Haggard in Hagerstown

Marisa Peacock
10.16.06

Last weekend it poured everywhere but in Hagerstown. I drove up in a steady down pour and I drove home in a steady down pour. Remarkably, the ground in Hagerstown stayed mostly dry.

I arrived and made my way to registration. I realized how well I’ve come to know this sport, as I ran into several familiar faces, teammates and competitors alike, all of whom welcomed me and filled me in on the course. It seemed that they had shortened the course from its original route due to an excessive amount of flats. They cut out a section and added in some on the backstretch—still there were complaints that it was too short.

It was in a different location than last year—a disappointment since I did rather well there last year. Last year, we were not spared the rain, but instead reveled in its glory. Have I mentioned that I love racing in the rain and mud? That’s why it was so misleading that the course would remain rain-free for the duration of the races. There was a huge hole in the women’s A field---most of the A racers were in Gloucester. Seven of us lined up. I thought that I would have a good shot of not coming in last, and I held onto that hope for about a minute and then it was very clear to me that today wasn’t the day. My legs had nothing in them. I tried to hold onto the wheel in front of me, but it was no use. I would just ride until I was forced to stop. It wasn’t that I didn’t have any legs, I lacked a great deal of focus. There was a sand pit after the last set of barriers that kept me guessing the entire race. Not once did I successfully complete my ride through the sand pit. The first two time, I got stuck and had to dismount and unstuck myself. The next few times, though I was able to keep on riding through, I struggled to get out—never quite picking the right line.

Most riders were able to ride up the final ascent, but I dismounted and ran up each time, saving me whatever time that could be saved. However, had it been raining, everyone would have dismounted and we would have struggled together in the slop and the cold. That’s all I was asking for—a collective struggle. It wasn’t a hard course—it was a bit short—and it did get a little boring. I have no excuse other than it wasn’t my race. Oh well, I got some points (9 to be exact) and I was 11th place in the series—not so bad for coming in last three weeks in a row!

Overall finish: 7th place (9 points)