* Trying to finish the LUMBERJACK, a 100 mile mtn bike race that is held on the third week in June.
This race is in 'Big M' mtn bike trail. There are three laps, each lap consisting of thirty-three miles.
If I finish this race, I will be the youngest to finish, as so with the Ore2Shore and the Iceman Cometh.
* Another biking goal for 2015 is to try a new approach to the trainor.
Cuz, hey, I'm gonna have to get used to it soon! Oh, and my lucky stars, I got six new trainor videos,
each holding new levels of pain to endure, new techniques to be taught, and longer amounts of time to learn to suffer for. Like for my LUMBERJACK goal, I have to be prepared for the distance, sweat, blood, and time needed to be able to survive this sufferfest.
* Like last year, I am going to try and ride 1,000 miles, which I came really close to doing.
* ...and last, but not least, improve my confidence, and also my area of self motivation! Especially when I'm going solo for a race while dad is racing with Meilee(speaking of Mei, make sure to check her blog for recent updates!)and my confidence levels are dwindling.
So that is my list of 2015 Mountain Biking Goals for this New Year!
Do you have any big 2015 goals? Personal or relating to sports? If so, please leave in the comments!
HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!
-Avery-
2014 has begun and this is the page to see whats new with mountain biking. I will have my trainer hrs, total miles ridden, post race recaps, and videos from my mountain bike racing experiences here! LET THE 2014 SEASON BEGIN!!!!
Trainer hrs; 60
Miles ridden; 163
Total race miles; 130
2014 MOUNTAIN BIKE RACING!
Pontiac Lake Rec. Area
Pontiac Lake was the first race of the biking season(cuz Yankee Springs was rescheduled due to the bad weather), and guess what? IT DIDN'T RAIN THIS TIME! Yay! It was actually pretty nice out there, other than the blustering winds tearing at my face. To be completely honest, I was kinda FREAKING out. Being in SPORT MEN 11-14.....YIKES! But the upside to this uncontrollably unstoppable unstable(triple U syndrome)roller coaster inside, is that my older sister, Megan, came to live with us, and to support me in my MTN biking(not just that but Dad attatched a Gu pack to the frame of my bike and it was MOCHA flavored, my FAVORITE!!!!).
Anyway, before it was time to race, I had to go on the trainer for about 15-20 minutes. But that time period felt more like five minutes. Soon I was waiting in the back of the line waiting for my wave to be called. I talked to Zack, and Will, some friends in the beginner men 11-14, for a while. Soon a race stager came back, looked at all of us,
"Beginner Men 11-14?" He questioned, looking at Zack and Will, who nodded.
"Beginner 10 and under?" He asked Meilee who nodded also.
He then looked at me.
"Umm... Sport Men 11-14," I replied.
"Oh! You gotta go! You're suppose to be up there with the others!"
So I had to hurry up to the front of the line. I looked at the boy in the top left(I was in the second row)that looked like he was in my class(in the end I found out he was). He was like..... this big compared to me, WAIT! No, more like..... THIS BIG! I can't show you in words, cuz....ummm... it's. just. too. stinkiń. complicated. so I'll just show you it like this.
On the day of Island Lake, we ate breakfast, and hurried out the door. The car ride was a long hour and twenty minutes, which left me a nervous wreck. I had gotten a road rash from the road at home about a week before the race. What happened was that Meilee and Dad had these Nerf guns and I was on a Razor scooter trying to avoid the small, squishy, bullets. I was able to dodge all three of Dad's bullets, until, I lost my footing and basically body slammed the road, but without meaning it. :>|
Your Zany Mountain Biking Girl,
-Avery
Stoney Creek MARATHON...
I was just like, umm okay. When I looked at him, he looked back at me, it was just like, AWKWARD.
Pretty soon it was time to start.
"Fifteen seconds to go,"
I was really FREAKING out now. Sooner than words could express the race stager was already saying the last few numbers.
