After picking up our packets, we headed to Cheyenne Mountain State Park to pre-ride the TT course for the following evening. This State Park would host all three stages. Even though, we arrived in cool temps, rain, and some hail, this all passed and we were greeted by a cool, but clear evening for riding. Entering the park, we saw other pros preparing to do the same -- Troy and Todd Wells, Amanda Carey, and two Cannondale dudes. Cheyenne Mountain State Park is sandwiched between the base of NORAD and Ft. Carson in the southern part of Colorado Springs. It is a magnificent park for being located so close to such an urban center.
The TT course for Friday's stage would be about 5 miles and consisted of a little bit of everything -- huge boulders (not rideable for me!), double-track, single-track, and moderate amounts of climbing. I guess that the boulders are typical for CO racing, but what gave me the greatest amount of trouble was feeling the bike move under me due to sand and small-pea size gravel. Regardless of the tire pressure I ran, I always felt like I was sliding. Since Colorado Springs is situated at about 6000 feet, we were expecting to suffer due to the altitude. However, in hindsight, the altitude in Colorado Springs did not pose as much of a problem as Granby's course for the national championship.
During the pre-ride, Jeff came around a blind turn and t-boned a rattlesnake sunning itself across the trail and fortunately for me, I was riding far enough behind him that Jeff had time to yell back, "STOP!" The snake coiled up and eventually, went on its way. I waited patiently. One of the things that we would find out later from one of the rangers is that type of rattlesnakes common to the park is not an aggressive specie. The ranger also gave us tips for scaring off mountain lions and bears.
We rode 2 laps of the TT course and packed up. We found a great pizza joint and wine store and happily toasted our arrival in Colorado Springs and the upcoming mountain bike stage race.
Stage 1 -- TT
On Friday, we would not race until after 6 pm, so we had most of the day to sight see and stock up on supplies. As the afternoon wore on, we went back to the hotel to rest and compose ourselves before heading to the race venue for our TT. We were both worried about the TT since we have never done one before, let alone a stage race. But, watching the pros start, we realized that it was more or less an all out effort, but also must be one where you need to finish. So, keeping this in mind, we both decided to ride safe and not take chances so we could start the next stage on Saturday. Speaking of pro riders, it was wonderful seeing all of the pros in person. So often we see them only in print media. I didn't want to take too many pictures and appear to be stalking them with a camera. We also saw Alison Dunlop walking around with her husband. Alison is pregnant and looks great.
The fields for the cat. 1 women 30+ and singlespeed division were both relatively small (we would find out later that there were two races to the north this weekend). I started first for my category and by the time I got to the first set of boulders, my minute rider passed me. Jeff indicates that the same thing happened to him and after that, I resolved to just ride the best I could. At the end, I would finish 2nd and Jeff would finish 3rd for the stage.
After the stage, we packed up and headed to a local Chipotle's (yum!) where we saw Geoff Kabush and Troy Wells, as well as a few other racers. We figured that if Chiptolte's was good enough for the pros, then it's good enough for us.
Stage 2 -- cross country race
(The start of Katina's race)
The cross country race encompassed parts of the previous day's TT course with more climbing and more boulders. The loop was 8K and we would travel around it 3 times. The younger gals started with the older gals and as we started to climb, I found my rhythm, but it took me a while to find confidence on the descents. One of the gals in the younger age group would roll up behind me on the descents and say, "You just gotta let it roll, girl" (said in a thick North Carolinian accent). I would finish the stage in 2nd.
For Jeff, they competed on the same loop, but did 4 laps. Luckily, we raced at different times, so were able to feed one another which became more and more important as the weekend went on. During Jeff's race, I walked out to the feed zone and hung out with a father who was feeding his son. In Jeff's race, he finished 3rd.
Stage 3 -- cross country race
The final stage in this stage race was another cross country race that took us backwards on the previous day's loop, plus another section of trail that made the loop 15k. I would have 2 laps to complete, and Jeff, 3.
At the start line, we were told that mountain lions had been spotted near trails that were part of the race course. While others did not seem to be alarmed by this news, I was even though I may not have outwardly shown it. Nonetheless, the race started and immediately went into climb. Being the third day of a stage race, my legs were not very quick and I settled in for a long race. It was an absolutely beautiful morning and I vowed to just enjoy myself. Like the other two days, I ended up 2nd again and as you might imagine, my overall GC was 2nd.
As I came in, Jeff was warming up for his race and I stayed relatively close until they took off from the line. I had to change fairly quickly and head up the hill to the feed zone. At the feed zone, I engaged in conversation with one of the UCI officials, Dean (sorry I don't know his last name). Dean and I started chatting and realized that we had much in common. For anyone who has been racing as long as I have, you meet a lot of people and know a lot of names. Like me, Dean has been an official for just as long (or even longer). Dean will be at the upcoming Windham World Cup race where I hope to see him, but he told me that I hopefully, I won't see him unless I get called into the WADA tent.
I missed awards because I was feeding Jeff (there was no way that I was going to leave my man!) and Dean kindly called down and informed the finish line officials where I was and asked them to hold my awards until I returned to the main race venue. Thanks, Dean! Jeff would finish his race in 3rd again, and 3rd overall in GC.
As we waited for Jeff's awards, we walked around and watched the pro's warm up for the short track race. Jeff was hungry and decided to get a slice of pizza. While in line, he struck up a conversation with none other than Georgia Gould's dad. Jeff said, "You must be very proud of your daughter...."
After awards, we packed up and did more sightseeing in the area. We headed to the Garden of the Gods and Manitou Springs. I was disappointed with Manitou Springs as it has evolved into a commercialized tourist trap, which had a cheesy feeling reminiscent of Wildwood, NJ. This was our final stop in the Colorado Springs area before heading to Ft. Collins to visit with Jeff's brother and family.
Stay tuned for part 3 of our travels in Colorado! Next up, adventures in Ft. Collins, Granby, and the national championships.
Together, we are Jeffina, crankin' out the miles, crankin' out the love for Crankskins.com.
