Nrrrrrvous

[smurfalicious]

Well gals, I did it. Oh sure, there were times when I really wanted to die, wanted to load my bike in the next pickup I saw and quit. Heck, load it into *my* pickup when I came by it once. I was so super nervous that I couldn't really eat much before hand and I paid the price. I really should have brought a shot along because I was dying.

I made a big mistake and took all my excitement into trying to ride everyone else's race, and I would have won, if the race was about 3 miles. Anyway, I toughed out the whole 14 miles but I did a lot of hike-a-bike. It really wasn't more climbing than I could handle, but I was feeling half dead.

I'm not too stressed though, I finished despite having to clear out a million times for the upper level riders who lapped my sorry butt. Oh well, they were for the most part super cool and understanding. One of them passed me, and I grinned and told him I'd let him by this year, but give me a couple years I'll kick his butt. Guys were impressed I was riding a hardtail, they loved my streamers, and when I took this big old drop and sailed down a big old hill I never would have done at home, this super hot guy behind me was so nice! He totally congratulated me! Like, genuinely stoked I did it, not just glad I didn't crash in front of him!

So I know I have a lot of work to do, and that's cool. That's all this was about, having fun, which I did, and didn't. I know that I need to get comfortable with people passing me. I got so nervous that I'd nearly wreck rather than focusing on the task at hand. I'm gonna spend the rest of my training rides on Grey Butte, I can do the length, but I just haven't gotten my climbing strength yet.

Anyway, I was pretty stoked. Everyone was very friendly, supportive, and hello today! Hot guys everywhere....

[edit] I almost forgot, it rained like a cow peeing on a flat rock all morning long! The trail was slicker than snot, which freaked me out because I've only ridden hard pack, and sand. I know how sand handles, and damp hard pack, mud scares me. It finally stopped raining once we started, but that definately put a damper on things. [/edit]

love and cookies
-smurf