"Three,"
"Two,"
"One,"
Oh man! My legs are already turning to jelly!
"GO!"
I sprinted off with all of the speed I could possibly manage. The boys were already five meters ahead of me. Ride your ride Avery, don't worry about them, ride your ride. So that's what I did. With all of the hills(more like mountains by my perspective at times 'till I got to the top)were draining my energy by the minute. Up and down, up and down, up and down for the first few miles. Finally it started to go down hill, the trail finally started to do my bidding.
People were passing me here and there, they were elites, sports, and experts. Once and a while there was a guy that would stay with me for five minutes or so. One of these times there was a man that rode with me for ten minutes.
"I'll let you pass me when there is a chance." I said as I heard the chains of his bike click as he changed gears on the false flat.
"Thanks, but I think I'm good right here. You're doing great. Market sure to spin on these hills," he replied.
I was kinda astounded at his reply, the guys that passed me only stayed with me to wait for a good time to pass without disturbing my rhythm.
"Ummmm...Okay." I replied to his strange reply.
Soon he left.
"Keep it up! You're doing great. Remember to spin on your hills!" and he left. Pretty soon another guy wanted to keep me company. He told me the rest was downhill and that I was doing great. The guy left me at the turn to the grass and told me I was almost there and to keep it up. I pedaled as hard as I could and came to the home stretch. ALMOST THERE.............. and FINISH!
I got an hour and sixteen minutes and 2nd place, twenty minutes away from the other boy that was much bigger than me(if you forgot, look at the picture and read that paragraph). Meilee got 2nd place, too. Two hours and a minute(speaking of 'lil Mei, make sure to check her blog for recent updates!)for Meilee. Pontiac Lake, CHECK. Island Lake is next on the list!
Your Zany Mountain Biker, :P
-Avery
Island Lake Rec. Area
So that's what happened, I was a bloody mess.
When we got to the race, we got registered and ready for the race. Dad set up the bikes and Megan(my big sister), me, and Meilee set up the chairs on top of the hill where the race started. I planted my chair on top of the hill across from a bench from the track after Dad gave me the cowbells to cheer on the other racers. After cheering for all of the expert and elites, me and Meilee went exploring in the sandy hills and pebbles. Soon Dad called us, we had about twenty to twenty-five minutes until the race. On the trainer it was until it was time.
I had to get in line soon, so I got lined up behind the Clysdales with the other 11-14 year olds. Pretty soon it was time to start.
"Three,"
"Two,"
"One,"
"GOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
Quickly I push of with all of my energy and started to pedal. Most of the racers in my class were already up the hill, Ride your ride Avery, don't worry about the other riders. I pushed my way up the hills. Suddenly, I suddenly felt the ground slide underneath me I looked down and saw a root slip and I was on the ground. Having a crazy instinct, I looked at my bad elbow that got a really bad scrape from the scooter incident. It got scraped, again.
Instead of looking at the scrape, I looked at the GOPROS and made sure nothing happened(because Dad fastened one on my front wheel)real quick then hopped on my bike and started up again. Up and down, more hills. I passed some road crossings and suddenly came across a train crossing and there was a train. One minute, two minutes, three minutes..... Soon the train passed and we were able to go again. Soon, I fell, again(luckily not on my arm)but it was three quarters of the way in.
The up hills were the best of the ride. Not to mention the jumps, of which I got a few high ones. I asked some people how many more miles were left, one of the riders said two miles, so I started to go harder. Soon we started to go into a dirt track and I saw the finish line! PEDAL, PEDAL, PEDAL!!!!
Almost there and......finish!!!! Turns out Meilee's(speaking of lil'Merwee, make sure to check out her blog too!) derailleur broke three miles in and she had to do a single-speed the rest of the way.
