As I'm reading this a month later . . .

Thanks for the congrats! I had a good race in the 3/4 (called Women's B) race and got 9th out of 31. That was the first race of the entire nationals and it was at 9:00, while it was still very cold and the course was icy and snowy. By that afternoon the course had turned to sticky mud, and at mid-day the next day, it was deep sticky mud. It started to dry up after that. My second race was the championship race for Masters Women 40-44. I had a fun and fast start, but then I just got shellacked. I spent the next 45 minutes watching as one lady after another cruised up behind me and passed me. My gears stopped working half way through, too, so that didn't help. I spun hopelessly on the paved section. I got 15th out of 19. The course was all on the side of a hill, like at a ski area, so you had to go up up up for half the course. It was pretty killer in that respect. But technically the course was easy. What you saw the whole time was a path of grass (or mud) in front of you. No wooded sections, singletrack, or other variety of course features. I managed to handle the icy or muddy corners fine and didn't wipe out.

I put the wrong numbers on for my first race. Oh no! I told the official right before the start and he solved the problem, thank goodness.

The bike wash had a line of 40 for most of Thu. and Fri. There were volunteers dedicated to the task with power sprayers.

DH was behind a crash after his start on Thu. He jammed on the brakes and headed straight for the pile. Out of control, his bike came to a stop just as his front tire touched a downed bike. Then he rode away safely. Happy to have not crashed on the pavement, but mad about the botched start.

Would you believe that on Friday, I put the wrong #s on DH! How could I do that 2 days in a row? That same official saved the day right before the start. Thank you nice and calm race official. And to DH for not cutting my head off right then and there.