Lake Perris: Beach to Boulders 2/25/18
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 course, went with them. Most of my race revolved around this group. Feeling pretty strong, I kept closely with my fellow riders and stayed focused to the goal in mind.
Going into the second lap, the pace slowed WAY down as we approached the road climb once again. Many of the girls caught up to us, making me believe that the remainder of the race would be more unpredictable. Luckily, me and three other riders were able to break away from the pack with an effort to reach the dirt climb. I felt pretty good at this point, so I tried to keep my pace and relax a little in the discomfort of racing. The quick downhill portion of the race was useful for short recovery, but most sections of this course were full of constant efforts.
The last lap was a little different. It was only me and two other riders sticking close together. On the last dirt accent, there were many girls from the other categories that we had to safely pass. This made the last descent much slower than anticipated. When we hit the beach, I ended up pulling and found that I didn't have enough in the tank for a really efficient sprint finish. As a result, I ended the race in fourth place for Varsity Girls! Making podium and getting a feel for the riders was the main goal during this race I believe, so you can imagine that I'm looking forward to more racing experiences!
I found myself really proud for learning different strategy when it comes to racing. Most years the girl's races are strictly about going as fast as you can for the whole race. I thank God for my success in the struggle of racing along with all of my sponsors, my dad, and my coaches. Onward and upward I go as I anticipate this next weekend's race at Vail!
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 course, went with them. Most of my race revolved around this group. Feeling pretty strong, I kept closely with my fellow riders and stayed focused to the goal in mind.
Going into the second lap, the pace slowed WAY down as we approached the road climb once again. Many of the girls caught up to us, making me believe that the remainder of the race would be more unpredictable. Luckily, me and three other riders were able to break away from the pack with an effort to reach the dirt climb. I felt pretty good at this point, so I tried to keep my pace and relax a little in the discomfort of racing. The quick downhill portion of the race was useful for short recovery, but most sections of this course were full of constant efforts.
The last lap was a little different. It was only me and two other riders sticking close together. On the last dirt accent, there were many girls from the other categories that we had to safely pass. This made the last descent much slower than anticipated. When we hit the beach, I ended up pulling and found that I didn't have enough in the tank for a really efficient sprint finish. As a result, I ended the race in fourth place for Varsity Girls! Making podium and getting a feel for the riders was the main goal during this race I believe, so you can imagine that I'm looking forward to more racing experiences!
I found myself really proud for learning different strategy when it comes to racing. Most years the girl's races are strictly about going as fast as you can for the whole race. I thank God for my success in the struggle of racing along with all of my sponsors, my dad, and my coaches. Onward and upward I go as I anticipate this next weekend's race at Vail!
"Normality is a paved road:
It's comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it"
- Vincent van Gogh
Great Job Hayley!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome Job Hayley. Way to improvise with the tactics and plan out your racing strategy. I'm so proud of you and I know you're only going to go up from here!
ReplyDeleteWay to push through Hayley! Love you strength determination and heart. You'll be Amazing this year! Can't wait to watch it all unfold :-) Stephanie
ReplyDeleteHayley, I always enjoy watching you race. You've come so far. Keep smiling!
ReplyDelete