The Iron Horse Classic mountain bike races have never treated me well with the exception of one year when I went head to head with Kristin Johnson for the win. The other years I walked away with a broken collarbone(2000), a non shifting bike after crashing and being run over by a group of expert men hot on my tail (2001) and a missed start (2002). I was not planning to race this year even though they were bringing back the mountain bike event after going to an all road bike weekend years ago. The main reason I wasn’t into racing was the time, distance and setup of the Women’s Cat 1 race. It was at 3:30 and went off with the pros. In top shape- no problem but 3 months post baby I did not want to be out there and lapped by pro men/women. Also a 3:30 start is not ideal for a mom. It’s not like I would be relaxing and napping till start time. The kids would wear me down and then I would have to race. Anyway, turns out there was a Women 35-44 category at 10am. Perfect!
Not sure why I thought the course would be fun…
Friday I pre-rode the course. From town the course went straight up a series of switchbacks (Nature Trail) to Ft Lewis College. Then it went on the Rim Trail which is fast and flowy. I was thinking this would be a perfect course for me. Then at the end of the Rim Trail they sent us down Chapman Hill. “Why are we going back down? This is fun up here!” I thought. At the bottom we climbed another switchback. Oh well for getting a good time on this course. At that point I knew this race would be written off as an interval workout and nothing more. Currently I need a race course that is technical, fast and flowy with quick power climbs. This had none of those.
Durango is a great place for families
Saturday while Randy raced the train to Silverton the boys and I spent the day on the Animas River Trail. The place we were staying was 2 blocks off the trail so we never needed to start the car. We rode to the south end of town where there is a large playground. Axel took his first slide and swing ride with his big brother. I’m trying to forget the part where big brother decides little brother should go down alone and lets go of him. On the way back into town we stopped and watched the National American Trials series. It’s amazing what some people can do on a bike with no seat/seatpost. Finally, we went to Main Street for lunch and a little shopping. By the time we got home Randy was back from Silverton. He had a good race as did about 10 others from the Ridgway Peak to Peak/Core Solutions team.
Starting Line
Day of racing
Sunday started with Kalden’s kid’s race on Main Street. It’s completely crazy how many kids show up for this race. Organized chaos is a good way to describe it. Kalden was very excited about the race and got lined up with the 6 year olds. When it was time to race Kalden cautiously started. He was having fun but at the same time you could tell he did not want to be in a pile up so he carefully rode around the 2.5 laps to the finish line. He watches too many bike races and knows how a tight pack can go down hard;) At the line he made sure nobody was near and sprinted. He told me he did the Mark Cavendish telephone finish but I think he was just imagining he did it.
As soon as his race was over we headed over to my start. My warm-up consisted of nursing (at least I dropped some weight) and pinning my number on. At the starting line there were some ex-pros and Cat 1s. Again I just wanted to finish, get in a workout and try to not be last place. The start was brutal and consisted of a very steep dirt hill that nobody could ride. In a quick attempt to downshift into my granny gear, I jammed my chain. Great, now I was last. After a quick run up the hill that almost resulted in calf cramps I was back on the bike. I could see the pack only one switchback ahead but I was already red lining. When we got to the top I was relived to make up sometime on the Rim Trail. It was fast and flat. Unfortunately, a straggler from the Men’s group was in front of me and he seemed tentative about putting the pedal down on this tight trail. At this point the pack was gone and I could only see one other woman from my group. The rest of the race was a series of hard efforts followed by rest. This is not how I normally race but I did not have the stamina to maintain an effort. I managed to pass that one woman and achieved my goal of not being last place. 8th out of 9 finishers. My son Kalden keeps telling everyone that only 7 people were faster than me in a very proud tone. And thanks AlpineStyle for all the ‘personal cheerleading’ at the top of the course!
Getting Kalden out on the trails
In lieu of doing a solo ride on Monday I took Kalden out to Horse Gulch. I was feeling it from the race so I enjoyed the mellow pace of a ride with my son. We hit Telegraph, Meadow Loop and Sara’s trail. He had fun and rode almost all of it. It was a perfect AM ride.
We left Durango refreshed and exhausted. As I sit here 3 days later I am still completely exhausted and wondering why we do it all. Most families would not try and fit in 3 races, family rides, swimming, shopping, dining and hanging out with friends into one long weekend. Then you add a 3 month old keeping you up half the night and it seems impossible. To us it’s worth the extra effort to experience life, open our children’s eyes to new opportunities and places, and stay active and healthy.
