Drive, Race MTB, Drive, Race Moto, Drive, All Done!

After a late night of bicycle and moto maintenance, grocery shopping, packing and organizing, we woke up early Saturday morning to drive up to Winter Park for another mountain bike race. Bryce opted out of this one since his moto race on Sunday was more important, but it was game time for me. During my warm up I didn't feel that great, but truthfully, I hardly ever do. However, I toed the line for my 10:16am race start ready to rock and roll.

We were assured that the 24 mile race length was accurate (last race was almost 6 miles longer than we were told...read WP XC Super Loop race report for details on the epic bonk) so I planned my nutrition accordingly. The starts at the Winter Park races are always straight up a steep fire road which sets the tone for the race and just plain hurts. I jumped onto the single track around 4th place and felt really strong. After a few back and fourths with some girls, I found myself catching 3rd place around halfway and was really pumped. She eventually passed me back but knowing who the girls were up front, I was stoked to be sitting back in 4th. I maintained my place until the last few miles when I began to fade. I got passed about 2 miles from the finish then again less than a mile from the finish. I finished 6th less than 10sec behind 5th, 50sec behind 4th and 2min behind 3rd in a 2+hr race! With absolutely no base mileage this winter, I know that my endurance is lacking, but nonetheless, I'm pleased with how my fitness is finally starting to unfold.

I can't even begin to describe how amazing the trails were. This was a point to point race from the ski resort to Fraser and it couldn't have been any more fun. Bryce rode out to the finish with a cold coke which put the biggest smile on my face EVER. It was also nice to get in a solid 40min spin back to the van before hitting the road for a long drive to Sidney, Nebraska.

After a fun dinner at the local steakhouse in Sidney, we both crashed hard and woke up ready to play on bikes with motors. Now it was Bryce's turn to be on the stage and rip it up :)

The above video is the first of 4 laps for Bryce. It was a super dry and dusty course but there were some really fun and technical sections with logs and big tires :) The pro guys also had a final moto at the end of the race. Unfortunately, Bryce had a bad start and lost several overall spots due to not being able to see at all during the whole moto. However, he did finish top 10 and gained some decent points for the series.

Although, I was exhausted and it was super hot, I was able to pull off the W for the ladies class. I had a few spectacular crashes and am super sore now but as always, I had way too much fun :) Just another typical ''Erin & Bryce'' weekend!