First Race

[TwoTiredGal]

I just signed up and paid for my first mountain bike race. It's not until April but my nervousness is already there in the back of my brain. My goal is to finish.... that's it. Nothing major. Since I paid for it and I'm a broke graduate student, I absolutely have to show up on the starting line. That's why I've already paid! :D I've been mountain biking for many years but have never competed. I'd been in competitive sports my whole life and had wanted to do something just for me. But the last year or so I've had that itch to compete so I forked out the dough. We'll see what happens. I'm not really telling many people because I don't want anyone except my partner to show up to watch. Silly, I know. But it's all part of my nervousness about finishing. We'll see what happens.

[Adventure Girl]

I was SOOOOOOOOOOOO nervous before my first race. The race was about 10 miles from my house, so I was able to preride the course many times in the weeks and months before. So I was pretty sure I would be able to finish as long as I didn't have a mechanical problem.

I was nervous about passing and being passed. Also, I had never been in such a big crowd on the trails before. But overall it was a great experience. And knowing that the race is coming in just a few months, you'll be inspired to ride more (even when it rains, it's cold, it's muddy or you feel icky)...

The biggest problem I had in my first race was that the class that followed my class was the juniors (16 to 18 year old BOYS)... Their start time was 5 minutes behind our start. So after about 30 minutes, the fast guys in their class started passing us. Some of them were cool, but some were really agro and rude!! The first kid coming through kept yelling "Junior leader coming through.. Junior leader coming through".. How RUDE!!:mad: What happened to the old "on your left"....

But your first race is special. The first time over the finish line is more than just finishing that race. It's like the finish line of a bigger battle. You've conquered something bigger. And hopefully, you feel like it was worth every second you spent on your bike training!

Where is the race? I'm assuming cross country, right? How long is the course? Good luck! Keep us informed on your training progress.:D

[TwoTiredGal]

It's in Colorado and it is cross country. The length last year was about 15 miles but they have a new course this year so it may be slightly different. My guess is that it will remain approximately the same length though. What got me is that it said "single speed friendly." So I figured if they could compete, I could at least finish! :D

Thanks for the encouragement! I really am excited about it and know deep down that I can finish... even if it takes me all day! lol

[Adventure Girl]

Originally posted by TwoTiredGal
"single speed friendly"

Sure, sure, sure.... I think single speeders are different from the rest of us. They're not my tribe!! "Single speed friendly" may mean that it is a course for tougher riders who really like to suffer... I hope not!;)

My biggest fear before my first race was that I would have to be picked up by the "sag wagon" because of a mechanical or if I got hurt. If my bike and I had to be scooped up and carried back I would have cried! Not just little sniffle tears, but full-blown hysterical crying... Like I said before, it wasn't just finishing that one race, it was the culmination of months of preparation.