Sunday, July 6, 2014

Hard work DOES pay off!!! I was selected, along with 3 other girls and 6 other boys, to represent the United States racing mountain bikes at two Canadian Cups (in Baie Saint Paul and Mont Tremblant).  This experience was the time of my life...as nervous as I was to fly and travel alone, I knew that as soon as I found the other members of the team we would have so much fun.  Shortly after arriving (1.5 days to be exact) we were already jumping into our first race...WOO!



The first race course in Mont Tremblant was CRAZY. Exciting, fun, technical....aaand, muddy.  Slippery tree roots threatened me at every turn and, long, swooping wooden bridges gave me a few seconds of mud-free riding ;) Needless to say, I had a VERY exciting adventure (West Coast terrain was the exact opposite of what I experienced in Canada, believe me), racing as hard as I could and taking the time to learn new things.



Now the trip to Baie Saint Paul!  The sights from our cabin sure were breathtaking...


I was still nervous about the next event, but luckily I felt like I had a little more knowledge under my belt about what this next race course would look like.  Sure enough, it was still wet, still slippery, but still SO fun! This race featured an "A" and "B" line, which I was so stoked on.  And during the race (the most fantastic feat I pulled...) I even made a close pass on another racer by shooting over the "A" Line drop!



As I finished this race, I realized that I did make improvements compared to last weekend's results.  Although it was not my best performance ever, I learned some of the greatest lessons, and I feel more comfortable with my skills in varying terrains.  A HUGE thank you to every single person that encouraged me, donated money to my cause, Pivot Cycles and Absolute Bikes for my wonderful race bike, and aiding me with nutrition and components. And I have so much appreciation for my very supportive family, and my amazing coach Ryan Geiger, who has given me training that is successful...You all have helped me achieve my dream.  Go USA!!!




No comments:

Post a Comment