:: what? a road race?

I haven't been riding as fast as I hoped, for the point in the year. I took most of May off from training to focus on school {I do not regret this, it pays huge dividends}. Coming back into racing this June I have done rather poorly at Tamarancho and Skyline. Yes I finished the races, and I had a good time, but I did hope to be in better shape. Suddenly I feel a fire under my seat to push myself harder and work to increase my speed. I decided to start racing road. {Queue the dramatic music} I also figure its acceptable because I am a hybrid cyclist--pure nothing, only a mashup of many different bicycles from fixed to grocery getters. The mountain bikers make fun of me for being a weight weenie roadie, and the roadies think I'm pure dirt. I've even had people assume I don't own a road bike or that I ride mountain pedals on the road. Really?

This doing it all attitude follows me in life, but there are limitations. No person can be great at everything. You can be mediocre at everything, or really great at one thing. I have chosen to attempt personal greatness {read: as good as I can be} in cross country mountain biking. I accept that even though I will do my best at road racing, it won't be my strong suit. I'm happy with that. It takes the pressure off of me, so that I can focus on riding hard and having fun. Goal numero uno: don't get dropped!

This decision unfolded after Skyline. With very little planning or forethought {three days to be exact} I decided to race Pescadero. Lacking the energy to preride, Isaias and I predrove the course. I hadn't become human again after Skyline until the day of the race. My legs were mush up to that point in time. Most of my teammies {Team iPass} raced with me. I love my teammates and I don't see them enough so I was excited just to be there. I won't deny that I woke up a little scared that I wouldn't finish the race. Pescadero is infamous. Forty seven miles, ~ 3000' of climbing, and it finishes after an approximate two miles climb from highway 84 to the top of Haskins Rd.

Race start: crazy huge pack on a narrow road will poor pavement. The climb begins and the Masters women are at the front driving the pace. I work hard to maneuver around people. We begin the short descent and I work even harder to get around the slower descenders. Being stuck now means losing the main group on the climb. My goal is to get ahead and bridge up to the main pack. It doesn't happen, we are strung out. Turning up 84 the first time I see my teammates up the road. I accelerate to get up to the them and a few others. Our communication is excellent and we form a perfect chase group. Luckily, Kimmy and Goose have wisdom and great guidance, the keep our pack of about six or seven girls organized. The main pack is still ahead.

The first time up Haskins our little pack has broken apart. Coming down the descent I try to keep up with Kimmy. I don't want to lose her because if I do I am out alone for the remainder of the race. I struggle, she has killer bike handling skills. She's also super kind and I think she has slowed her pace to avoid dropping me. How did I get so lucky? Heading back into Pescadero, we pick up two other stragglers and form another pack, this time only four women. At some point we get a fifth. Kimmy keeps us organized and focused, we work on short pulls, pacelining, and resting. Kimmy reminds me to eat and drink. I have slober all over my face from the effort. 

Riding up 84 for the final time, the pack that had been chasing us, has caught us. Bobbi Jo Price {a friend on Team TibcoII} leads the pack, picks us up, and drives the pace. I'm amazed by her strength. I start to break and I'm not sure if I can hang on. Bobbi Jo and Kimmy encourage me, telling me to rest more, to skip my turn on the front. I feel so welcomed and blessed to be surrounded by these crazy awesome women. A gap begins to form between me and the pack, Bobbi Jo accelerates from behind me and tells to grab her wheel. She takes me back up to the pack. I am so grateful. 

By the time we hit Haskins, I've recovered enough to stay with them. The climbing wears on me and another gap opens. We all suffer together, and I hasten my pace to not let the gap grow. I don't want to finish alone. I don't want to be last. I really don't want to be dropped. I finish maybe 20 seconds behind them, incredibly happy.

As usual, I am so stoked to have finished this race. I really could not have without the help of my teammates Goose and Kimmy, and my friends like Bobbi Jo. Can't wait to do it again, it was so much fun.