Full results here.
Series results here.

The Three Bears: John, Mark and Eric shredding the Snow Summit park on Saturday

Paige with Ninjas Mark and John, ready to rock!

Ninja Advait, looking cool and collected on the start line

Ninja Michael, thinking about our new gang signs ;)

Ninja Michelle claims third in Expert! Congrats!

My results

Thanks to the La Chinas for this tremendous find!

Race Report: Kenda Cup Series Final, BIG BEAR

TEAM NINJA - KENDA CUP 2014 SERIES CHAMPS

I enjoyed a triumphant return to Big Bear this weekend after the drama of the knee thing. Very excited to report I won my race, and took home the Series Champion title to boot. Thank you to the gang at Big Bear Events and Sho Air Cycling Group for putting together a hella fun series. And thank you to Blaize at RIDE Cyclery for turning my beauty into a frictionless wonder. #BikeDoping

Let's back up because since my last post a lot has been going on getting rehabbed from the knee thing and ready for the BC Bike Race.

THE KNEE

The hardest part about an injury like that is that no one can tell you when you'll be better. You just have to take it day by day, second guess every move and apply your Neosporin religiously. It took three days before the swelling reached its peak and then another three days to get it to come down again. For the Big Bear Shoot Out #1, I decided to get out of the house and support the team and with some peer pressure, I got to the point where I could walk somewhat normally, smooth out the limp and finally get the feeling that it might actually get better.

But when I got back to Carlsbad, it felt like things went backwards - my IT Band was all jacked up, it continued to weep and I was even forced back into a limp. At that point I decided to see my chiropractor who is wonderful (thank you to Dee Folse for introducing us!). He got all my usual trouble spots moving again and he showed me some pressure points to help my knee. I asked him, "Do you think by this time next week I'll be laughing about all this?" And he said, "You'll be laughing tomorrow." I could hardly believe it but he was right. If you have knee problems, try this:


Once I turned the corner, thanks to Dr. Mark, it was a really fast come back. In fact yesterday, the stitches concluded their three week stay with me and my knee and I've graduated to steri strips. Once it was moving again, I didn't waste any time and put in some really hard workouts on the road bike, and at the same time, I put some serious love into the mountain bike as well. The two of us are now pretty much ready for the BC Bike Race.

THE BIKE

If you haven't heard of GarageWorks in Oceanside, let this be your official heads up. Steve is a suspension genius with deep roots in the sport (including designing 5.10 shoes for Sam Hill back in the day) so I had him go over front and rear shocks to make sure everything was up to snuff. He did a great job on the rebuild - the kind that makes you wonder how the heck you made do before. For the first time in a long time, I actually have suspension!

Next stop was RIDE Cyclery in Encinitas for the kind of bike love only Blaize B can deliver. I asked around and the unanimous consensus was that Blaize is your guy if you have some anxiety-laced it's-gotta-be-perfect maintenance work to be done. Blaize made my 2011 Trek Top Fuel feel like a 2015. You name it, it was overhauled and the results are joyous. I was showing all my Ninja Teammates the amazing frictionless wonder all weekend. It was almost a shame to get it dirty. Of course, I DID get it dirty, and I forgot to snap a photo beforehand. #fail.

I'd also like to use this segue between the bike and training to thank my very good friend (and secret weapon) Chris Holmes, who would surely have the title sponsor placement on my custom kit, should I ever have such a thing. He has been there from day one on training rides (once he even drove us to Poway for parkway repeats .... for FUN), and with his bike mech smarts and capabilities, it's 100% true when I say I couldn't do this without him. Thank you Chris!! When we give you our first born, let us know if you'd prefer a boy or a girl.


THE TRAINING 

You might think ten days out with your feet up would be cause for concern, however I was wise (?) enough to crash at the end of an enormous block of training and had a planned week of rest anyway. So I'm happy to report that fitness is 99.9% what it would have been had I *not* crashed and put seven stitches into my knee .

Sorting out Ninja kits at the Team Cabin.

Adding to my quiver of arrows is the amazing Big Bear Cabin Team Ninja has acquired thanks to Coach Richard where we all can go to trick our bodies into making more red blood cells. So hopefully, I've tapped into every advantage I can by this point and I can confidently say I'm in the shape of my life thanks to Coach Richard's meticulous training plan, which is a good place to be before you take on a seven-day stage race. Happy dance!

