I'm so excited to have won the Pedalfest at Deer Valley on Saturday-I'm now the 2012 Utah State Champion! Honestly, I was probably more nervous for this race than any other this year. Last year I had my worst race on this course. This year, I wanted to race my best. I was born and raised in Utah and this felt like the year to be the Utah State Champion, so I worked hard to get it! I pre-rode the course 3 times and memorized every corner, I can tell you exactly how many switchbacks are on every descent.
On the start line was last year's Champion, Kathy Sherwin, Katherine O'Shea (2nd place last year) and Jen Hanks. They are all seasoned pro racers that are also good friends of mine. I'm honored to line up with them. It was a 7 mile course with 3 laps. That meant that we'd have to climb "Little Stick" 3 times, so I tried to conserve a little each time. I took the lead right from the start but worked really hard to temper my climbing so I wouldn't burn every match on the first lap. I caught the Expert 40-49 men at the top of Little Stick on the first lap and had to sit behind them most of the descent. I was convinced I was going to be caught, so I drilled it on the next few climbs. The second lap I got stuck behind some more from that group but tried to stay patient. The third lap was eerily quiet. There was no one on the descent until the very end and then the guy I caught ended up sticking with me the rest of the race. I finished with a 6:25 lead, and my hands thrown in the air! A few minutes after finishing I had a filmed interview with PCTV, then after the awards The Park Record interviewed me. There will be another post about this race with more photos and links.
The best part though, was that my entire family was there. My husband, son, parents, both siblings, nieces, nephews, and all of the in-laws; including parents, siblings, spouses and children. It was so terrific to have everyone there supporting me and cheering for me, every time I rolled past them it was just a wave of cheering and yelling-and I soaked it up! I couldn't do all of this racing without all of them. All of them babysit for me frequently. They are all patient with my need to train every day and my nutrition neurosis. They understand when I don't want to stay out late and they understand that this is my dream. My racing career happens because of their support and there is absolutely no way I could do it without all of them. I give my endless thanks to the best family in the world.
On the start line was last year's Champion, Kathy Sherwin, Katherine O'Shea (2nd place last year) and Jen Hanks. They are all seasoned pro racers that are also good friends of mine. I'm honored to line up with them. It was a 7 mile course with 3 laps. That meant that we'd have to climb "Little Stick" 3 times, so I tried to conserve a little each time. I took the lead right from the start but worked really hard to temper my climbing so I wouldn't burn every match on the first lap. I caught the Expert 40-49 men at the top of Little Stick on the first lap and had to sit behind them most of the descent. I was convinced I was going to be caught, so I drilled it on the next few climbs. The second lap I got stuck behind some more from that group but tried to stay patient. The third lap was eerily quiet. There was no one on the descent until the very end and then the guy I caught ended up sticking with me the rest of the race. I finished with a 6:25 lead, and my hands thrown in the air! A few minutes after finishing I had a filmed interview with PCTV, then after the awards The Park Record interviewed me. There will be another post about this race with more photos and links.
The best part though, was that my entire family was there. My husband, son, parents, both siblings, nieces, nephews, and all of the in-laws; including parents, siblings, spouses and children. It was so terrific to have everyone there supporting me and cheering for me, every time I rolled past them it was just a wave of cheering and yelling-and I soaked it up! I couldn't do all of this racing without all of them. All of them babysit for me frequently. They are all patient with my need to train every day and my nutrition neurosis. They understand when I don't want to stay out late and they understand that this is my dream. My racing career happens because of their support and there is absolutely no way I could do it without all of them. I give my endless thanks to the best family in the world.
