FSC #8 Alva

With my sister's gymnastic meet on Saturday and the park not allowing dogs, I had actually planned on skipping this race.  But after looking at the standings, I started to get a little worried.  There's a lady racer that has been creeping up the ladder, and I'm scared to death she's going to steal my 5th place (in the series)  away from me.  I can't let that happen, I've worked way too hard. So after Kiki's meet,  my Dad and I headed to Alva.  We ended up driving almost a total 6 hours there and back just for a practice ride.  But hey, it had to be done.

Alva was not at all what I expected.  I heard it was a easy fast smooth course with some technical sections during the second lap.  Well, I definitely wouldn't call it easy. With it's constant ups and downs, rocks, and tight twisty turns, I found it to be a beater. And unfortunately, these are the kind of courses I struggle with when racing against the women.  They just have so much more power than I do and most of them are on 29er's.  So I was back to being stressed.

Sunday morning came too quickly. And it was time to get in the car for another 3 hour journey back down to Alva.  There was 10 of us lined up to race.  After the whistle blew, I felt like I was on a scooter and everyone else was on a motorcycle.

  I was 8th getting to the singletrack. And oh man did I have some serious catching up to do. Trying not to get frustrated, I began making my way through the course.  Some racers I was able to pass pretty quickly while others I was stuck behind for a little while.  I finally made it to the 4th position and was able to keep my spot throughout the rest of the race.  Now if Holly (the leader) would have been at the race, I would have been in 5th place. Still good in my opinion, but I gotta tell you it was nice to move over a spot.  And maybe one day, I can actually get off the ground and be up on those podium steps:)

LOVE the new team helmet, thanks again LeRoy!!!

Awesome pictures by:  Robin La Manna, MTBmike.com, Christie Burnett

Team Time Trial/ FSC #7 Lakeland

Yep, that's me.  The "caboose who broke loose" from the CycleYouth train:)

My teammates Adam, Sam, Jordan, and Cody ended up with the fastest lap time in the TTT (beating all the adult teams).  With Coach Chris's strategies and the guys teamwork, they were able to bring Team CycleYouth/Leroy's back up to the #1 spot.  And I gotta tell you, chasing those guys for a little while, I was able to break a couple personal records, and hey... I even got a couple QOM's too. Super proud to be part of such an awesome team!!!    

Adam, Sam, Cody, me, and Jordan

 

As the race series rolls along, I'm definitely feeling more confident.  I no longer stress out about who's lining up, and I just feel stronger.  I was super pumped to be racing at Lakeland over the weekend and hoped the technical course would work to my advantage.  Going into the race, I knew it was very important to get a good start.  I didn't want to get stuck behind riders that had to walk up climbs or used their brakes too much.  So when I heard the whistle, I put the power down and landed in the 5th position going up Sprinkler Hill.        

 

 

I passed 4th place on a rooty section taking over her position in the 1st lap.  I thought it would be so awesome if I could actually keep my spot for a 4th place finish. So, I pedaled and pedaled all while looking over my shoulder.  Feeling comfortable with no one behind me, I made my way over to Puff N Stuff.....

After that, I was heading down a flat section - when all of a sudden out of nowhere- I have a lady in front of me.  WHAT THE .......???? Where did she come from??? Oh, she was good, real good... slid right in front of me and continued on. I tried to stay on her wheel and ended up crashing. Thinking back, I don't know how I missed her.  Was I zoning out for a brief little moment,  who knows???? Well,  I learned my lesson!!  And you better believe I won't be letting my guard down again!!  Another 5th place finish for me.

 

Way to go Sam on your 1st win of the season and congrats to the entire CycleYouth Team!!!

 

****awesome pictures by:  MTBMike.com, AG Factory Racing McCarty Training, and Miss Christie

 

FSC #6 Markham

I had zero expectations when heading down to South Florida. This was going to be my first time racing at Markham, and I heard the course was pretty technical with lots of locals competing.  So, when we pulled into the parking lot,  I was super happy that Adam Cohen and his Dad asked us if we wanted to go for a pre-ride.  With the exception of getting a flat tire, the ride was a lot of fun. And I was able to get lots of helpful pointers from Mr. Cohen.  I found the course to be like a "mountain bikers" playground.  With all the cool bridges, drops, and the pump track, I think it would be awesome to come back on a non-race day, and just play around.

There were 16 of us lined up to race.  The whistle blew...and with the long start, I was 10th getting into the woods.  During the first lap, I passed 2 woman on a climb and 1 on a downhill. This put me in the 7th position.  On the second lap, I tried to pass Zee (who was in 6th place), but she was just too fast.  However, I did keep her in sight.  And later on, I was able to get by her after she crashed on some roots, finishing the race in 6th place.

