Year in Review

I had planned on having this done by now. What I had not planned on was the computer committing suicide ( losing all pictures and music) and super busy holidays. Yeah, I know, excuses excuses. Here it is:

I started the year with my first, and only to date, 24 hour race. April I felt like I was ready for anything. I spent countless hours on the trainer, Luthor, and rode in cold temps at Busch every chance I got. The 24 hours of Syllamo was a 2nd place finish in womens single speed and 115 miles, my longest ride. Two weeks later I found I still had legs and placed 3rd at Bonebender. I remember thinking that this was going to be a great year since my start was so good. May brought on MiddleFork Madness, Team Seagal's nonrace. I learned how to change a flat and the importance of being on a team.The Berryman Duo did not go as planned so, in June, I spent 5 days in the hospital. This accident had me down and out for about a month. This experience taught me that my mind is a dangerous thing and I am thankful that Jim was there to save me from myself. The Brommelseik race was my re-entry race, about 6 weeks after the accident . I set a 6 lap goal and met it. After the race I realized I should not have expected so much so soon. I really enjoyed the dirt crits this year and realized that the B race was probably were I should be, but I seriously lacked speed and would need to fix that. RIM at Crowder park, placed 3rd, showed me how to persevere and the TRUE meaning of rapture. The Burnin' was my only disappointment. In a lot of respects it was a victory, but not having met my goal taught me that even if you do everything right, training wise ,you can not predict the outcome. It was a jagged pill to swallow. The BT Epic was a cathardic (sp) race for me. I felt no pressure. I just rode my bike. I managed to beat last years time by 45 minutes and was able to deal with my disappointment of Burnin'. I did one cross race, and learned that this is really not my thing. These races were expensive and I felt they were over with before I got warmed up. I like the LONG stuff and plan to stick with that. The final non event of the year was CXMAS. I approached this race totally different than any other. I was the first loser in the ladies race but got to see the race from a totally different side, the front. I also got to show the hubby that all the hard work on the "new bike" was paying off.

My favorite ride this year, no contest, was every ride I did with Sydney. At only 4 yrs old she rode her first trail in May and never the training wheels. I am super proud of her and look forward to riding with her in 2011. She doesnt know it yet, but she will get a new bike in the Spring. She definitely deserves it.

With my 3rd year of biking behind me, I am confident that 2011 will be awesome. I have learned a lot about bikes and nutrition and improved on some riding skills. IT just keeps getting better.