CX Fever project Part II - How to prepare for a cyclocross race?

It can be pretty stressful and overwhelming to do your first cyclocross race. As humans, we are often scared of the unknown, because we have no idea what to expect and aren’t sure how we can prepare ourselves to face that in the best possible way.

Hannah Bauer, the CX Fever Grant recipient has been racing cyclocross for 2 years. However, it’s only this year that she started to dip her toes in the UCI Elite Women racing waters.

Before the first race of the weekend, I asked Hannah how she was feeling and if she was excited for the race. She told me that she was excited, but also pretty nervous, so I asked her what made her feel that way. “The fact that it’s such a big field and that it’s a "UCI race" scares me a little” she said. She was also nervous that her equipment might fail her, because a similar situation had happened to her at her previous race. 

Having those anxious thoughts are perfectly normal and understandable; everyone has them. Furthermore, Hannah is only 17 and this is the highest level of cyclocross racing in North America. But honestly, being nervous means that you care and that is a good thing.

Based on her thoughts and on the challenges Hannah had faced at her first UCI event a few weeks prior, we came up with a strategy together in the hope of making her racing experience more enjoyable, and help her be satisfied with her performance.

Here are a few of the cyclocross race tips we came up with: 

Focus on what you can control

Hannah mentioned that she was a bit nervous about the fact that she would be racing in such a big and competitive field. She felt as if she was jumping into the unknown. As humans, we are often scared of things over which we have no control. So one of the best ways to bring down the stress level is to focus on yourself and on the things you CAN control. With Hannah, we sat down and pointed out some things that she could concentrate on that would help calm her down and feel as if she was in a more familiar environment. Those things included knowing the course by pre-riding it, making sure she ate well before the race, making sure her bike was in good working order and doing the warm up she was familiar with. We also came up with achievable goals and small reminders on which she could focus on during the race.

Set achievable (and controllable) goals

As stated above, it is crucial to focus on things we can control. With Hannah, we came up with very simple goals that she could focus on during the race and that would ultimately help her have a performance that she could be proud of. One of those goals was to look ahead during the race. This simple act would help her to see what was happening in front of her and prepare or react in the best possible way for the coming obstacle. Another simple goal that we set was to consciously take some deep breaths in all of the descents so she could relax and recover as much as possible and be ready to attack the next hill.  

"Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm". Personally, that was all I was thinking about on the brutal climbs during the Pan Am championships race. Thinking about my pedalling rhythm helped me not only to go faster, but also to have my mind focused on that, instead of on how much my legs were hurting at that moment.

If it doesn't work, don't force it. Just commit to running! 

Sometimes on a cyclocross course, some sections can be challenging and give us some trouble, but we are stubborn and keep on trying and crashing on them. Being perseverant is good, but the problem with that stubbornness is that after many attempts at trying and messing up a feature, we can become nervous and scared about that particular section. Here's a scoop: there are no awards for riding a section! And you know what? Most of the time, if we are not 100% sure we can clear an obstacle, it's faster to run it! So if you can't ride a section, don't sweat it, just commit to dismounting off the bike quickly and running the section with momentum. That will help you go much faster than trying, messing up, getting off the bike and then starting to run from a stopped position. During the pre-ride, Hannah and I identified which sections we wanted to ride and which we would commit to run.

Dismounting quickly and keeping a good momentum while entering a running section is a great cyclocross training drill that you can practice at home.

Find the "Cluster spot"

During her first UCI race, Hannah mentioned to me that after the start, she was stuck behind a big crash and lost many positions, which ended up being a struggle for the rest of the race. I gave her a spoiler alert: in a cyclocross race, there will ALWAYS be a tricky section where people will mess up on the first lap and create a big cluster. How do we get around that initial crash then? By preparing for it. 

Before the race, Hannah and I pre-rode the course together and we identified that first technical section on which we thought the first pile-up would happen. Hannah was able to successfully prepare for it during the race and she committed to running that section, rather than riding into the cluster and then being forced to dismount. 

The first technical section of the race was a muddy and tricky off camber. 

