CX Season is Done!!!

Wow, what a fun season of cyclocross. I never expected to have so much fun while racing. I know that sounds funny but it is true. I knew that bike racing "could" be fun. It was certainly always fun when I was done. It wasn't until this year that I have really enjoyed racing.

My last race of the year was the final race in the Seattle Cyclocross Series.  The week leading up to it I decided to let go of my self doubt that happens on a weekly basis. I knew that if I had a relatively good race, I'd end up on the podium for the series. Just the thought of getting a bronze cowbell was so very exciting to me. I sort of did the math and new that I had to have a good race to secure my third place finish. That alone made me so excited to race!

My race started very well. There was a ton of mud and I knew that the course would be a lot of fun out there. I remember laughing several times during the race. I would be riding along and then the mud would pull me perpendicular to the course and I would squeal each time with joy. So fun!

I was in 2nd or 3rd position in the race during the first 2 laps or so. Then Andrea (the girl leading the race) had a mechanical and had to start running with her bike on her shoulder. I felt so bad for her as she is such a strong rider and has done so well this year. I tried to give her encouragement as I passed her, but it was really the end of her race. She finished in 11th place which is remarkable for having to run a lap of the course with a bike on her back.

So, the race went on, I tried to race smart and not make any major mistakes. I knew that Tamara was about 6 bike lengths behind me. I could feel her creeping on me at different points in the race. She is relentless and very talented in the technical/muddy sections. In past races, Tamara will just come out of nowhere and fly by me like I am standing still. It is amazing, I don't know where she gets that intensity towards the end of the race.

By the fourth lap it started to dawn on me that I could continue to hold my pace and maybe even win the race. I still felt Tamara creeping down on me in the muddy sections, but I was able to put a little gap on her during the hard pack sand sections. As we finished the sand and turned towards the finish stretch, it was all I could do to get the line as quick as possible. I had won!

My finish. You can see Tamara in the background on the left. She is still coming for me!

I had the BIGGEST smile on my face when I finished. Yay!!! I did a killer fist pump after I crossed the line. Well, it was more like a "cha-ching!" then a fist pump, technically speaking.

I was really hoping that my first place secure a podium finish. I had no idea it would help me get into first place! Here is a shot of me after I realized I had won the series.

Podium shot:

Andrea, me and Tamara. What a great finish to the series. We all received cowbells and can koozies. Pretty dang cool.

Here is an even better shot of the podium. This one involves Lori Brazel trying to take a bite out of my right leg.

Love it!

Such a great season.