Ore to Shore...

I finished!

Actually, I did more than just finish. I didn't crash, I didn't cause any crashes, and I didn't come in last. I finished at 2:34, which was good for 16th in my age division, and 197 overall for women. My pace was pretty slow at 10.9 mph, but hey, I can't complain. It was my first race, and I seriously slacked on my training plan. Hopefully next year I'll actually stick to my training regimen and go faster. I was kind of nervous about the mass start with almost a thousand people (967 people finished the Soft Rock race), but I finished uninjured, and I beat a lot of people, too!

Okay, so I did fall once. In the first sand pit somebody cut me off, and I fell into the sand...but I can't call this a crash, since I didn't run into anything, or take anyone out, and the sand was actually quite fluffy. It was kind of like falling into a pillow. But I learned my lesson and was really careful about each of the following sand pits...and there were a ton of them. No amount of training in sand could've prepared me for the soupy pits which were surprisingly reminiscent of quicksand.

There was really only one mishap the entire race: while I was pushing my bike, some woman climbing Kirby's Hill fell into me when her tires stopped spinning. I'm okay, but my rear wheel is now seriously out of true and I need to get that fixed. I'm just thankful it happened in the last few miles of the race.

Rolling out on pavement: the only photo my mother got of me actually on the bike

A few revelations:

1. Being serious about training might actually be a good idea next year. My last long-ish offroad ride was 24 miles of the North Country Trail in June with an average pace of about 13mph, so I actually got slower as the season went on. Shame on me.
2. My bike is great at descending. People were pedaling their asses off downhill, and I cruised by them coasting. I know I'm not that aerodynamic, so props to you, Gary Fisher!
3. I brought way too much water. My camelbak was still half full when I went through the finish. Actually, it might be time to invest in a smaller, lighter-weight pack for racing.
4. Never trust people when they say a race is "practically all downhill." I heard that a lot about Ore to Shore, but don't let anyone fool you, there was a LOT of uphill in this course, especially early on.
5. Damn, this racing stuff is FUN!