TMBRA 2023 - Fall Series - Race 4 - Cameron Park Blowout 03/18/2023

TLDR: I got 1st place out of 1, but I was also the fastest CAT 1 woman in the age class group. 

I had a great race, and I really liked the course. During out pre-ride on Saturday I was really cold, but I warmed up once I was on the bike. The course had really technical climbs that were steep and rocky. I made it up most of them on the pre-ride, but there were some that I didn't clear. 

I got to sleep pretty late and didn't sleep very well. When I woke up in the morning, I was super cold. Warming up, I felt really warm, and that gave me confidence that the race temps wouldn't be too bad. (Spoiler alert - they were). 

When I got to the starting line, I was getting colder by the second. When the whistle blew, I sprinted with another Betty, Rachael Knight, and she kindly waved me into the pole position as we entered the single track. I knew I couldn't let her down and made it a mission to give it my all stay out in front. 

The first thing I noticed was how cold I was. The wind was biting into my legs, my arms, my face. The wind made it 1000 times worse, but I just kept on pushing through. 

I made it up most of the climbs I didn't make on the pre-ride. On the second lap, I made it up the biggest hill, one that I hadn't made it up yet, and I was super proud of that. 

I managed to keep up the pace the whole time, and I felt really good about that. After the race, I was really sore, so I went to the free massage tent they had up. Oh my gosh, it felt so good, and I felt so relaxed afterward. Spent a lot of podium time with Rachael

For podiums, they had the coolest medals - but they were super fragile. Overall, I had a good race, and I gave it my all. Take home lesson from Cameron Park? Riding uphill is faster than walking - so burn the extra effort and tank the uphill instead of hopping off and running. It pays off in the end.