I raced the Sea Otter last weekend in the Sport category. This was the first race I've travelled long distance for and flying with a bike was interesting. I had so many people come up to me and ask what's in the box. My responses ranged from "the kitchen sink" to "my dad". Ha!

I prerode the course on Friday and nearly had a panic attack. 1. It was warm and sunny and 2. the course was all hardpack and sand. I live in Seattle so this was definitely out of my comfort zone. I was feeling doom and gloom the rest of the evening.

Luckily when I woke up on race day it was cloudy and cold! Yipee! It was funny to see how the other girls were dressed at the start line. I saw it all- fleece balaclavas, raincoats and most people had long pants on. I sported my team kit and armwarmers. The race started with a long section on paved racetrack. I saw no value in sprinting ahead and actually drafted off a few people. Once we hit the fire roads it was sweet. I played cat and mouse with a few girls and was in the top 5 for most of the race, if not all. The singletrack was fun but being stuck behind the slower men kinda sucked. That last climb was brutal, especially with those super strong crosswinds. Right at the end I was passed up by another racer and I rolled across the finish line in 6th out of 24. I'm pleased with my finish but bummed that I didn't make the podium. Oh well- there's always next year, right?