SERC Banquet

After the final race in Fontana we had some celebrating to do. Vantaggio put a rider on the podium in each of the three women's categories. The series finished as follows:

Pro/Expert: Kym 1st
Sport: Catherine 3rd (despite missing a bonus round to podium at Nationals)
Beginner: Helen 3rd

Other notes: Emily was 4th in the Pro/Expert category and was recognized as the top female expert rider of the series. We also finished 5 of the top 10 women in the pro/expert field.

Great season ladies!!!!

Catherine finshes GA series with a BANG.

So Catherine did it again. I know, none of us are surprised but she won the final race in GA series, and in doing so won the series handily.

Great job Catherine, we are SO proud of you!!!!

GA Series final standings:

Catherine: 1st Sport
Kym: 3rd Pro/expert

I didn't do the finals, I was racing elsewhere, so I was ineligible for the series podium (more on my travels to race with the "Big Girls" later...) It is still cool to be in the overall standings!!

August has a been a LONG busy month so far!!

Whew. I have been on a whirlwind tour of the east coast this month. I've hardly had time to sleep, let alone keep everyone updated on the travels and racing. I am going to try to get caught up on my postings this week. Last week was spent getting caught up on bills and work. Sorry, the blog post falls somewhere behind that.

So, where did I leave off???

SERC banquet.

Another SERC series in the books.

And a WIN at the finals!!! Kym is all smiles.

Yesterday was the SERC finals in Fontana, NC. It is always a great weekend punctuated by a slight bit of sadness than we aren't going to see some of our race friends again until spring. The weekend is usually a bit of a party and a ton of racing. There is a Downhill race Saturday afternoon and a night Short Track (complete with costumes). We had girls racing in all the weekend's events and we were well represented. What a great time!!!

Fontana had gotten about 3 inches of rain last week leading up to the race so it was going to be a little damp. Fontana is always slightly slick, but if the rain held off, it probably would be alright. Personally, I race well in the mud so I was secretly hoping for some mud. The forecast was iffy, I might just get my wish....

Catherine battled the mud and the competition for second place.

Our pre-ride was good. The trails were slick but not too muddy. Bike handling was going to be important but it wasn't sloppy. I had put the mud tires on for the weekend so if the rain didn't roll in I was going to be a little bit slow on Sunday. Come ON rain!!!!

Shannon started off the weekend for us by entering the Downhill race. She raced well, and did it with a smile, finishing 2nd. Great job Shannon!!! She then suited up in her angel wings (yes, actual wings that are part of a Halloween costume) and got ready for the Short Track that evening. She was definitely the cutest one out there and got a ton of cheers, even if her legs were really tired after the Downhill and pre-ride earlier in the day. She faded from 2nd to 4th but was smiling the entire race.

Saturday night my rain dance worked. It started to fall about 10pm and rained ALL night long. It finally stopped about 10am, just in time to warm-up. They shortened all the races by one lap and Dave Berger, the promoter asked me if I thought that 14.5 miles was too short for a pro women's race. I asked how bad the trail was; his response: "As bad as I've ever seen it". In that case, two laps will be plenty. The mud tires were a great choice and all of my bike handling skills were necessary. It was like riding in peanut butter.

The race started and in the first minute we were off the bikes running/pushing/slogging up the first climb. Anina ran at a fast pace and gapped Shelly and I. I tried to stay focused: "just be smooth and pedal once you get back on the bike". We re-mounted at the top of the first hill and I quickly caught Anina with Shelly right on my wheel. I passed her on a slight uphill and attacked at 6 mph. It was actually pretty comical to think about in retrospect. Three girls racing as hard as they could in slow motion in the sloppy mud. The rest of the field was nowhere to be found. We had dropped them on the first walking section. As it was so many times this year, the finals was going to come down to a battle between Anina the climber, Shelly the bike handler and me the all around-er. I took my chances at the front and slowly built a gap over the two of them. I didn't know if I was going to be able to hold it, but I figured it was now or never. I was feeling really good, the bike was floating through the mud with ease and I was pedaling over and through sections that I was watching everyone else struggle with. I was having a great ride on a seriously miserable day!!! I've never won Fontana so today was a day that I REALLY wanted to win. Not to mention that I wanted to show one last time why I was the one winning the series. I did it. I won with over a 5 minute gap on second place. Anina and Shelly had a tough battle for second and ended up very close, with Anina taking it. Great job ladies, it's been a really fun season and the competition has been intense.

Emily and Shannon also raced in the pro/expert field and they both had great days. Emily had an amazing ride to end an amazing season for her. She has been racing in a combined pro/expert field as a 16 year old all season and she's held her own. She finished the season as the top ranked expert in our category, besting a number of pros and taking 4th overall for the year. Sunday she capped of her dominance by finishing 5th, she was the first expert and was only 2 seconds behind 4th place. Shannon raced a great race even as tired as she was from all her racing the day before. She rolled in right behind Emily for 6th.

Catherine also rocked it in the mud for 2nd place in her race. She ended up 3rd overall this season due to her absence at one of the bonus point rounds. She was traveling to Nationals at the time where she stood on the podium so it was an acceptable trade off....

It has been a great series, one of the most competitive I can remember and we put a rider on the series podium for each women's catergory. Look for a complete report on the Series Banquet coming soon.

