Dear hunnies,
Helllooooo! I did my first race ever (of any kind) this weekend--it was the Virginia State DH Championship/Mid-Atlantic Cup race #1 at Massanutten Resort in Virginia.
The thing that stands out most in my mind about the whole experience was that I've never been around so many nice and supportive people. There were approx. 100 racers, six of which were women.
***
The worst thing about it was the chairlift! I am afraid of heights and haven't been on a chairlift in 12 years. And at this lift, you have to put the bike on your lap and support it yourself. (And hang onto your Camelback and your big ol' helmet.) Thank God my bike only weighs about 35 pounds. Even so, it put my leg asleep because I rested it on my knee. My palms sweated so badly that my bike got wet through my gloves!
When it was time to get off the chairlift, the operator asked me if he needed to stop the lift so I could get off. (He could see the fear in my eyes.) I know how annoying stopping the lift can be since it leaves all the other riders swaying a bit, so I told him I was fine. I was not fine.
I knew to just lift the bike up and kind of roll it, but that's not what happened. I started tripping up on my bike when I tried to stand up. I knew the bike, the chair, and I were about to get in a nasty tangle, so I threw my bike straight in front of me about five feet. (I guess I've started a new sporting event called the Gemini Toss!) I just outright flung it through the air. I spend how much on a bike and then I just throw it like garbage?!!! All who saw it said they had never seen anything like that before. Well, that's what I'm here for as a beginner to the sport--I'm here to shock and amaze with my newbie talents!
I exited the chair without injury to anything besides my ego. Even my bike was fine. I only took one practice run for a couple reasons, and one of them was the chair. When I used the lift again for my race run, I made sure the rider in the chair ahead of me, MudHunny Kirstin, told the operator to stop the lift.
All in all, the race was super fun, I'm completely happy with how I rode and happy with my attitude towards it (not caring how fast I rode--just trying not to fall or crash, which I succeeded at), and I can't wait to race again! I hope there are more women at the next race I go to. And kudos to the women I raced with yesterday!
Helllooooo! I did my first race ever (of any kind) this weekend--it was the Virginia State DH Championship/Mid-Atlantic Cup race #1 at Massanutten Resort in Virginia.
The thing that stands out most in my mind about the whole experience was that I've never been around so many nice and supportive people. There were approx. 100 racers, six of which were women.
***
The worst thing about it was the chairlift! I am afraid of heights and haven't been on a chairlift in 12 years. And at this lift, you have to put the bike on your lap and support it yourself. (And hang onto your Camelback and your big ol' helmet.) Thank God my bike only weighs about 35 pounds. Even so, it put my leg asleep because I rested it on my knee. My palms sweated so badly that my bike got wet through my gloves!
When it was time to get off the chairlift, the operator asked me if he needed to stop the lift so I could get off. (He could see the fear in my eyes.) I know how annoying stopping the lift can be since it leaves all the other riders swaying a bit, so I told him I was fine. I was not fine.
I knew to just lift the bike up and kind of roll it, but that's not what happened. I started tripping up on my bike when I tried to stand up. I knew the bike, the chair, and I were about to get in a nasty tangle, so I threw my bike straight in front of me about five feet. (I guess I've started a new sporting event called the Gemini Toss!) I just outright flung it through the air. I spend how much on a bike and then I just throw it like garbage?!!! All who saw it said they had never seen anything like that before. Well, that's what I'm here for as a beginner to the sport--I'm here to shock and amaze with my newbie talents!
I exited the chair without injury to anything besides my ego. Even my bike was fine. I only took one practice run for a couple reasons, and one of them was the chair. When I used the lift again for my race run, I made sure the rider in the chair ahead of me, MudHunny Kirstin, told the operator to stop the lift.
All in all, the race was super fun, I'm completely happy with how I rode and happy with my attitude towards it (not caring how fast I rode--just trying not to fall or crash, which I succeeded at), and I can't wait to race again! I hope there are more women at the next race I go to. And kudos to the women I raced with yesterday!