I got...umm. I'm not sure, fifth or sixth. But I will post up what I got when I find out. :P
Your Zany Mountain Biking Girl,
-Avery
Stony Marathon, one of my favorite races. Because of my changes in classes(from BEGINNER to SPORT class!), I have to do THREE laps, ten miles each. I, of course, was SUPER nervous. So, yes, I knew the trail, but what if I fell, or got lost(like last year), or lose count of my number of laps(Yes I can count to three, but what if I get too caught up in the moment and forget? My head is already spinning!), or even(DUN DUN DUUUUUNNN!!!!!) DNF?!?!
Because Meilee was racing with Dad, I was going solo again. Meilee and her BEGINNER class only had 10 miles of riding to do, or, 1 lap, so after Meilee is done, Dad was going to join me at the beginning of my 3rd lap. Instead of riding the trainer(cuz we didn't bring one), Dad, Meilee, and I rode up and down the cement hill that was nearby the restrooms until it was time to begin, which came quite quickly...
"3,"
"2,"
''1,"
"GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
With a kick of my cleat off the ground, I made my way up the small false flats in the beginning. Next thing I knew, there were packs of cyclists EVERYWHERE on the gravel hill.
It was like the ULTIMATE traffic jam, the only place that could top a traffic jam like this would be the Iceman and the Ore-to-Shore! After finally coming out of the pack of cyclists, I made my way to the next obstacles. Sand, sand, sand! Stony Creeks specialty is and was sand with a sprinkle(more like... a GALLON)of humidity on top. Halfway through I was getting some speed, ramping my way up each hill like it was a false flat. But at one point, I was really feeling the heat! I was really getting sweaty 3/4 of the way through my 1st lap, but I told myself there was a mocha(MY FAVORITE!) flavored gu pack waiting for me at the start of lap 2(which there was at every start of a lap, except for the 1st lap).With a hint of encouragement, I was able to keep my race pace 'till the end of round 1.
At the start of lap 2, my legs felt very achy, but I told myself:
AVERY! You are OK. Get up and get ready for round 2! You are anything BUT exhausted and undetermined! Pretend that Dad is behind you, barking at 'ya. What would Dad say if he saw you slackin' off just cuz your tired? Huh, what would he say?
To keep myself going I kept on saying in my head, What would Dad say?
By the time I got to the dry, hot area, I felt like a deflated balloon. But with the help of the tasty gu pack I was going again, but with a longer, stronger pace. Pretty soon I felt a vigorous shake come from my seat when I went through the bumpy, rock infested trail, which was about halfway through lap 2. My seat was coming loose!!! Luckily, I was able to tolerate it through the rest of the lap. Well at least it didn't start at the VERY beginning!
So at the beginning of lap 3, I told Dad that my seat was messed up immediately. Dad borrowed a tool and straightened my seat up while I ate my gu pack. Then, we got straight to business, no hesitations. Even though the seat was tipped to far forward. Soon, the hills didn't feel as hard as they would normally, and we spun through the flats like they were downhills. Next thing I knew, Dad wasn't behind me... It was on the last humongous hill, which I pedaled like crazy to get to the top. I looked behind me an Dad was fading off into the distance.
I BEAT DAD!!! was the only thing I was thinking of, over and over. But it wasn't time for celebration yet! First things first, finish the race! I was coming into the home stretch and....................
FINISH!!!
So...Dad and I have this bet. If I beat him, he has to wear a big frilly(did I mention fluffy?)pink tutu. Cuz of me leaving him on the last big hill(/passing him), he has to wear a pink(not red, not navy blue, not yellow, not even purple, but PINK) tutu!!! Anyway, I got 3rd place and a satisfyingly won bet, who could want more?
THANK YOU DAD FOR HELPING ME ACHIEVE GOALS SO HIGH, THAT I NEED 7 THICK WEBSTER DICTIONARIES IN ORDER TO EVEN HAVE HOPES OF CATCHING MY "IN YOUR DREAMS" WISHES.
