State Championships NorCal: May 20th, 2018
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 to warm up the muscles (maybe more so to wake me up) and began consuming oatmeal with strawberries and half a banana. After packing up and leaving the hotel around 6:40 am, my dad and I made our way to the venue! It was a crisp morning and the wind was promising of not making a debut before 9am. Time seemed to speed by and before I knew it I was warming up to Jason Ranoa's morning jams and assessing what the race ahead would consist of. I knew two factors that might cause issues was a) I switched my clips the day before a race and wasn't used to the position & b) the soles were very slippery that day. My thought process was "Okay Hayley, just clip in once and don't clip out again until the end of the race, easy peasy!" After the warm up, I descending to the start line, which was placed on a sight incline, and spun around until we could be placed in call-up positions (I was 10th).
On the line, I felt both nervous and excited on the prospects ahead. You see, I had been putting in so many factors into my head thinking about who would be where, but in the end it only mattered where I would be. The position spacing was divided between the words "S | T | A | R | T " like so and I was in the second T in the second row which may or may not have been slightly smaller than the rest. We started two minutes early causally and before I knew it the worst happened.... those clips (you now the slippery and different ones) were being difficult and I lost my footing for a few seconds and I began in about 12th going into the single track. I was so frazzled and frustrated at this point that I ended up having issues FOR A SECOND TIME and it was only about two minutes into the course. Completely anaerobic, I cranked passed some SoCal riders and could see top five. There was no way I was losing this battle before the first ten minutes were even up, so I kept passing people, until by some miracle, I eventually found myself in fifth at the top of the climb. Not only that, I was making a gap with the top five girls! Halfway through the first lap I, respectfully, passed 4th place and found myself at the rear wheel of 3rd. I knew that she was strong (not to mention, but also on a full suspension) and I knew it would be tough to get a gap if I passed her. Fifth place was still close by though, so it was important to keep pushing. The downhill switchback section was made more difficult due to a lack of well developed berms and I tried to trust my tires to get me through. On the bumpiest part of the course I naively passed 3rd and tried to hold on, but those bumps tossed me around and she eventually passed me again right before the second lap. I knew I would need to be smarter this lap.
On the second lap, I was tired, but not fatigued. I honestly didn't know how much I had in the tank and just trusted in my mental ability to endure. I could see fifth place slowly closing in and knew I had to pick up the pace, so on the switchback climb I passed 3rd and just focused on consistent pedal strokes. When I looked behind I saw that I was actually making a gap! I continued to put in the effort until I reached this shady tree section that had a couple sharp turns down into the trail and a couple sharp turns out. On the first dusty turn in, I was worried about staying consistently quick with my pace and took the turn a wrong way. Next thing I knew.. BANG! I fell on my side and hit my hip and the outside of my knee. So worried about the riders behind me, I couldn't even answer one of the spectators when they asked if I was okay. My clips were being difficult and before I knew it, I had lost my gap while also being completely out of breath and anaerobic. I still pushed hard to keep the two girls off my tail, but they were right there. On the switchback downhill, I could feel myself being more cautious with each turn while also freaking out that I wasn't pushing my pace enough. Somehow, I survived through the bumpy section without being passed. Something new was the nauseous feeling I began to get on the bumps and I could feel myself gag a couple times, but tried to breathe through it.
Approaching the third lap, I realized that a) I hadn't drank enough water and I probably should have brought a goo & b) my tank was officially almost out of fuel. Shortly after the lap began, the 4th place rider passed me with a strong effort being put forth and the 5th place girl chugged by on the uphill. I knew my legs were officially fatigued and every bump now felt massive against my peddle strokes. On a lighter side, I almost ran over a snake! One thing I knew that I had to do was not slow my pace down too much. With nobody in sight ahead of me it was harder to gage how fast I was going. I still put effort in for what I had left and embraced the bumpy section as my hands ached harshly. Pushing into the last stretch I had finished 5th! I had to take my heart rate strap off because it was compressing my lunges and making me slightly nauseous at this point. Then I was greeted by my dad and boyfriend who congratulated me. I was happy that I could get a podium again this year!
Thank you to my dad for driving so far and being my anchor amongst race chaos throughout all four years of my high school career. Thank you to my sponsors for providing me with the equipment necessary to perform well this season! The Ellsworth Enlightenment bike was quick on the uphills and gave me enough stability for the race while the RideFast Racing Rims, Kenda Tires, and ESI Grips gave me light and effective comfort on a more demanding course. The Rudy Project helmet and glasses provided me with protection during my fall and stayed on well during the bumps. Thank you GUP Industries for keeping me confident against flats! Most importantly ALL GLORY TO GOD!
Thank you for joining me through my high school racing career and I hope you continue to read as I share my collegiate racing experiences!
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.
On the second lap, I was tired, but not fatigued. I honestly didn't know how much I had in the tank and just trusted in my mental ability to endure. I could see fifth place slowly closing in and knew I had to pick up the pace, so on the switchback climb I passed 3rd and just focused on consistent pedal strokes. When I looked behind I saw that I was actually making a gap! I continued to put in the effort until I reached this shady tree section that had a couple sharp turns down into the trail and a couple sharp turns out. On the first dusty turn in, I was worried about staying consistently quick with my pace and took the turn a wrong way. Next thing I knew.. BANG! I fell on my side and hit my hip and the outside of my knee. So worried about the riders behind me, I couldn't even answer one of the spectators when they asked if I was okay. My clips were being difficult and before I knew it, I had lost my gap while also being completely out of breath and anaerobic. I still pushed hard to keep the two girls off my tail, but they were right there. On the switchback downhill, I could feel myself being more cautious with each turn while also freaking out that I wasn't pushing my pace enough. Somehow, I survived through the bumpy section without being passed. Something new was the nauseous feeling I began to get on the bumps and I could feel myself gag a couple times, but tried to breathe through it.
Approaching the third lap, I realized that a) I hadn't drank enough water and I probably should have brought a goo & b) my tank was officially almost out of fuel. Shortly after the lap began, the 4th place rider passed me with a strong effort being put forth and the 5th place girl chugged by on the uphill. I knew my legs were officially fatigued and every bump now felt massive against my peddle strokes. On a lighter side, I almost ran over a snake! One thing I knew that I had to do was not slow my pace down too much. With nobody in sight ahead of me it was harder to gage how fast I was going. I still put effort in for what I had left and embraced the bumpy section as my hands ached harshly. Pushing into the last stretch I had finished 5th! I had to take my heart rate strap off because it was compressing my lunges and making me slightly nauseous at this point. Then I was greeted by my dad and boyfriend who congratulated me. I was happy that I could get a podium again this year!
Thank you to my dad for driving so far and being my anchor amongst race chaos throughout all four years of my high school career. Thank you to my sponsors for providing me with the equipment necessary to perform well this season! The Ellsworth Enlightenment bike was quick on the uphills and gave me enough stability for the race while the RideFast Racing Rims, Kenda Tires, and ESI Grips gave me light and effective comfort on a more demanding course. The Rudy Project helmet and glasses provided me with protection during my fall and stayed on well during the bumps. Thank you GUP Industries for keeping me confident against flats! Most importantly ALL GLORY TO GOD!
Thank you for joining me through my high school racing career and I hope you continue to read as I share my collegiate racing experiences!
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