NorCal is here! The stoke, the camaraderie, the speed and everything that comes along with the race! The first stop on the race schedule was set to be held at East Garrison, our home course. Fort Ord being used as the series opener is a usual thing, however the weather was not! At the start of the girls race the temperature was dropping into the forties and even dipping into the mid thirties. For anyone reading that lives somewhere where it snows -- HOW? I was freezing and I had layers on layers on.
Since my race start was at 12:30, I spent the morning chasing Hannah around the course with a "Lucas the Spider" sign. For anyone who hasn't, check out Lucas. Straight up the cutest little thing you will see in your life. Visit this link; you will not regret it in the slightest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieIeBWulAiQ
At 11:40 am, Alex and I went to warm up. After scanning the course and searching for all the good lines, we headed back to the start. I was very lucky to have got 1st call up which allowed me to choose my preferred line. At 12:40, we were off. I sprinted to the front and after the first 10 second gravel section, Calvin Brahm pulled in front going into the singletrack. We went around the first few turns and once we reached the top of the whole shot, I took a tight inside line that Alex and I had discovered earlier in the morning and led the field down "Slalom"/"Berm Trail". I tried to keep it smooth through the corners and once I reached the bottom it was full gas. I separated myself from the field, watching my heart rate rise as I rounded the corner for the first steep climb of the race. I stood up and sprinted to the top, recovered a bit on the flat that followed and focused on the next short climb. The rest of the race was basically a 55 minute sweet spot effort with steep sprints that definitely kept my anaerobic systems firing throughout the course!
I am very stoked to say that I was able to ride it out to the line and pull off the win in the Junior Varsity category with my team mates nearly sweeping the podium alongside me! Thank you to my coaches Todd Roberts and James Lawrence as well as The NorCal League crew and Keith DeFiebre for helping to make this weekend a success for everyone!
Photography: Gabriel Stewart, Kip Evans and Hannah Lawrence