-Avery :)
Addison Oaks RETREAT
Adison Oaks, a fun trail were velocity is its middle
name. SPORT MEN 11-14 was doing 6miles per lap, 2 laps. Because our cousin
Kadyn was staying with us for a week, we decided to give him a taste of the
biking life. So Dad took out my pink bike that I started off my FIRST biking
season and let Kadyn use it for a lap or two of the kid’s race. At first he was
a bit reluctant to race, so Mom told him EVERYONE gets a medal (“Which you can show off to your mom, Kadyn.”
said Mom), so I topped it off with saying that they also get some fruit
snacks (which they did), when he heard that, he was IN.
When we got there, Dad
unpacked the bikes while Meilee and I checked out the playground. While I
looked around, I greeted old friends and met some new ones, like Porter and
Sean. Pretty soon it was time to hop on the trainer, so I told my friends good
luck and got on the trainer for a 20min spin. The 20minutes went by fast
though, and next thing I know, I’m waiting at the starting line…
“3,”
“2,”
“1,”
“GOOOO!!!”
Without a hint of hesitation, I launched
off the grass to begin my 12mile race.
As I began my way up
the first few petite hills, I made a couple goals; to try and catch a few
people, and to keep a good, steady, and fast pace throughout the race. The
pace, I was able to ace. But catching people was a bit harder. But by the
halfway mark, I caught a few people. The rest of the lap was ALL (well, almost
all) down hills and flats basically. With enough speed, I was able to do a
couple jumps, elevating my feet on every hop.
At the start of lap 2,
I had my gu pack and I was off, and on business. Because of me knowing the
trail much better, I was able to tackle the trail, UNTAMED. As I climbed the
hills, they began to feel easier, the flats felt like down hills, and I was
able to go twice the speed I would normally be able to go on the down hills.
When I came to the ¾ mile mark, I felt like a deflated balloon. But with a
little encouragement (‘what would Dad
say?’ ‘Come on, almost there!’ ‘Let’s
go, finish strong!’), and a long 63,360 inches (1 mile, EXACT), I came to
the home stretch…
FINISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got 3rd place and times
only about a minute apart. Kadyn really enjoyed his bike race too. It was fun
having him do, what we do! Luv you cousin Kadyn!
-Avery
Bloomer Park
Bloomer, a tricky trail with lots of of surprises up its sleeve. There was switchbacks, gravel patches, and on the day of the race(not surprisingly)rain. We were doing(as in my competitors and I, for Meilee was a little sick but could come out to watch and hang up)2 laps, 6 miles each. But it wasn't going to be an easy 6 miles, sure it's a fun, fast paced race, but it has some tricky spots. Because lil' Mei wasn't racing, Dad decided to chaperone me. For our Bloomer Park Daze video, Dad wanted to have unique angle for us when we were coming down the big switchbacks. So an hour before the race, Dad, Megan, and I walked up to the big switchbacks and Dad showed Megan a spot to videotape while I watched the riders maneuver around the twists and turns and the lines and curves.Bloomer Park
When we got back, I hung out with my friends, Sean, Porter, and Nathan until it was time to get on the trainer. When I was on the trainer, I thought about a lot of things. One was the switchbacks, and the other was the sky, which was a hue of dusty gray, so I was kinda expecting rain. After 20mins of spinning, it was time to line up. Seeing Dad behind me reminded me of good old times...
"3,"
"2,"
"1,"
"GOOOO!!!"
As the whistle blew, I pushed off the ground and began my way up the hill.
The beginning is mainly hills, so it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. To get the ball rolling there were some switchbacks that gave me some speed. As I rode through the trail, within the 3 mile mark, I came across the BIG switchbacks.
"WE'RE COMING!!!" Dad shouted to Megan.
VERY carefully, I went around the turns and twists of the switchbacks. Soon I began to gain some confidence every time I survived an intimidating turn. WHOOSH! I went down the last switchback with a relieved sigh.