THE BIG BEAR SHOOT OUT 

Okay back where we started!! The second episode of the Big Bear Shootout! Team Ninja had been leading the standings for the past few races, but to hold on to the top spot, we needed at least six racers to compete in the 2/3 category. However, father's day had our numbers cut down. Our only hope was that the other teams would be similarly hobbled.

As for my race, I learned that coffee and I are extra electric at 7,000' so the second cup on race morning was probably unnecessary. You can ask Regina, who was my ride from the cabin to the course and pre-warm up buddy. I was freakin' out. Partly the coffee but partly a bit of a confidence blip thanks to my return to the "scene of the crime."

Eventually I figured out that I should probably not be around people and went off to do my warm up and settle down. In staging I was super stoked to see a bunch of ladies had shown up! It had been lonely at the last event so this was a great change. Always happy to see women out racing.

Cat 1 30-39 Podium - W

Once the man said "go," all the anxiety and jitters went straight through my pedals into the dirt and I left it all behind. I was so happy to be back on my bike, racing, and healthy. I flew up the climb and just stayed on it through the long fire road first half of the race. The course was so long I hardly saw anyone so I just focused on riding clean and got blissed out on the views. 

Everything was going awesome until I made a mistake in a narrow section that saw my shifter smash into my guess-which-knee. I avoided disaster by a couple of millimeters, leaving the stitches still intact and the largest part of my wound closed. However the outside edge dribbled some red stuff down my leg and throbbed some too. The combination of oxygen debt, being grossed out and freaked out by my narrow avoidance of major complications left me about ready to vomit. I talked myself off the ledge as I worked to get my flow back on Skyline and before I knew it, I was starting to recognize the trail again and by the time I hit Fall Line, I was feeling just like my old self.

TEAM NINJA Cat 1/pro squad claims 3rd overall

Crossed the line in first place to the cheers of my Ninja teammates and then it was on to the serious
business of cheeseburgers, chips and pop. And a cider too, since we were celebrating. The girls had great rides, with Regina claiming victory in everything Super D and Paula up on the podium for her 2nd place finish on both the day and in the series. The dudes were posting some PRs as well and scored even more podium time for the crew. Check out the official team race report with full team results here.

Team Ninja's Cat 2/3 co-ed roster had the late and unexpected addition of Anne-Catherine, who logged a win and put us over the edge in series points. The day's hero for sure! Richard and I (and Evan before his truly unfortunate collarbone break) managed to claim enough points to take third place in the Cat 1/pro co-ed overall. And I also claimed the individual series win for the Cat 1 30-39 women.

Thank you to Sho-Air for putting on a tremendous series - we Ninjas had so much fun so thank you for giving us seven awesome opportunities to hang out and race bikes. We're excited for the State Championships so see you then!

Thanks as always to Team Ninja for being LITERALLY the best team in SoCal. So proud to wear our colors!

And thanks again as always to Coach Richard La China for bringing us all together, providing so many amazing opportunities to get better, fitter, stronger and for me personally, for getting me through a tough ten days and right back into the game.

Next stop! BC Bike Race.

Ninjas relaxing after the hunt (and before the next!)

Race Report: Bonelli Kenda Cup #5

We She-Ninjas Are Happy About Our New Team Hats! 

It was a heavy week of training leading up to this one so I was definitely feeling a little thick in the legs ... and not in a good way. But it's great practice for BCBR to line up tired so I embraced the fatigue and headed up to San Dimas early Sunday morning to help cheer on some Ninjas and line up for my start at 1:30pm.

The Cat 3 race got going first and we were stoked to have Ninjas in almost every group in that wave. The other She-Ninjas got first crack at the course in lovely cool weather with perfect light. Somewhat evenly matched, the rest of us were eager to see how the race would play out between Heidi and Paula - both have been putting in a bunch of training miles and it was either lady's game out there.

Heidi and Paula (and Paula's knee, if you look close ...)

I decided to take the opportunity to walk the course for my "preride" while they were out in case of good photo ops. Just as I found a nice place to shoot, a female racer came by me asking if I had a walkie -- someone had gone down on the rocks and she wasn't sure if she got back up again. "Team  Ninja," she said. Uh oh. I looked back from whence she came and spotted Heidi up and riding, with Paula on her heels. "They're both up," I told her and she carried on her climb, happy to hear it.

Our She-Ninjas were riding smooth and strong so I lined up for my photo. Heidi smiled on her way by and then a few seconds later Paula was ready for her close up. "Take a picture of my knee," she joked. I almost did but when I saw it, I instead started flipping out, in no way calm or of help to Paula.