****Awesome pictures by:  Miss Tracy and Mrs. Mace 

FSC #5 San Felasco

This race for some reason has always been a challenge for me.  It's not that I find the course to be hard or anything.  I think... in the past, it was because of the grassy climb and the constant ups and downs that got to me (last year I ended the race in tears).  So when I found out I would be pre-riding with Andy and the Cycle Youth Team, I couldn't have been more excited.  I figured this would be a great opportunity to find out what I need to work on.

 

 

On Race Day,  I felt awesome.  The pre-ride on Saturday went well, and I got some good advice from Andy on braking and cornering.  And I think...with the back to back races, Drew's training, and riding with the Cycle Youth Team, I just feel like I'm getting faster and stronger.  Things were finally coming together and I was ready to fight for my 5th place spot.

 And that's exactly what I did.  I got to the single-track in the 5th position and continued on.  6th was close behind, so I knew there was no slowing down.  I pedaled faster... passing other riders from different classes, so I could put some distance between myself and 6th.  And it worked, I was able to keep my position ending the race in 5th out of 15.   

Awesome pictures by: Miss Christie and Mrs Mace. 

FSC #4 Alafia

I had an awesome pre-ride with the Cycle Youth boys on Saturday. And unlike in the past, the race course was smooth and fast (not a power course).  So on race day, with my lowered expectations and treating the race as a training ride, I still secretly hoped to be up on that podium.

While in Gainesville I had a good start, it was not the case at Alafia.  Before the race, my Dad switched out my broken pedals and replaced them with my Mom's (which are super stiff).  So after the whistle blew, I took off and couldn't get clipped in, which caused me to slip a pedal. Not liking the change in the race course already (leaving out North Creek first lap), I knew I was in big trouble.  I was thinking to myself, these ladies are going to crush me on the flats.  And I was right, I was almost the last one to reach the  singletrack.

Being at the back of the bus, I knew I had some serious catching up to do.  On the first lap, I was feeling very strong. I was using my gears more (thanks to Coach Chris), and was able to pass 3 women. Continuing on with the second lap, I was still feeling great. I passed another racer on North Creek, and ended up finishing the race not having a clue as to which place I came in.  After hearing from my parents that I came in 6th place out of 12 racers, I was okay with that. I felt like I gave it everything I had, and if 6th was the best I could do, well then so be it.  But...when I found out a couple minutes later, that I actually came in 5th place, I couldn't stop smiling.  Apparently, one of my favorite lady racers cut the course by accident, and forgot to do Roller Coaster on her second lap. So while she went back out to complete her lap, I was bumped up to 5th.  So I was able to get my podium finish after all:)

Team Cycle Youth is sitting in 1st place!!!

   Congratulations to the entire Cycle Youth team.  And thanks to Mrs. Mace and Miss Christie for the pictures.

FSC #3 Hailes Trails

Well, I got a good start.

Thanks for the picture, Mrs. Mace

And that... would be about it.  About 3 quarters in on the 1st lap, I flatted.  I had no CO2's with me, and even if I did, I wouldn't know what the heck to do with them anyway. So trying not to freak out, I pulled out my phone, and called my Dad. I know the rules about getting help, but I didn't plan on finishing the race anyway, so I didn't think it would be a big deal for him to fix my tire. Well apparently, it was a big deal because I got scolded by a lady in my class. So, the first opportunity I get, I will learn how to fix a flat tire!!! (I should already know how to do that anyway)

Believe it or not, I'm Okay with how things turned out (after crying a little, of course).  Thinking back, the pre-ride with the Cycle Youth boys was awesome, and I think I did pretty good on the time trial.  But, with the already fast women in my group plus a couple more dropping down from the sport class...top 5 just wasn't a realistic goal for me anymore.  So, I'm going to have fun, pedal forward, and think of the remaining races as training for next year.              

The Real Me

Just wanted to clear a few things up.  I know when reading my race reports sometimes it seems as though I'm feeling down or just have a little bit of a bad attitude.  Which is partly true.  I will be the first one to admit that I'm a "poor sport" (in the sense that I hate losing).  Oh yeah, this goes way back.  For instance, back in pre-K my Mom told me I was depressed for a week because a girl named Rachel in my class could color better than me.  And oh yeah, when I was in kindergarten, it took 3 teachers to calm me down because my teacher gave me a mark on my card for talking.  I wasn't mad I got in trouble, I was mad because Jack in my class had never had a mark on his card-which made him the winner of the "no marks on the card club".  I could go on and on.  I have to run the fastest mile in gym class (not just the girls, but the boys too). I must have the highest test scores in all of my classes.  I try to create the best science projects and write the perfect Tropicana speeches.  I'm not too good of a team player and when things don't go my way, I get grumpy. Yes, the list is never ending.  But that's just me...and I can't change who I am.

So please keep in mind when reading my blog. I'm a lot stronger than you think.  Things just get a little frustrating sometimes.  That's it.  See you at the next race- Hailes Trails- wa-hoo!!