Luckily, the rest of the ride was fast and paced. At the start of the 2nd lap, Dad took a cup of water from one of the Tailwind volunteers(without my approval!?!?!?!), and dumped it directly on my head. If you think that was unfortunate, there was much more to come. In the beginning, it began to rain, and cuz it was the beginning, the trail was hills, hills, hills! To make matters worse(as in W to the O to the R-S-T), I had dirt in my nose, eyes, and mouth(ACK!!!), plus I was beginning to hit "the wall", and the slippery mud was playin' with my gears. Against all odds, I was able to keep my rhythm with the Dad barkin' behind my back. So I told myself to push it to escape the depths of the barking Dad(which really helped, even when I felt sluggish).
When the BIG switchbacks came( and OMG I am STILL thinking about how lucky I was), I was REALLY freakin' out. Rain+Dirt=Mud, and Me+Bike+Mud+Scary Switchback= a perfect recipe for disaster! As I was coming down(Dad yelled to Megan again), I looked at the ground expecting(okay maybe not expecting, but 99% expecting.)to see slimy mud, greeting me before my dastardly fall. Instead, I saw partially wet ground(YES it wasn't completely dry, but I mean, it's a give or take), and when I got down to the bigger switchbacks it basically dry(YAY!), as I worked my way down the switchbacks, I ceased my breathing until I got through the danger zone. Soon I came down the last switchback, and a great relieved exhale escaped my lungs and I began to breathe again. I made it a goal to keep close to the time I got in my 1st lap, so I upped my pace an got into the zone.
Pretty soon I was a mile away from the finish(by the way, it stopped raining and the sun was coming out!Yay). As I turned a corner, I saw Sean walking his bike, which had plants and a stick stuck in the gears. I couldn't really think about what to say so I just gave a plain old "Hi." Out of curiosity, I wondered what happened, so I saved the question for after the race. After a while of hard riding, we came to the home stretch....and........................
.............FINISH!
A few minutes later Porter finished, and after I told him that Sean was still in the trail, we waited, talking to each other about some flaws we had in the trail.
When we saw an exhausted Sean come in we shouted and encourage him to make it to the finish. When he finished, he told me that he got scratched by thorns, fell and got stuff stuck in his gears. So...yea. Cuz the awards were being finalized, we had time to hang out. Out of nowhere, Sean looked at me and said,
"You have a camera on your bike, right?"
"Yes." I replied.
"Did you get me on video?"
"Yesssss..." I began to catch on to what he was asking.
"Does you make the videos?"
"Not exactly, my Dad makes the videos,"
"Sooo... Can you put me in the video?"
"Sure! I'll ask Dad to put you in the video."
"Awesome."
So Sean, if you are reading this, CONGRATS! Dad put you in the vid above.
Back to the race! I got 3rd place and my times were only thirty seconds apart.
The beginning is mainly hills, so it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. To get the ball rolling there were some switchbacks that gave me some speed. As I rode through the trail, within the 3 mile mark, I came across the BIG switchbacks.
"WE'RE COMING!!!" Dad shouted to Megan.
VERY carefully, I went around the turns and twists of the switchbacks. Soon I began to gain some confidence every time I survived an intimidating turn. WHOOSH! I went down the last switchback with a relieved sigh.
Luckily, the rest of the ride was fast and paced. At the start of the 2nd lap, Dad took a cup of water from one of the Tailwind volunteers(without my approval!?!?!?!), and dumped it directly on my head. If you think that was unfortunate, there was much more to come. In the beginning, it began to rain, and cuz it was the beginning, the trail was hills, hills, hills! To make matters worse(as in W to the O to the R-S-T), I had dirt in my nose, eyes, and mouth(ACK!!!), plus I was beginning to hit "the wall", and the slippery mud was playin' with my gears. Against all odds, I was able to keep my rhythm with the Dad barkin' behind my back. So I told myself to push it to escape the depths of the barking Dad(which really helped, even when I felt sluggish).
