Drippings Springs, Texas! We are finally here...now where is the course?!  I was itching to get out of the car, and onto my bike.  I was ecstatic when we pulled into the venue for the pre-ride, following the tape and the red arrows I saw single track dive into the forest and I knew that is where we would be riding.  I clipped into my pedals and disappeared into the trees.  There sure was plenty of technical riding on this course, from tight twisting corners to rock rolls, rock ledges, rock drops, and tree roots, but I loved the challenge, even my bloody knee and flat tire could not shake me, I kept my nerves in check.

Saturday morning was beautiful, the sun was shining at it's fullest, and I was excited that I would be racing in great weather, and just before the heat of the day, on Sunday morning.  The morning of the race the sky was overcast, but it was just over 60 degrees, perfect!  However, as we made our way to the venue I watched in disbelief as the temperature continued to drop into the low 40s.  Well, that was certainly a lot colder than I had bargained for.  Stepping outside of the car, I got a chill that went straight to my bones.  I geared up in my warmest clothes, throwing a rain jacket on for good measure and headed out to warm up (something that never happened).  About 5 minutes after I started spinning on my bike the the sky opened up, and it began to rain.  Soaked, cold, and shaking I made my way to the start line, racing in rain and 38 degrees was not ideal, my one goal at this point was simply to finish.

The whistle blew and I was bringing up the rear of all the category 1 women, frantically trying to clip into my pedal which was already caked with mud.  Luckily, the prelude lap helped me work my way to the front!  I followed the leader into the single track, mud spraying my face, blocking my vision, and with fingers SO numb I could not even shift my bike.  I was terrified of what would happen, terrified that I could not feel my fingers or toes and frustrated that the lack of mobility in my frozen body was taking a huge toll on the race.  The rocks were slick with mud and the tree roots threw your bike in any direction.  In many places the mud was so thick that holding a straight line was near impossible.  I tried hard to keep the leader in my sight, getting tangled in a few pile-up crashes with several racers made it hard, but even after I lost her, I knew I was fighting for second place.  The cold was becoming unbearable, but I knew it was important to persevere and I continued to give the race everything I absolutely had.  I have never been more happy to have finished a race and with a second place podium at the first US Cup!

Thanks to Pivot Cycles, my coach Ryan Geiger, my parents, and my family friends for getting me where I need to be.