SERC #2 Chickasaw

Yesterday was SERC #2. It true spring fashion, it was a COLD and windy day. It was warm and rainy all week so at least the wind dried things out a bit.


Mark, Helen and I went up there on Wednesday (in the rain) to pre-ride the course. It was a wet muddy mess but we had a ton of fun. The day was topped off by Mark's "shower" under the water spicket in the park.


Sunday was the race and Helen, Catherine, Amanda, Emily and I were ready to go. It was bitter cold. I spent most of the morning in the car with the heat on, occasionally jumping out to cheer as someone went by. At one point I think we were all huddled into the car on top of each other to keep warm. It was about 45 degrees outside but the wind was cold and blowing at about 25mph. That didn't seem to deter anyone from racing; all the fields were HUGE and extremely compititive. Fun!


Helen was first off and she had an amazing start. By the top of the field climb she had a huge gap and we were holding our breath that she's keep it. Unfortunately she suffered a bit of a mechanical issue half way through the race (her rear skewer was loose and the wheel came off) and she got passed by two girls. She took third in her second official race. GREAT JOB!!!! She made a podium appearance for the first time this year.


Catherine's race was next and they had a really tough group. It was a battle from the start and Catherine was right in there. She did great. The top five girls battled the entire race and Catherine eventually ended up 4th. Great job girl. Another podium appearance for the team on the day!!!


Emily, Amanda and I lined up in a FAST Pro/Expert field. About 1/3 of the field was pros so it is exceptionally challenging for the two of them as expert racers. Of the 5 pros that were there anyone could have won. It was a really hard start. I felt like I was racing cross again. Ouch!! Didn't anyone tell these girls we had a 2.5 hour race ahead of us?? Oh well, go with the flow. I had a great day. I took second place and rode as well as I am capable of. I also passed most of the local guys. Yay me!! Amanda rode great. She was the second expert woman, 7th overall. Emily took an impressive 8th place after being sick for a week and then off for another week for a spring break vacation. Great job ladies!!!


So, three races and we put riders on the podium for all of them. Great job ladies!!!