12/7/14 - I was really looking forward to race 5 out of 8 (my second race). When I got there I saw two of my team mates from Placer Foothills MTB Club - Kurt and Nathan. I also saw the president of Team Roseville Cyclery - Sara Heuston. I also saw two Team RC racers - Joy and Janell.It's nice to see people I knew. I had a terrible start, which wasn't too surprising. I loved that days course but the thing I didn't like was the four barriers in a row. The thing that was special about the course was that it was right next to the Sacramento River. I ended up getting 3rd out of 9. I again thank Hank Mini for the awesome advise, also Julie Young (O2 Fitness) for the off the bike workouts and Paige Ramsey for the technical riding skills.
12/14/14 - I was anticipating this race so much I could barely stand sitting in the car for almost two hours. When we got there, it was socked in with fog and was super cold. I had to get a USA cycling license for 2014 to race this cyclocross. This was my third race. As I pre-rode the course, I noticed that there were steep, muddy hills and only two barriers but there was four steps to run up. I got lined up, the announcer broke us up into age categories - 17/18, 15/16, 13/14, 11/12 and finally 9/10. I was put into the 11/12 because it's a USA cycling event, which I knew from the website. When I started the race, it was short lived chaos but I got a great start which is very surprising. When I was on my second lap, my front tire slid out and I fell. I was lucky that I crashed the corner in front of the barriers. I ran to the barriers and hopped over them but when I tried to ride off I felt that my chain was off. I stopped to fix it when another racer stopped to help me. I am so thankful that he stopped. When I finished I was happy to be done, When I looked at the results and saw that I got first, I was so happy. I AM THE NORCAL CHAMP! I thank Hank Mini for the training on Saturday and orange bicycle shop (Roseville Cyclery) for the incredible bike. My mom made a YouTube video of the day Norcal Championship
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1/4/14 - This was the second race of the weekend (NY duathlon on Saturday). Some of the Team RC racers, Janell, Hank and I were racing. I did four warm up laps and raced five laps. I got a good start and was 5th-7th. I kept a good pace for most of the race. The course had about 270 ft of climbing per lap and had really tight corners. I also raced through pines, orchards, and vineyards. I finished the race and got third. I was proud of two things 1) I got third and 2) I didn't crash. Thanks to Clint and Jennifer Claassen for the race series and Roseville Cyclery for the sponsorship and team. Hank and Janell also got third in their races.
1/17/15 - THE LAST RACE!I'm so sad that it's the last race. When I got to Old Sacramento, I knew the area because I just went on a field trip 1-2 months earlier. The temperature was about 45-50 degrees. Also, the course was hard because it was really off camber, had lots of sand sections, steep hills and LOTS of squid boards. I also had to go over train tracks. The last obstacle was the cobbles through the finish line. I did 4 pre laps and felt like I had a slight advantage with the climbs. When I started the race, it was the best start I've had all season.
The older kids passed me at the corner but I tried to hang with them, I failed a little bit. When I got to the sand section, it was hard to find a faster line. The sand was about 1-3" deep in some spots and 3-6" deep in others. When I turned around to look who was behind me, I saw 13 yr old Leo right behind me. He was right on my tire but I pushed a gap in some of the sections on the course. I was able to hold him off to the finish line. I got third and my prize was a train whistle.
We stayed after and watched some of the womens race because Kara LaPoint and Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Women) were racing. That was fun. Thanks to Sac CX, I love the races and will keep on doing them, Roseville Cyclery and Team RC. You Tube video of the rest of the series 2014 Cyclocross