"I knew this section was coming, so I got off the bike quickly and started running. This allowed me to pass a few girls, which was a great confidence boost in the race!" - Hannah Bauer

Give yourself a chance

Sometimes, we don't achieve the result we were hoping for and we can be pretty hard on ourselves. But a disappointing result doesn't necessarily mean we did a poor performance. It's important to give ourselves a chance and make an effort to find what we did well during the race. This will help to build confidence and make bigger improvements. When I asked Hannah what had gone well, she said that she was able to achieve one of the simple goals she had set for herself: "I was looking up ahead during the whole race which helped me prepare better for what was coming. I even passed many people on the first tricky section, because I saw it coming and I was ready!". 

"I had a GREAT start which enabled me to stay mid pack during the first lap. This also allowed me to have a clear mind and stay very focused." - Hannah Bauer

" Sometimes I'm pretty hard on myself for not being "better", but it's critical for me to remember that I really haven't been going at this for too long and to find the positive things I have been able to achieve." - Hannah Bauer

These simple tricks are not rocket science. They are actually pretty basic steps, but they help us feel in control of what we are doing and help reduce the stress before a race. Even if I've been racing for a long time, I always keep these in mind when I'm preparing for a cyclocross event.

Once the weekend was done, Hannah told me that following this plan and keeping these pointers in mind gave her a structure and helped her  know what to concentrate her mind on during the weekend.

Good luck for your next event! 

2017 season in random shots.

 I was scrolling through my camera the other day, and it reminded me some good memories from the mountain bike season that just ended. I really enjoyed racing this summer, so I thought I'd look back at the past season, but rather than looking at race results or writing too many words about every event (which I already did), I decided to view it with a different perspective. 

My goal was to do a recap of the season without using any racing pictures or people pictures. However, it certainly is the people who were there along the way that made this summer such a memorable one.

 I'm a newbie at taking pictures, but those are some shots that I took throughout the summer; most of them have nothing to do with racing, but they are all related to racing in one way or another and are associated to moments that had an impact on me during the season. Some are just offering behind the scenes look at the race season. Some pictures might be silly or ugly, but if they are here, it's because they reminded me of a good moment.

So here is a recap of the 2017 MTB season. Thank you to everyone who was involved and who made it so fun!

Now the goal is to practice taking pictures and take a few photography classes so next year's pic-recap can be much better hahah...

March/April

After CX Worlds, I had about a month off the bike. Dave and I went camping in the Grand Canyon. We woke up a few hours before sunrise and hiked/ran 35km across the canyon.I injured myself with all that running and my achilles tendon bothered me for the following month. It was dumb to run 35km with no preparation, but I guess the view was worth it! Taken by trusty iphone. 

That's a crappy picture...I didn't have the camera yet. But looking back, it was an important moment of the season. Cactus Cup was my first race of the season, after only 1 week back on the bike.  Here, I'm preparing overnight oatmeal in the van before going to bed, which is all part of glorious #vanlife haha. I did not feel ready for the race and almost opted out of it before it even started. I suffered like a dog during the 3 stages, but I was able to put my emotions on the side and do what was important during the race and that set the tone and gave me good momentum for the rest of the season.

The season started with many fun rides in Arizona this year. The first full month of training/racing I rode almost exclusively on my Occam, which is a bigger travel (140/140) bike. I even raced Moab Rocks Stage race on that big bike (and I think it gave me an advantage on the rough terrain). 

May 

Whiskey Off Road - first big goal of the season for me! 

This is Sarah. She works for the Little Bellas and is a great friend of Sabe and Lea Davison. In May, David and I headed to Vermont for a 4-5 days training camp with Lea. We had some great workouts together and some good laughs. On the last day of the camp, we skied up and down Mt Stowe (on May 12th). Sarah didn't have skis, so she used a sled to get back down. The camp ended with a training race in Sherbrooke and that week or training gave me lots of confidence for the races that were to come. 

The Baie St-Paul Canada cup happens on a pretty cool milk and cheese farm. These are Canadian cows and there are only a few of those left as most have been extinct. That weekend in BSP was one of the most fun - not really just because I won my first UCI C1 race, but mostly because we got to spend it with Stephen Hyde and Ian Gielar who both became good friends of Dave and I. 

Is your bike clean? At many events, hotel parking lots make the perfect bike washing/maintenance spot. This particular one is in Grand Junction, Colorado. 