When the BIG switchbacks came( and OMG I am STILL thinking about how lucky I was), I was REALLY freakin' out. Rain+Dirt=Mud, and Me+Bike+Mud+Scary Switchback= a perfect recipe for disaster! As I was coming down(Dad yelled to Megan again), I looked at the ground expecting(okay maybe not expecting, but 99% expecting.)to see slimy mud, greeting me before my dastardly fall. Instead, I saw partially wet ground(YES it wasn't completely dry, but I mean, it's a give or take), and when I got down to the bigger switchbacks it basically dry(YAY!), as I worked my way down the switchbacks, I ceased my breathing until I got through the danger zone. Soon I came down the last switchback, and a great relieved exhale escaped my lungs and I began to breathe again. I made it a goal to keep close to the time I got in my 1st lap, so I upped my pace an got into the zone.
Pretty soon I was a mile away from the finish(by the way, it stopped raining and the sun was coming out!Yay). As I turned a corner, I saw Sean walking his bike, which had plants and a stick stuck in the gears. I couldn't really think about what to say so I just gave a plain old "Hi." Out of curiosity, I wondered what happened, so I saved the question for after the race. After a while of hard riding, we came to the home stretch....and........................
.............FINISH!
A few minutes later Porter finished, and after I told him that Sean was still in the trail, we waited, talking to each other about some flaws we had in the trail.
When we saw an exhausted Sean come in we shouted and encourage him to make it to the finish. When he finished, he told me that he got scratched by thorns, fell and got stuff stuck in his gears. So...yea. Cuz the awards were being finalized, we had time to hang out. Out of nowhere, Sean looked at me and said,
"You have a camera on your bike, right?"
"Yes." I replied.
"Did you get me on video?"
"Yesssss..." I began to catch on to what he was asking.
"Does you make the videos?"
"Not exactly, my Dad makes the videos,"
"Sooo... Can you put me in the video?"
"Sure! I'll ask Dad to put you in the video."
"Awesome."
So Sean, if you are reading this, CONGRATS! Dad put you in the vid above.
Back to the race! I got 3rd place and my times were only thirty seconds apart.
-Avery
Michigan State Games
With no trainer, Meilee and I rode around for a while until it was time to race. It was really weird being in a group with at least one of my same gender, for I was (and still am) used to riding with boys. When we got lined up, I was feeling pretty crummy and my stomach felt like I was on a rogue roller coaster for a straight 9 hours! I only had two other competitors, Emily and Madison, and when I asked ages, I turned out to be the youngest.
"3,"
"2,"
"1,"
"GOOO!!!"
With a kick off the ground to get me started, I began to pedal to the first hill.
Madison was able to pass me, but I kept Emily behind me with a quick sprint on a couple flats, but within the first few turns she was gone. I had a feeling Madison was already gone, but I kept up my pace. In the beginning, it was almost all uphill, except the few downhills and flats thrown into the earthy concoction for good measure. As I did in almost all of the races that I did before, I told myself,
WHAT WOULD THE DAD SAY???
GUH-GUH-GUH-GUH-GO FASTER!!!
GUH-GUH-GUH-GUH-GO FASTER!!!
GUH-GUH-GUH-GUH-GO FASTER!!!
WHAT WOULD THE DAD SAY???
To not just get me spirited, but upbeat, too. About 75% of the way through I felt much more comfortable, I was getting more agile and maneuvering around all obstacles in my way just got much more manageable. Soon I came to the end of my first lap, with a rip of the tasty gu pack, I ate it really quick and got it down with some water, and let my 2nd lap commence.
To start the 2nd lap, I avoided the small mud puddle by jumping over it with a quick spring of my feet on my clip in pedals. Because I knew more about the trail than a lap before, I was able to read the trail with ease. With a pace kept strong, the tightness both internal and external began to cease and my mind felt more clear. With the shiver of good vibes running up and down my spine and back again, I felt very energy-filled. But after 5 miles of hills, flats, downhills and everything inbetween, I came against a slight flaw that taught me something that would really help in the future, and it all came from watching Dad years before... I was going up a quick hill that I didn't notice at first, so I went down 3 gears in the back, and CLICK my chain came off. Instead of panicking, I calmed myself down enough to think, so I got off my bike, got to the side of the trail and inspected my chain.