She said she wanted to keep racing, but there was blood and white foam pouring out of her leg. I strongly suggested she stop, she said she was fine. Because she's super hardcore and brave like that. Feeling pretty useless .... and nauseated ... I called Richard back at the team tent to let him know one of our prized ponies would need assistance when she crossed the line in a few minutes.

She Ninjas on Podiums! 

Later we found out that Heidi showed a tremendous amount of team spirit, keeping an eye on Paula and making sure she was okay. Turns out Paula's impact was shared equally between her knee and head, which I didn't know at the time, and Heidi didn't want to leave her. Once again, Team Ninja floors me with its support for one another. Working together, our girls claimed the number 2 and 3 spots on the podium. Paula got fixed up by the great First Aid helper, Alex, and then headed to the hospital (after collecting her trophy, of course). Final diagnosis: No concussion (hurray!) but she did burst the bursa sack under her knee cap (hence the foam ...) and needed some IV antibiotics, an emergency surgery to flush the area under her joint to prevent infection, and a few stitches to get put back together. Her Facebook update today: 

I'm good! Turns out violating your joint space with nonsterile instruments is a bad idea, and results in emergency surgery to flush it out. I shouldn't have fallen on my throwing stars, my bad!

The good news? She should only be off the bike for about a week. Thank the mtb gods it wasn't worse and healing vibes to Paula for a smooth recovery. And mtb blessings on Heidi who was a real team player and a class act. Not to mention speedy!! 

The next start group was thankfully injury free and we had another big crop of Ninjas to cheer on and pass up bottles to. Congrats to all our He-Ninjas for their stellar rides. Everyone was looking strong despite most of us being in the same state of fatique thanks to Head Ninja Coach Richard's demanding training plan. Special kudos to James who confirmed that a good night's sleep does actually help performance on race day!! Shout out to Eric who spent the week having a nasty cold instead of training and still pulled out a podium finish. And in another show of Ninja team support, thanks to Richard who made sure Michael had race-worthy rig - a very pretty Norco - after a last-minute mechanical emergency. Go team!! 

My race was the last of the day at 1:44pm. I didn't race the first Bonelli and I didn't get a chance to pre ride either so I was feeling a little bit in the dark about how I would fare. However, it turned out I was once again the only woman in my age group so the pressure was off. There were only three of us on the start line total, but Heidi B and Lisa were in a different age group than me. Thanks girls for coming out!! I decided to use this opportunity to test a few things in a race situation, which was perfect since it was a short course, and it was hot which is sometimes a limiter of mine. Verdict: Coconut water does not make a good on-course hydration option. I give up, I've tried a few electrolyte options, but for whatever reason, my system is H20 only.

Other than that discomfort, I had a really fun time out there. Even though there wasn't anyone in my age group, there were certainly still people to race, so I spent my 1 hours 15 minutes on course chasing down the men's categories ahead of ours, playing my favorite game of "Can you catch Richard?" and getting to know the pro men whipping around me politely and skillfully (thank you gentlemen!). The course was very fun, except for a boring section in the middle that was a combo rec path and paved road, and there were definitely some sections I looked forward to. I was able to climb in the big ring for most of it which was a great feather in my cap ... and eventual pain in my lower back. There were Ninjas hiding in a few different corners which was a highlight every lap. I high-fived some kids cheering on the side of some bermed switchbacks and my favorite moment of the day was ripping the technical rock garden descent for the first time. I carried in a little more speed than I should have, but skittered down my chosen line smoothly (albeit a bit surprised) and heard the spectators lining the crash zone cheering, "Yeah!!! RIDE LIKE A NINJA!"

Thanks to Sho-Air Cycling Group/Big Bear Events and USA Cycling for another fun day of racing. Thanks to Team Ninja for all the support and good times. Thanks Coach Richard for everything. And thanks to Gerhard for agreeing to be stranded at home while I took the car all day AND for making a delicious chicken dinner, as my result required. :D

#RideLikeANinja 

TEAM NINJA RESULTS:

