Sagebrush Series CX 1 Northstar Lake Tahoe

A bunch of us - me and Simone and 6 guys- spent a cold weekend in Tahoe. They were all racing the Tahoe Epic 50 mile mtn bike race, and I did my first CX race of the year. Saturday am they all left under a daunting sky with rain starting to fall. By the time I drove to my race, it was blizzarding. By the time they were losing all feeling in their extremities, I began racing my first B Category CX race. The hail stopped and it was just raining for my race, thankfully. CX is so fun that way because it is meant to be in mud and slush. They put together the course in the village at Northstar. At 4 1/2 minute laps for 45 minutes, it was super spectator friendly, except the weather kept a lot of them away. The course began up a climb of woodchips, the first run up followed by 2 barriers, a single track uphill similar to the dirt crit new addition this year. They ran the men and women together so it was quite crowded with nearly 50 folks in our race. We then had a muddy /windy section where getting the rhythm was tough, followed by a gravel descent and 2 stair jumps. So I wimped out on the stair jumps and this is where I got nipped right at the end by a UNR racer who beat me my a tire length as she cleared them. That was annoying as poor technique really got the best of me. I need to practice holding the bike properly as well because my shoulder is swollen today and I felt a little clumsy during the race. It was super fun though and I was able to make it back to meet the popsicles at the house where we were all staying. They all survived the 5 hour race though, one frozen rider bumming some gloves off of a hunter as their race coincided with the opening day of deer season - making the race even more exciting dodging the pickup trucks and camo. Overall it was a successful weekend, Simone my 2 year old was in heaven surrounded by so much testosterone, I had childcare so Chris and I could both race, and everyone was super challenged and I hope enjoyed themselves. I would love some other girls to join me in some of the upcoming CX races. Let me know if you want any info or want to carpool-- sarah

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