Okay, Avery, remember what Dad did for quite a few years whenever your chain came off? Don't panic! It may be a race, but DON'T panic!!!
So carefully, I took my chain and tried hooking it back onto the gear. It took a couple tries, but when I got it I was all like,
YEAH!!! I FIXED MY FIRST CHAIN!!! WITH NO HELP!!! : ) x 1,000,000!!!
But like at Stony Creek Marathon, now was most DEFINITELY not the time to celebrate, finish the race first!!! With some quick turns I saw Dad, swiftly Dad joined behind me for the last half mile. Next thing I know I am climbing the last hill to the finish line.............DOWNHILL!!!
FINISH!!!
Madison turned out to be 5 minutes faster than me and Emily was 5 minutes behind me, so I got a 2nd place! Meilee got a 1st place for 10 and under girls, or 3rd place if she was in 10 and under boys and girls.
-Avery
"3,"
"2,"
"1,"
"GOOO!!!"
With a kick off the ground to get me started, I began to pedal to the first hill.
Madison was able to pass me, but I kept Emily behind me with a quick sprint on a couple flats, but within the first few turns she was gone. I had a feeling Madison was already gone, but I kept up my pace. In the beginning, it was almost all uphill, except the few downhills and flats thrown into the earthy concoction for good measure. As I did in almost all of the races that I did before, I told myself,
WHAT WOULD THE DAD SAY???
GUH-GUH-GUH-GUH-GO FASTER!!!
GUH-GUH-GUH-GUH-GO FASTER!!!
GUH-GUH-GUH-GUH-GO FASTER!!!
WHAT WOULD THE DAD SAY???
To not just get me spirited, but upbeat, too. About 75% of the way through I felt much more comfortable, I was getting more agile and maneuvering around all obstacles in my way just got much more manageable. Soon I came to the end of my first lap, with a rip of the tasty gu pack, I ate it really quick and got it down with some water, and let my 2nd lap commence.
To start the 2nd lap, I avoided the small mud puddle by jumping over it with a quick spring of my feet on my clip in pedals. Because I knew more about the trail than a lap before, I was able to read the trail with ease. With a pace kept strong, the tightness both internal and external began to cease and my mind felt more clear. With the shiver of good vibes running up and down my spine and back again, I felt very energy-filled. But after 5 miles of hills, flats, downhills and everything inbetween, I came against a slight flaw that taught me something that would really help in the future, and it all came from watching Dad years before... I was going up a quick hill that I didn't notice at first, so I went down 3 gears in the back, and CLICK my chain came off. Instead of panicking, I calmed myself down enough to think, so I got off my bike, got to the side of the trail and inspected my chain.
Okay, Avery, remember what Dad did for quite a few years whenever your chain came off? Don't panic! It may be a race, but DON'T panic!!!
So carefully, I took my chain and tried hooking it back onto the gear. It took a couple tries, but when I got it I was all like,
YEAH!!! I FIXED MY FIRST CHAIN!!! WITH NO HELP!!! : ) x 1,000,000!!!
But like at Stony Creek Marathon, now was most DEFINITELY not the time to celebrate, finish the race first!!! With some quick turns I saw Dad, swiftly Dad joined behind me for the last half mile. Next thing I know I am climbing the last hill to the finish line.............DOWNHILL!!!
FINISH!!!
Madison turned out to be 5 minutes faster than me and Emily was 5 minutes behind me, so I got a 2nd place! Meilee got a 1st place for 10 and under girls, or 3rd place if she was in 10 and under boys and girls.
-Avery
(The post race report will be up soon, so stay tuned).
These are the videos from any of my races in 2013!
See any & all of my mountain bike racing videos here;
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc19aIP5APzaNHVIqHVBOiQ
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