Sunday, February 21, 2016

The February Snake Finale



It would not be "The Snake" if both races had spectacular weather. Even though it was below freezing with 10+ mile per hour winds, I was actually excited to ride. I felt prepared. My one training ride on the course a few weeks ago, taught me a lot. My clothing choices (which is huge in this type of weather) and my legs were feeling good. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits as we shuttled to the starting line. Laughter is the best medicine! We were reassuring each other that we were not crazy, just true mountain bikers (well...maybe we were crazy mountain bikers, but at least we were all going insane together).


I knew I had to dress just right. I did not want to have to stop and strip mid-ride, that would just be a precious waste of time. I had picked out a great merino wool base layer, my Bontrager women's hooded soft-shell jacket and my Bontrager women's convertible windshield jacket. My toes where covered with Vaseline and I had placed Hothands in my shoes and gloves. My head was covered by a cap and my neck with a gator. My plan was to just unzip the arms of the convertible jacket if I became too hot. That would be quick and easy. Luckily, I had planned just right, no wardrobe changes were needed.
It was a tough call, but I chose not to warm up before starting. The cold was just too much to exit the warmth of the truck before absolutely required. When I say cold I mean Yeti cooler COLD, burrrrrrr. Even Jeni from Ohio said "yeah we have weather like this up there, we just stay inside." 

I started off feeling great! I knew I needed to beat my time from the last race to win. I needed to climb faster and descend with more speed. I now knew Vomit Hill. Found some lines and felt more confident.  I needed to stay atop my Trek Top Fuel until the end!  No crashes, less dabs and pedal strong.

I felt great until I hit "The Wall". I was sure I was riding faster. Only 2 guys had passed me which was great sign! It was not long after starting the hike-a-bike portion when I felt the fatigue in my legs...that hill feels like a vertical cliff carved from rocks and roots. God and I were talking, "Just get me past this climb.", "Please wrap my legs in your wings and lets fly." At one point I was saying "you got this, just one foot in front of the other," only then to look up an see a volunteer sitting on the rocks above me...embarrassed, but he got it.

I really felt I had pedaled over more rocks than last month...smoother line, better lines.  I knew I had flown down the descents. The only "snake bite" was a dropped chain. As I was finishing the final road descent, my soul was warmed by the sight of my family. They had braved the elements to cheer on the last few hundred yards. As a mom, there is no better motivator than knowing hugs from your husband and kids are waiting.  The pride in knowing that my family will always be there, no matter the conditions push me to train harder.  To prove to my children that hard work and determination lead to positive results.


When I looked at my Garmin I was certain I beat January's time. Not enough to beat the amazing Christine Yario Warren, but I felt good, regardless. After some Snake Pit chili provided by the Northwest Georgia SORBA Chapter, I checked the times. What...I was 7 minutes slower! As my strength trainer and great friend, Ginger Jones Sillery, said, I felt too good at the end to have pushed myself hard enough. Oh well, I maintained 2nd place. Congrats to Jeni Roosen with Cannondale Midwest for a strong 3rd place finish and Christine Yario Warren, the fire pit master, for an amazing 1st place time!  I am proud to say my teammate Beth Lofgren took 3rd place, against some steep competition, in her 34 mile class.

At the end of the day, I had a great time, became closer to God, braved the elements, kept great company by a perfect bonfire and proudly wore my Scott's Bikes jersey on the podium. Thank you Northwest Georgia SORBA for another great Snake Creek Gap Time Trials. Maybe next year I will brave the 34 mile course. 

In the mean time, finish stronger than you started!

Mountain Biking Mom

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