Although I am not quite done with my PhD requirements, I decided to take a much needed break and head up to the Mountain States Cup “Wild Flower Rush” downhill and dual slalom race this past weekend. The race was a regional MSC race, but it was also the 4th race in the ProGRT National Downhill Series, meaning added national talent in the race fields. Crested Butte provided a picture perfect race venue for the weekend, with nearly cloudless blue skies, perfect mid 70ยบ temperatures, and amazing racecourses. On Friday we had a few hours to practice both the downhill course and the two slalom tracks. I hadn’t been on my Ellsworth Dare DH bike in a few months, so it was nice to get back on and let it rip down the rocky, rooted, winding DH track! The dual slalom course was, in just a couple of words loose and rough! I may have been better served with my Ellsworth Moment, but I elected to bring my Project Pink Ellsworth Specialist (it has a special place in my heart since being named “Pauline”, after my grandmother who is a breast cancer survivor). Riding a hard tail on a bumpy slalom track just means that I had to be that much more focused on the track and what was coming next! The MSC guys did a good job of making a challenging slalom track that was a ton of fun to race. I had a couple of really good rounds and a couple with a few mistakes, but in the end I was very pleased with a 4th place finish in a very talented women’s field. Sunday brought more blue skies and the DH race. I gave the finals everything I had, which included tumbling through the rooty section of the course, putting me in 12th place. I was happy with both of my finishes on the weekend, especially since there were several World Cup racers in attendance. I am happy to get my 2011 season off to a good start, just a preview of great things to come this season! Special thanks to my two title sponsors this year, Ellsworth Bicycles and Smile Generation.