Eric Fischer - 2nd Cat 2 19-24
Ryan Brown - 6th Cat 2 30-34
Kyle Wills - Cat 2 30-24 - DNF - Mechanical :(
Henry Heisler - 13th Cat 2 35-39
James Vo - 14th Cat 2 40-44
Derek Couse - 16th Cat 2 40-44
Advait Ogale - 9th Cat 3 30-34
Abe Gonzalez - 8th Cat 3 40-44
Michael Whitehurst - 12th Cat 3 40-44
Tom Jones - 13th Cat 3 45-49
Vinny Casiano - 8th Cat 3 55-59
Todd Young - 3rd Cat 3 Clydesdale 35+
Kris Gross - 1st Cat 1 30-39
Paula Evenson - 2nd Cat 3 30-39
Heidi Amundson - 3rd Cat 3 30-39
Richard La China - 8th Cat 1 Single Speed
and honoary Ninja, Stephane Roch - 7th Pro

RACE REPORT: Fontana US Cup

I don't remember the last time I had to get up so early for a mountain bike race, but I have to say, it was a pretty nice set up (once I'd finally found a Starbucks).

There was a calm feeling over the venue and only a few people had arrived, most being directly involved with the 8:30am Cat 1 races. So I warmed up in relative peace, thinking to myself the course was probably in excellent shape, dampened ever-so-slightly by the nighttime dew -- and we'd be the first ones on it to boot. I reflected on the cool, comfortable temperatures, compared to the hellfire that usually awaits at 1:30pm starts. And I looked forward to being finished in time to catch the women's Pro XC race.

With only a few minutes left on the trainer, my spirits were lifted tenfold as a whole gang of teammates meandered across the parking lot. I'd heard a rumour they'd be there to support the two of us with the early starts but I couldn't believe anyone would go to such trouble -- showing up EARLY in the morning a full day ahead of of their event at a race out of town.

Silly me. Team Ninja is the best team ever, both in spirit and in standings (or will be soon on the latter, just you watch). Thank you to all you guys and gal who brought the laughs, the support and the cowbell.

Added bonus, Coach Richard appeared seemingly out of nowhere to calm the last of my pre-race jitters on the start line. As the men's Cat 1 races emptied out of the start gates, I could feel my metaphorical hooves pawing the dirt. Time to go.

On the whistle, I carefully worked to get clipped in and stay out of trouble on the very loose asphalt chunks that lined the Start/Finish area (subsequent races saw some gnarly crashes thanks to that unstable surface) and once clear of that, clicked down the cassette and started to make some moves. I knew I wanted to be on the front of the race for the first section because of a couple potential bottlenecks, and I aimed to settle into my pace on the first open climb, part of which featured some pavement.

I lost a couple of the girls on the first climb, but I rightly predicted I'd reel them in on the descent, which was pulling double duty as the Super D course. I forgot to account for the back of the men's races ahead of us though, and got a little tangled up in traffic. Rode the first lap nice and clean, and came through the feed zone for my favorite part: Team Ninja love!!

Coach Richard and Ninja-extraordinaire Michael Henry followed me as the course wound back on itself with encouraging words like "race smart" ... at which point I klutzily got my grip hung up at the crucial moment I wanted to shift for a loose climb and eventual-winner Allison Jones saw her chance. We'd been playing cat and mouse so I was confident I could make up for the error but then I ran into some more unexpected trouble. My back muscles declared tug-of-war with my IT bands and hip flexors that left me feeling less than racy. I worked through that complication and continued on my way.

Lap three Richard and Michael again had words of encouragement, calling out split times between me and another woman (though not in my age group). I was grateful for the carrot and figured I could use her as a stepping stone to Allison so I closed the gap, passed and kept hunting. Ran out of real estate, and Allison had put a nice gap into me anyway, even with my last-ditch efforts.

I was pretty happy with my race -- I rode clean, no crashes -- and as if Team Ninja wasn't awesome enough already, they treated me to some post-race tacos and made me feel like a million bucks (even if I was "first loser" ;)).

We hung around our spiffy team tent watching the pro women warm up and then begin their race under the watchful eyes of high-tech drones, thanks to the amazing Red Bull coverage. I predicted Pendrel, Batty, Nash and almost won my bet but Batty ended up in third. She was accompanied by her parents and fiance Adam Morka, and combined with other familiar faces like Amanda Sin, Mikaela "Fudge" Koffman and Peter Glassford, I was feeling pretty darn homesick for Ontario Cups.

All in all an awesome day at the races. Can't wait for the next one!

Thank you Team Ninja, PowerBar, Zumwalt's (for the most-excellent fix to my cables! shifting was perfection), Coach Richard and to my parents who patiently waited for me to do my thing before we concluded the weekend (the last of their three-week visit) hanging out at the beach.

Thanks to Team Ninja's Paula Evenson for the podium pics!