All Four Seasons in One Day

Leave to cross season to bring on all kinds of weather. Windy, hot, humid, sunny and rainy all in a four hour time span. 

Teammate, Nicole and I carpooled to Buckeystown, MD for the first MABRA race of the season. Ed Sanders Cross is always a very popular event and this year proved to be no different. After registering, we had lots of time to rest, warm up and seek refuge at the Velo Bella-Kona tent set up by our favorite cross family, the Styers. Hilary, Morgan and the Bella kids all welcomed us and helped tune up our bikes before we got really muddy. 

Also joining the VB ranks were Dee Dee Winfield and Melanie Swartz, our rad elites. Starting mere minutes behind them at the start, I was anxious to navigate my way around the long and tricky course. It was hot and humid, but we were graced with a brief rain shower on the starting line, which cooled us down a bit. 

The course proved to be fast at first and I positioned myself in the middle so that I didn't get hung up and flung into the mud pit that we had to muddle through precariously. I tried to ride to the side on the first lap and managed to avoid running in the mud for the first half. However I am proud to report that for the next four or five laps (who can keep track), I rode through successfully every time, even to the amazement of the elite racers to ran through next to me (despite the fact that they were lapping me). 

On the back stretch of the course, it was full of all sorts of activity. Run ups, downhills, long winding hills, surrounded by announcers, spectators and the sweet smell of beer. On my second or third lap, there seemed to be a lot of commotion as I came upon the long uphill that I dismounted and hiked up. They seemed to be cheering for me, to my surprise. However, as Dee Dee came up behind me, I realized to my relief that no one was clamoring for me, just her. 

As the course snaked its way infront of the Bella tent, I was encouraged by Morgan and Hilary, as well as some former teammates from PVC. It helped and I began to catch racers in front of me. The course played well to my strong legs, as it provided me with long stretches to make up time lost in technical sections. I felt good and was encouraged by my ability to surge when needed. 

The race proved to be successful for all the Bellas racing. Dee Dee won and Melanie placed 3rd in the elite race, while Nicole placed 6th and I finished 13th out of 20.