The rolling hills of Sea Otter Classic proved to be equally as hard and exhausting as they looked.  I had no idea just how long my race would be until I got back from my 3.5 (more like 4) hour pre-ride... I was lost, dehydrated, and so sun struck that my body (also very burnt) radiated enough heat to keep me warm for months.  I was so zombified by the time I  finally made it to my team tent, Pivot Cycles, but but quickly rehydrated and ate.  At the tent I was able to meet the junior Pivot team from Canada, and was introduced to two junior girls who had made the journey to California to race.  I was so stoked to know I would be lining up with some team mates (even though they lived far away) on the start line.  I knew that the competition would be very hard, and with 14 other girls, some of whom I had never heard of, part of me did not know what to expect...and that made me even more nervous.  But when we lined up, and they counted us down, I focused and rode the best that I could.  I had an amazing start, and stayed close behind the leaders.

We were all packed so tightly together that there was a constant hum from several tires hitting, and even the sounds of a few crashes, but I did not dare look back.  About halfway into the race the group of us had thinned....and even more so due to the dodging and weaving between the racers of all the other categories.  With about 5 miles left to go, there were three girls in the lead...and I was one of them! Around 3 miles to the finish I lost energy, and fell back from the two other girls, feeling tired, and more thirsty than I should have, (Sea Otter definitely taught me the importance of drinking fluids) but I still was in third, and I was determined not to loose this place. I dug deep into the pain cave so I could finish the rest of my race as strong as possible, but I quickly realized (with a LOT of panic and horror) that luck was not on my side.  I had three more climbs to go before the descent to the finish line and my shifting was skipping, nor would it shift low enough for me to complete the climbs!!! Surely this had come about from rock kickback, tight squeezing between riders, and the hangups and jarring I experienced previously on the course.  I dismounted, ran up the first hill, and did the same for the second, but halfway up, I was passed...Now I was in fourth place. I had carried my bike up all three hills and was barely remounting so I could hammer down to the finish when BAM, I was passed again. FIFTH PLACE! I would not let that go.  Clipping my feet in my pedals I followed fourth place down as fast as I could, and I crossed the line, earning 5th place, still a spot in the top 5!  Although there were some frustrating aspects to my race, I was able to learn so MUCH (like FINALLY realizing the importance of eating and drinking during long races-despite what everyone told me, including my coach, I suppose I needed to have the first hand experience...unfortunately) and I appreciated the hard work I put in.  My coach, Ryan Geiger, prepared me for this race extremely well, and I do not think that I could have felt more ready.  I am so grateful to have a coach that is so personally invested.  Thankfully I have a really fast, light, responsive bike, and I could not have asked for a smoother  ride during the race.  I freaking love the 27.5 LES, it made the tight corners and any quick maneuvers that I asked of it so much more exciting and enjoyable.  Thank you Pivot for giving the the BEST hard tail to race and ride on...I am in LOVE with my LES, it shreds.  Absolute Bikes, thank you for helping me achieve this amazing bike.