This was my first time competing in the 12 Hours of Santos. Coach Chris teamed me up with Sam, Marco (from the Georgia CycleYouth Team), and Connor (who is also on CY and the T6 METAL team). So, right away I felt really comfortable. Unfortunately, there were 19 co-ed teams and only the top 3 teams would receive prizes. With such crazy competition, I figured I would just do my best and maybe have a little fun along the way (the vortex trails are awesome).
I was super pumped- only to crash in the beginning- on a rocky section. Yep, not a good start...hurt my shoulder and hit my head. So, I finished the rest of the lap with a pulsating headache. Thanks Miss Christie for the aspirin:)
Moving on to lap 2. I was happy to have Mr. CycleYouth himself, Andy Johnston, ride behind me. As a result, my lap time was a little bit faster than the first. And thank goodness, no more crashes. 
Nothing to report for lap 3. And lap 4, I really had to pump myself up for that one. I think it was around 8:00pm when it was time for me to head back out. This was my first time racing in the dark and it was freezing out, so I was a little nervous. Not caring about what I looked like... I threw on my "nerdy" prescription glasses (because I'm blind as a bat) and kept my skinny jeans and sweatshirt on (so my body parts wouldn't freeze and fall off). Got the lights ready, and I headed out for lap 4. Believe it or not, this was actually my favorite lap. I slowed down the pace and just enjoyed the trail. Gotta do more night rides, that was awesome!!
Our team ended up placing 9th out of 19. I think that was pretty good considering the competition. Thanks to Sam, Connor, and Marco for being such awesome team mates.
Check out all these junior racers!!
****Cool pictures by Miss Christie and Mrs. Mace (Junior Cyclist Magazine).
