So much to blog about...

Where to start? How about here... I got my new car! If I had my camera I could post photos but you will just have to use your imagination and visualize a hot black Honda Element EX 4WD. I bought it Monday of last week and it sat there in the street cold and all alone until Saturday when I ventured up to PA for Iron Cross. (By the way, if anyone reading this wants to buy a new Honda, talk to me first. Mark at Northwest Honda outside of Baltimore is where you need to go.)

But back to my blog. Yes, Saturday Sonja and I drove the "Elephant" up to PA for the longest cross race in the US, Iron Cross. 62 miles of pure, sweet, unadulterated h, e, double toothpicks. We were staying with friends that had a cabin 10 miles from Camp Thompson so we headed there and Harlow cooked up a spectacular dinner of stuffed pork loin, potatoes, and string beans. Paul had already prepared a chicken pasta dish with artichoke hearts. Needless to say, we ate well, then off to bed for a good night's sleep.

Race morning and I'm really not nervous. I had finished Iron Cross last year as a joy ride, and had done well, earning 10th place without even trying. This year, my goals were threefold: 1. better my previous year's time 2. beat Enser (a little friendly competition that started at Altoona) and 3. beat Spaznogle (she's beaten me in every cross race this year, but Iron Cross is the domain of endurance athletes and with it's long road sections, roadies in some part) Anyway, I figured I had a shot.

As we ladies were lining up for the start, a loop of the previous day's Iron Cross Lite course, I heard something I've never heard before. My name. I was getting a call-up because I had finished in the top 10 last year! And we're off. I had a decent start but once we hit the hiker-biker path, I kind of died. I don't know what happened but my legs did not want to work. I got passed by a couple of girls but I kept them in my sights. I knew once I got warmed-up I'd be ok and probably pass them back.

And that's exactly what happened. I started to feel good and what do you know? Up ahead I could see Enser. When I caught her I told her to pick it up, we had women to catch. I was thinking we could work together, but unfortunately the technical rocky single track was looming. Once we hit this part of the course, Enser took off again and I was reduced to walking my bike. Not too far, but enough to let her get out of sight. I don't know what it is about that section of trail. It's perfectly ridable... ON MY MOUNTAIN BIKE! I just don't feel comfortable riding it on my cross bike.

Fast forward to Checkpoint 2 at the top of a nasty 10 minute hike-a-bike. I cruise thru the checkpoint and start a fast gravel road descent. Here's a little known fact about me. I am a good descender. I know it's a shocker because I earned my nickname (Chicken) for my habit of walking my bike anytime the trails get tough, but all that fire road riding out in West Virginia has payed-off. Up ahead I can see Spaznogle and I am catching her fast. But then it happens. In a split second, I have to make my decision. You see, Spaz missed a turn and continued down the gravel road. We were supposed to turn right off the gravel road and onto a single track climb. It wasn't well marked and anyone could have missed it. Now here is the thing that I've been getting flack for. I went after her. I had to. And once I explain, you will see that it was kind of selfish, not selfless. You see, one of my goals was to beat Spaz. Knowing that she had gone off course, if I had not gone after her I would be riddled with self-doubt. Plus Spaz is a friend and deserves her own sportsmanship award (more on this later). It also helped that I knew I was not in a podium postion (only top 5 this year) and that my time was good. I was on a 5 hour finish at this point. 1.5 miles later I finally catch her and tell her she's lost, that we need to turn around and climb (ugh!) back up to the turn. She's so grateful she almost cries!

Now Spaz and I are sistahs! We ride together (well, I did have to wait up for her after another gnarly gravel road descent) to Checkpoint 3. After the checkpoint I somehow lost her on the Worst Climb Ever (she may have stopped to refuel while I cruised thru the checkpoint). It's one of those climbs that never ends. Even when you think you see the top, it's a false summit. At this point I'm pretty much alone, passing some guys every now and then. I make it to Checkpoint 4 and start negotiating another section of single-track and it's here that I think I lost time. Somehow before the final hike-a-bike I am caught by a couple of women, Spaz included. But I also happen to catch Enser right before the walk-up. Can you believe it? We are all together with less than 10 miles to the finish. After the walk-up, we have another gravel road descent and then it's all paved (4 miles) to the finish. I feel confident that I can take Spaz... I had been descending better and the road sections are my strength. BUT, Enser on the other hand... she had blown me away in the technical section earlier and is a roadie too. I've got to keep my eye on her. We hit the pavement, the three of us and I am on the front. It's rolling hills and as we approach the first hill they come around me but I get on their wheels. Then Enser attacks and gets a gap. I can't let that happen so I take off after her. Unfortunately (or fortunately!) Spaz can't hold my wheel. I catch Enser about halfway up the next hill. She's not a good climber and I'm coming on fast so I actually hit her rear wheel. Oops, my bad. I decide to go around her, not really attack, just keep my tempo. She shifts to find the right gear to go with me and then I hear it. Her chain drops! I attack. It's now or never. I don't even know if I have a gap. Sometimes you can get your chain back on without stopping and lose very little time. Well, I was not taking any chances by looking back. I was going for it. I make the right turn onto the gravel climb up to the camp. Just have to get to the top, but NO! They are routing us thru the "death spiral" that they used for yesterday's race. I hear my name. My friends at the finish line are all in a frenzy yelling and screaming for me. 62 miles and it's come down to this!!! As I am working my way thru the spiral I can see Enser and Spaz and realize that I've got it! I finish by displaying perfect barrier technique, even remounting for the ride across the line.

What a great race. And I met all of my goals. I beat my time from last year (handily, even with going off course), and I finished ahead of Enser and Spaz placing 11th. And here's a little word on karma. Yes, I must have some good karma coming my way because I helped Spaz get back on course, but she is the Karma Queen and also the recipient of the Jens Voight Sportsmanship Award. Apparently some guy had crashed right in front of her during that gravel descent. She could have kept going, but stopped to help him out, sacrificing her race. And then another guy crashes at the exact same spot. Turns out there was a hidden rock and I later found out that Cara crashed there too. Anyway, Spaz helped both of these guys while other racers whizzed by. She's a true champion.

As for Sonja's race, well, she's a winner! I'll try to post her race report later.

Results here.