A shinny bike prepared by Chris before the Grand Junction Off Road. The 3 of us were a team for all the Epic Rides this year. We had a lot of fun! 

Gotta stay hydrated! In the CLIF Pro Team van, you can always find an extremely generous selection of all types of CLIF Bar products as well as many of these Camelbak bottles. 

June

In early June, I was feeling extremely well in training, so I decided at the last minute that I wanted to ace the Canada Cup in Horseshoe, ON. The morning of the race, it was about 40C degrees and super humid. As soon as I realized it was so hot, I was scared and didn't want to do the race. I didn't tell anyone and convinced myself to take the start. I did the first lap, and although my body was actually doing fine, I couldn't think of anything else than the fact that I might collapse at any moment and do another heat stroke like I had done in Rochester. So I quit the race after not even a lap. I felt like a real looser and wasn't proud of myself for quitting and not facing my fear. However, I still have good memories of that weekend, because we visited Ruby's family, had a very fun pizza night at their house and had a wonderful time with Ian, Stephen, Rubz and Dave. I also learned a lot from that failure and was able to conquer my fear of racing in the heat exactly one week later at Carson City! 

On Friday night after the Carson City Fat Tire crit, we came back home pretty late and the sky was so pretty. I was excited and couldn't fall asleep, so I decided to try nigh photography for the first time. I had no tripod, so I was balancing the camera on the balcony. I was also using a 30sec exposure, so I was doing 1 stretch between each picture. 

On Saturday, the day before the Carson City Epic Rides, we went to the river in Truckee to relax and cool down. It was over 100 degrees all weekend, so chilling in the cold river felt very refreshing. Plus, it's always fun watching Rubi and Lola run around! 

This picture is a bit weird but I kind of like it. The Blitz, in Bend was one of the best event of the year. It confirmed what is so amazing about the mountain biking community. No one is judged, everyone is accepted, everyone respects each other, and everyone friendly teases each other about their beer chugging or armwrestling abilities (or lack of). In the end, we all just love riding cool trails and having fun.

I came back home after the Bend/Carson City trip. Dave and I went camping in Gatineau before watching our friends Ruby and Adam at the TT Nationals. That ended up being a key trip for me; the camping night felt like a tiny refreshing vacation. Then, I had a really good training in the rain and hail on the Gatineau roads in the morning. Finally, watching my friend Adam win TT Nationals offered a great deal of motivation and inspiration that powered me through the rest of the season.

Spectating at Canadian TT Nationals - sometimes, spectating gives you a very interesting perspective on racing. 

July

BCBR was a very last minute decision for Dave and I. We got the "OK" to race on the Friday (7 days before the start) and started trying to book a RV for pickup on the next Tuesday...but the Monday was a Canadian holiday and everything was closed. We had about 3 hours to call everywhere on the Canadian West Coast to try to book an RV. This one was the last one available everywhere in BC and Alberta. So glad it worked out :) 

The ferries were definitely a highlight at the BC Bike Race. Such a fun way to relax and appreciate the view after a hard day of racing. 

I like that picture because it's a perfect coincidence that there is a retro colour to the pic - I didn't modify it and didn't plan for it. The night before the Squamish stage at BCBR, Geoff Kabush invited us to park the RV in his neighbourhood. We got to see his sweet 1976 Volkswagen minibus. This year, I ended up seeing Geoff at a couple different events, as we were on a similar North American based schedule. I felt very lucky, because on many occasions, he took the time to share his incredible knowledge and experience with me, even if I didn't ask for it. A few times I saw him on course and he showed me some good lines. Other times, he shared pieces of tactical advices or his opinion on material choices for particular conditions. His experience is invaluable and his willingness to share had a very positive impact on my racing this year. Canadian mountain biking is lucky to have such a great person and role model to learn from!

CLIF Bar was a sponsor at most of the races I did this year. It's pretty fun when your main sponsor is present at the big events. CLIF Bar always sets up cool hang out spots at the events and everyone is welcome to chill, chat and eat good stuff. This was on BCBR day 4. It was a hard race, I was cracked but it felt good to sit under their tents and relax there with David and Troy.