Thanks for reading...

Nationals

Emily, Shannon and Catherine went to MTB Nationals in Granby, CO. It was a week mixed with emotion and saw each of them step on the podium once. They even came away with one stars and stripes jersey.

The week started with Emily's cross country race. She was lining up against the best junior women in the country and she was doing it at 9,000 ft. She raced a great race, trying to pace herself as best she could and finished a respectable 12th. I know she was a little bit bummed but she was the highest placed "sea level" rider.

Catherine was next and she rode an AMAZING race. Apparently altitude doesn't bother her (or she's really ready to race expert...). She rode away from the field and with a mile to go had the race won. Then catastrophe struck, she broke her chain!!! Catherine ran the last mile to finish a disappointing second place. Still a great result but a heart break at the same time.

Shannon's cross country race was a struggle from the start. She woke up with a miserable cold and abandoned the race half way through in hopes a salvaging something for the Super D on Sunday.

Super D was the last event of the weekend and the last chance for a jersey. Catherine was already on her way home but Shannon and Emily were hoping for that spot on the podium. Emily ROCKED. She demonstrated why she was the reigning Super D champion and won!!! Shannon took 4th in her race so both ladies ended their weekend with a podium appearance.


Congrats to all three of you; wish I'd have been there!!!

As a side note, I really hate it when they have something like Nationals somewhere where a certain group of riders have such a huge advantage. Altitude is debilitating for most sea level riders and takes us completely out of the race. In the Elite fields, riders that normally fight for the win were nowhere to be found but the high altitude racers were winning. It simply isn't fair. As bummed as I am that I missed out on the trip, I suck at altitude (years of trial and error have demonstrated this...) and I would have been frustrated at the wasted money. There are enough places to hold an event as important as Nationals that we shouldn't have it at 9,000 ft.


Okay, that is my rant. I'm done now.


Thanks for reading.

Amanda wins two in a row!!!

The last two weekends Amanda has focused on the TBRA (TN Bicycle Racing Association) mountain bike series in hopes of a series win. We have had an overlap with some of the SERC races but there are enough weekends left in the series that she might be able to squeek out the overall series win.

She is off to a great start. She won two weeks ago at Big South Fork and then repeated the winning streak this past weekend one on of my favorite trails, Lock 4. Both races she rode away at the start and never looked back.

Congrats Amanda!!!!

SERC #9 Anniston

We are nearing the end of the series and it has been a great ride. The battle for the front of my field has been very close. Every point had been hard earned and needed. The other fields have been just as close. It is great to see such good competition but I am mentally and physically exhausted.

Oh man, I have to go around again!!!???

Anniston was the last weekend before the finals. It was our last chance to make up some points in the series; the finals cannot be dropped from your overall score so after this weekend, we would know exactly where everyone stood. Yikes. No pressure...

Helen races in style.

Catherine was already on her way to Nationals and Amanda is looking for a spot on the podium of the TN series so they were missing from our ranks. Shannon, Helen, Emily and I were there and ready to race.

The pre-ride was a bit rough, Helen had a run in with a tree in the first 5 minutes and injured her other hip (the first one is still recovering from Raccoon). At least she was now balanced in the pain department. I was fighting a cold/sinus infection and felt like crap... great. It is a really fun trail but it's demanding, not the right place to not be on your "A game". Shannon was all smiles and made us all remember why we loved our bikes. Thanks girl, I was dragging after the pre-ride.

Sunday morning was cool and overcast, a pleasant surprise for July. I actually had to put on arm warmers while we watched Helen's race. Her hip was killing her but she raced like a pro. She limited her losses and got in a good training ride to finish a respectable fourth. It was a great ride and left her solidly in third for the series. Congrats Helen, you have done us proud as our developmental rider this season.

Kym and Shannon on the podium.

The sun decided to come out for our race and it suddenly got HOT. I was feeling worse than the day before and told Mark I was worried about being able to finish. He gave me the pep talk and told me to just go ride my bike and have fun. They said "go" and I was not really ready for it. Anina went like a rocket and Shelly quickly passed her and was gone. I managed to rally the troops and go around Anina before the single track. I was hurting but somehow making myself go. I soon passed Shelly; she had a flat. Not really how I want to beat her, but I have been climbing better than her and we had a long climb near the end of the lap where I was hoping to get her anyway. I was in the lead. I tried my hardest to use my handling skills to my advantage, knowing that Anina climbs really well and the hill was coming. I figured if I could hold her off on the hill the first time through I could win. I buried myself until I thought I was going to puke as I climbed but I did it. I went on to win by 9 minutes!!!! Holy crap. I flew around that trail, even sick. Shannon came in fourth and Emily was 6th.

The best thing was that I am now leading the series by a decent margin; 9 points. Assuming that nothing catastrophic happens (never say never), I should be able to come out on top. I didn't think I was going to do it two months ago but slowly my form has come around and I have won three in a row and I have moved into the lead. Emily has probably had the most impressive season in the Pro/Expert field this year. She, as a 16 year old Expert, is battling for 3rd place overall. Emily, we are so proud of you!!!!

Whew. One more and then it is time to play until cross season. Of course "play" is done on race courses with numbers on, but it is still fun...

Thanks for reading.