Hayley Richards' Racing blog

     The State Championships this year would go down on Five Springs Farm all the way up in Petaluma (right above San Fransisco). This contains about six miles per lap with very bumpy sections that ache your hands and a lot of switchback style sections as well. The drive up takes around 8hrs, but I was excited to go out there and show what I've got against both the NorCal and SoCal Varsity Ladies.       The Friday and Saturday before the race consisted of pre-riding, clip changing, some suspension adjusting ( I would be taking my trusty hardtail into this race) and strategy discussion. What it boiled down to was that I HAD to be in the top group within the first mile or so, what this indicates is about 10min. of pushing out a top-notch effort to get where I need to be. This race would be different in regards to start time as I was adapted to racing around noon and my race time on Sunday was scheduled at 9am.      Waking up at 5:45 am on Sunday, I took a quick rinse of a shower

     So many of my senior experiences have been filled with the word "last" as though it invokes a superstitious strength within anyone who is experiencing something for the last time.. and maybe that it true. As for lasts, this would be my LAST SoCal League Finals at Tehachapi, a course for reasons I don't fully understand, has never given me a podium in the past. You see, usually Finals arrive next to my birthday and my mind is further away from racing than it is from having a good time. This year though, I embraced both: the mindset of hardcore racing & having a good time.       On Saturday, yes I am beginning on a Saturday, there was a party for the SoCal League's 10th anniversary. It was a glow in the dark party, so naturally I had to pop in for some fun... I may or may not have participated in a couple mosh pits and I may or may not have fallen within said mosh pit and bruised both an elbow and ankle, BUT it was a good time! In a way, it almost calmed

     The Sea Otter Classic is one of those experiences that is so much more than just a race. It is the embodiment of biking culture packed into an almost festival/epic race weekend-like style. The Cat 1 race I would participate in would be a challenging about 29 miles complete with a variety of climbing, sandy downhill, switchbacks, and a grueling long fire road climb that seemed to last forever.      After a few days of perusing through a variety of vendors and checking out the sponsor tents, it was time to get in complete race mode. The Sunday morning sped through swiftly as I geared up and tried to find a shady spot to warm up on the trainer. I was concerned about getting through to the start line (you have to go through the venue a bit), so I got off after and rushed over. There, I joined a couple of my teammates (Alyssa Barrick & Hayley Barrick) as we waited for our group to begin line up. Before we knew it, it was a minute count down to the race start and I somehow got p

     Going into the second race of the weekend, I knew my legs were not going to be the freshest, but I hoped my mental game and recovery methods would accommodate for the fatigue from Saturday.       The Sunday Morning began slower than Bonelli due to a later start time, but it cannot be mistaken as more relaxing  There was still plenty of nerves to go around. As I got to Vail Lake Resort, I tried to remain focused on the task ahead for the day. After getting my gear organized and hoping on the trainer for a warm-up I began to worry as a burning sensation lit up in my  slightly fatigued legs. I explained this to my dad and we decided it might be best to just sit in on the first section of the race so I don't burn too many matches.      Arriving for my call up on the start line, I began to mentally put myself in the mindset for smart and more consistent efforts. The sun beamed down on us stronger than anticipated and my dad hurried to give me a wet hand towel to throw around my

    Going into my second weekend of back to back racing, I was more mentally prepared and focused on finding comfort in the pain. Bonelli is a fairly short course compared to your typical high school course and the UCI JR girls would be completing four laps.     BONELLI US CUP:  Morning of:   I woke up around 5am in the morning, taking breakfast for the road, and began strategizing in my head the plan I'd take on the race course that day. I'd most likely be racing with the many of the same girls from the race at Fontana, so my personal goal was top ten. Warming up, I felt nervous because this was the race I got a mechanical in last year, but I also wanted to be competitive. Waiting at the start line there was competition from out of the country, so you could imagine that it was a little bit intimidating!  Start Line/Lap 1:  After what felt like years, we were off! In the first short lap I knew that there had to be a little more aggression in my style this race, so I wor

