Here are some snippets...
Friday: We actually made it to Tucson! A combo of planes, vans, shuttles, detours and delays, Whitney and I arrived in Tucson at 3AM Saturday morning. As I unloaded from the Tucson shuttle, Zack and Whitney screeched into the sandy parking lot less then 2 minutes after me. How about that for timing?
Saturday *after we got some zzzz's*: Enjoyed delicious local breakfast. Pico de gallo breakfast burrito (with surprise bacon.) What a delight to order a veggie breakfast burrito and get a tasty bit of bacon hiding in there! I'm not being facetious. I was super pumped about it. I think Whitney was pretty smitten with her huevos rancheros too.
Zack, Whitney, and I rode to the race course after getting all of our equipment in order, narrowly avoiding being propelled off the street by a car. Dumb driving. It dawned on me I'm no longer protected by the walls of my apartment while riding. Scary.
The rain stopped and the sun came out for our ride back from the course. Remained pretty cold for the rest of the evening but didn't rain on us again. Thankfully.
We drove over to the race a couple hours later...
Picture: Whitney...totally chill. I had too much caffeine and its really sinking in that I'm about to race a bike. I'm going a tad berserk in the back seat, trying to keep my shit together. Serious nervousness. And excitement. All wrapped up into a spandex bundle.
We line up for the start. When the gun goes off, I immediately make my way to the front sitting about 5th wheel for the first half of the lap. And that was the highlight of my race. Whitney held strong and rode very well all the way to the finish. Not easy coming from a colder climate to such an early race, so kudos to her for being so kick butt. We enjoyed the rest of the evening hanging with our awesome Tucson hosts Rodney and Pam and eating savory crepes.
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| At the start |
Although we might have had unspoken hopes (or in my case delusions) of great success at this race ("Maybe all this skiing will directly translate to crushing it on the bike and I'll get on the podium!"), we were entirely realistic with ourselves when we decided to add this race to our schedule. Our goals? Get that first race in, remember the pain, deal with the butterflies, and have the opportunity to ride together. Outside. Check. We nailed it.
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Okay, so eat delicious food may have been on the list. It makes us faster. We nailed that one too.
