Test Drive

Even though I should have been home studying for finals today, I was getting depressed that I had not been able to ride or race my mountain bike yet this season. I decided to leverage my impending final grades against competing in the Yeti Spring Series today. Since pure self enjoyment and satisfaction is few and far between in these days of grad school, my decision was thoroughly worth the gamble. (And so we'll see how I really do on the exams now!).

Chris, still being unable to ride due to his lingering injuries, put himself to work as my mechanic, chauffeur, photographer, and pack mule for the day. I am truly grateful to my husband, as he is my biggest supporter and motivator!On our drive out to Nathrop, I was a little worried seeing 10ft high snowdrifts on the side of the road, and part of the road even covered in a light dusting of snow. The weather turned out to be beautiful, albeit a cold 42F and very blustery winds. The course was the same as last year, but about 3 times as sandy. The sand and the fact that my tires sucked and basically buried me and washed out on every turn made for a tedious 3 laps. It was only the second time I've ridden my new ASR-c since I got it, so it really was a test drive of sorts. The carbon is very stiff, and I now know that I need to soften my shocks a bit, as I was nearly getting bucked off, especially on the downhill!Overall, despite the weather and minor technicalities of breaking in the bike, I am very happy with my performance. I finished 1st in Expert, with only 1 pro girl beating me!! It is an intense week coming up, but I'm looking forward to returning to Nathrop next weekend for Chalk Creek. I just need to get psyched up for 4 laps on the beach course, and get some new tires!