     This weekend I partook in the challenge of a double races! It was filled with mental strength, personal growth as a racer, and of course some fun amidst it all.         The first race being on Saturday, was the US Cup race in Fontana with the UCI Junior girls! I had only participated in one race for UCI before this (Bonelli 2017) and there I got a huge mechanical involving my shifter cable and wasn't able to ride my bike. This would be my first time officially racing in Fontana, so I was slightly nervous/excited about its unique features and layout.      The race began around 8am in the morning and during call ups I was put in the second row. Off from the start line I got a bit caught up in the crowd and was starting the in the back of the race group! Right there I knew that I had to start making up places before the narrow single track. Doing so definitely helped during the race. On the decent I tried to focus on staying as relaxed as possible and being aware of the comp

In the world of racing there are so many factors that go into one day. Between the following: nutrition, sleep, training, hydration, mental focus, recovery and life circumstances. Going into this race, I was both excited and interested to see how my legs/body would hold up considering how I had felt that week. Sometimes you can prepare to the best of your abilities, but when it comes down to the line, minutes before you start, your body just doesn't understand that it NEEDS to be ready.  Off from the start line, I decided I would see if I could stick with top five. It didn't feel too rough until we got to the end of the first fire road climb. Although I knew we were only starting, my whole body wasn't on the same page, so I settled my mental focus and prepared for a tough race. The "Tunnel of Love" is always the fun part of the course, full of dips and rolling humps! Lately, I've found descents to be much more enjoyable on my bike aka "Black Beauty&qu

    Going into the first race of the year always reminds me of the first day of school: you see new people, everyone's bike upgrades, and you find yourself curious as to how everyone has changed. Personally, training with SoCal Devo, I was interested to see how the hard work was paying off so far!             On Sunday, I found myself a bundle of nerves because of last minute changes to my shoes as I warmed up under the Murrieta Mesa Mountain Bike Team tent. Time always has this way of feeling like it's in hyper-speed an hour before it's time to get to the race line. Nonetheless, I found myself on time for my call up and breathed in deeply a couple times as I settled in my starting position.      At the start of the race, it was actually kind of funny because no one wanted to be the person to pull up the first road climb (it was windy that day), so I found myself at a "casual" pace in the group. Once we hit the dirt climb some riders made a break, so I ,of c

    It was a semi-cool typical SoCal Saturday, but I was thankful for this "colder" weather on race day. I was going to participate in a 12 hour four person team with my fellow teammates Alyssa, Hayley, and Coach Heather. This basically means that we would switch off each lap. To add to the excitement, our SoCal Devo team got to sport our new (and very comfortable!) team jerseys for the very first time.      We weren't sure what order to start the race, so I decided to take the parade lap. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to loosen up the legs and I was a bit tight, but I had some fun getting in the groove towards the end of the first lap. It was very crowded everywhere  therefore I had a stronger focus on finding a place to pass people. After this lap, I tried to stretch a little, drink some water, and soothe the stomach aches.     The second lap felt much better and I just tried to focus more on being smooth and breathing. I love the feeling when everything kin

Going into this past weekend I was both excited and nervous to be riding with all of my teammates at camp once again. Devo camp is one of those weekends that leaves you with sore legs and an ambition for the the upcoming biking season. Day 1: We arrived at Coach Jason's house in the evening and had a team dinner. That night we got support from our sponsors such as Rudy Project, ESI grips, Kenda Tires, and got to talk about our support with Ellsworth bikes. We even received custom SciCon bags with our names on it! All of this brought excitement into the weekend because I'd get to try out my new helmet and glasses. Day 2: We woke up early in the morning and went to the local sports park to work on our core. Getting our fair share of soreness to start the day, we then went back to the house for the most important meal of the day! After breakfast, it was time to get ready and head to Vail Lake to start our biking for the day. Nerves built up as we were going to ride the infam

      For those of you who don't know me, I'm pretty much an adventure seeking, bike loving, and food thriving individual! I've always felt like life is a completion of moments, so we have to live to the fullest.        I first got into mountain biking at the end of my 8th grade year in middle school. I remember the days of falling over because I forgot I was clipped in and grabbing too much break on the downhills. It was really my dad that got me into the sport of mountain biking. My dad had been one of the "coaches" on the MMHS mountain bike team since my brother tried the sport his Senior year. So, my freshman year I decided to take the plunge and try mountain biking! I can certainly tell you that I had no idea what I was getting into. There was so much to look forward to between team bonding, pre-race jitters, and just being on the bike. That year I did surprisingly great for both myself and my team. It was that year that I found a passion for this amazing sp