The day after BC Bike Race, David and I met with one of my best friend, Sandrine. I hadn't seen her in over 2 years. She took us on a little hike (with a bit of rock climbing, in sandals) down to that waterfall. It was so fun to spend some time with her while recovering from the stage race. 

Smokey skies as we drove into Canmore, AB. I just love the colors on this pic. I took it from the car as we were driving and that cyclist timed himself perfectly to get in the shot :) 

When travelling in a RV, you rarely want to take time to set up and take care of yourself. But when you're trying to perform well at Nationals, you have to put that little bit of effort into it. Most of the time, it's wll worth it when you get to stretch and roll in spots like these. 

I don't know what I would do with him! When the team is not at races, David does everyhting for me, from prepearing the bike, handing the bottles, entretaining me, training with me, etc. Here, he is being creative and using the car rack on the RV as a bike repair stand, before Nationals. 

One of the goals this season was to swim in as many lakes as possible. Dave and I were pretty successful at this. Here, we are doing an Ice Bath in a glacial lake in Canmore, AB a few days before Nationals. The Wildfires in BC and AB were enormous this summer and the smoke situation was bad in the days leading to the race. However, it all cleared up for race day!

August

I ran a 32T chainring with a 11-42 cassette pretty much all season. But in MSA, I indulged and put a 11-46 cassette. That extra gear was nice to have on the steep climbs down there. 

Some mussels are swimming in the paella while the other ones are waiting their turn in the background. I annoyed David all summer about making a Paella... After the MSA World Cup, I took a week off and we finally made it. It was delicious and a lot easier than I thought...we should make it more often! :) 

Post weekend perspectives : The Pro and the Rookie.

The CX Fever project is now behind us and we thought we would look back at how it went by asking Maghalie and Hannah, the pro and the rookie, to share their perspective on the experience with us.

Here's what they had to say. 

Maghalie Rochette: CLIF Pro Team rider

When I first got the idea about the CX Fever project, the whole goal was to help someone else. I wanted for a young girl to experience a race weekend as if she was a professional racer. When you are a young racer in the U23 category, wether or not you have a team and support at the races can be the deal breaker that make you decide to keep at it and try to become a professional, or to be discouraged and stop racing. The idea behind the project was to give someone a glimpse of what it really is to be part of a team in order to inspire them to keep going and motivate them to work hard to achieve their goal. I also wanted to use this opportunity to share some advice about racing and introduce that person to as many people as possible in the cycling industry. 

As I said, the goal was to help someone else, but I didn't expect that I would be the one to benefit and learn the most from the experience! 

As it turns out, in many ways, wanting to help someone else forced me to bring out the best version of myself during that weekend. Having Hannah around forced me to reflect on how I could try to help her the most; which brought me back to the basics. Sometimes, I think that when we get comfortable doing and repeating a task, it becomes such a natural routine that we tend to forget the basics steps. Those basic steps are the things we used to pay attention to when we weren’t as experienced, because focusing on those small things was the only way we could possibly achieve the task at hand. They are often the most important things though; the ones that made us good in the first place and that are still crucial if we want to keep performing.

For example while pre-riding the course, I was forced to slow down a little bit to look at some sections and share some advice with Hannah, which helped me see things I probably wouldn't have noticed on my own normal pre-ride. 

Having Hannah also encouraged me to re-think my pre-race routine, which forced me to reconsider some things that don't necessarily make sense, but that I do for the oh-so-great reason that "I've always done it that way". It helped me to be more organized, to take care of myself better, to stay positive at all times, and way more.

During the race, at some point, as I was getting dropped and my body was feeling super empty and flat, I had a great battle with myself. I was hurting really bad and I wasn't going fast at all, but I had spent the whole weekend telling Hannah to focus on things she could control, rather than on the distractions on which she had no control over. So I had to talk to myself: "Come on Magh. Don't be that person who tells the others to "do what I say, not what I do!". So I followed my own advice. I focused on my pedalling rhythm and on relaxing my upper body, rather than ranting about the fact that my legs hurt..."It's a freaking bike race! Your legs are supposed to hurt, Magh! Focus on your cadence, look up, breathe!" Thanks to Hannah, I had that pep talk with myself which helped me stay positive and allowed me to actually have a good performance, even if my body wasn't responding so well. 

At the end of the weekend, I had learned so much that I even wondered if Hannah had been able to benefit from the experience at all. Had this whole thing been a super selfish act on my part? Did she even like the experience? At least, I was hoping she had as much fun as I did. 

Hannah Bauer: CX Fever Recipient. 

Coming into the weekend, honestly, I wasn't really sure what to expect. But it turned out to be an incredible experience.

Everyone was so incredibly nice and welcoming from the moment I showed up to the course. Coming from a still developing pro/devo team, it was so nice to have a clean bike every time I came back to the tent after a warm-up lap and not having to worry about my bike in general. Everything was just "magically" taken care of (thanks to the awesome mechanics). Everyone was so helpful and supportive in making sure that I had everything I needed. They made me feel as if I was in my own team tent, showing me where the Clif bars were, made sure that I had a chair, and even showed me where the espresso machine was. :)

I think the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that Maghalie was just like all the other racers. Regardless of how great of a bike racer she is, she still faces the same things that I do. It was nice to have someone who has already gone through the same things I have and receive advice on how to deal with it.

However, the most important part of this weekend, for me, was that it was not "result driven" but more "goal driven". Despite nerves and being encompassed in a completely new atmosphere the weekend of a big race, Maghalie helped me to overcome some of my fears and to focus more on aspects that I can control, like looking ahead, staying focused, and keeping a positive mindset. The CX Fever Fund allowed me to step back and pay more attention to "minor" details that can often determine the outcome of a race.

One of the biggest challenge for me was that the course was so difficult! I haven't had a race like this one yet this season, so it was a challenge to handle both the course and my nerves at the same time. But the whole point of the CX Fever Fund is to encourage girls like myself to continue racing, not for the results, but for the love of the sport. In a sport that is so competitive, it is often difficult to remember why I began in the first place. This weekend allowed me to take a step back, remember all the reasons why I love to ride my bike, and wear the CX Fever Kit with pride.

As an aspiring professional cyclist, this weekend was definitely eye-opening. The support that these athletes receive is incredible, but it isn't always easy. Maghalie is 110% devoted to the sport of cyclocross and is extremely passionate about it. I aspire to continue to love riding my bike and share my passion with others, wherever that may lead me.

One thing is for sure though:  I will always have the fever! I am so excited to be racing back in North Carolina this weekend and for the rest of the season, but so sad that I will not be sporting the CX Fever Kit! 

***

Looking back, I think that in our own way, we both had a great weekend and we both benefited a lot from the experience. After all, maybe that is the biggest lesson of all? We are all different, we all have different goals, different knowledge and we all have different perspectives. But maybe by embracing our differences and by sharing and interacting together, we all learn things from one another that we never would have learned if we hadn't taken the time to share with others. 

I truly hope we get to share and exchange more experiences like this, in the future. 

MSA World Cup

The World Cup in Mont Ste-Anne, QC is the longest standing on the circuit. It has been around for  27 years and it is known to be one of the most challenging.

I came to watch the Velirium when I was a tiny kid; I would watch the races and run around the team tents to collect stickers, autographs from the pros and LUNA bars at the LUNA Chix tent. Then, as a small kid (not as tiny anymore) I would come to race the 10-11-12 years old Quebec Cups, collect some more stickers and cheer on Marie-Helène Premont. Then, in 2010, as a medium kid (17 years old), when I wasn't even riding my mountain bike anymore (I was doing triathlon), I came to watch the World Championships. I was in the area on a camping trip and I thought it'd be cool to check out what mountain biking had become and to cheer for Marie-Helène Premont. But then during the race, another Canadian was doing super well and I started cheering for her too. Her name was Catharine Pendrel and she finished 4th that day. 

Who would've thought I'd be teammates and friends with her less than 4 years later?! Not me. 

Photo by Matt Delorme. Pre-riding with Catharine a.k.a Quick-C!

Photo by Matt Delorme. Follwing Catharine's line. 2010 Maghalie would never have believed me if I had said this would happen!

Anyway, for all the history behind this famed race, it is always special to race there. It's also a home race for me, and this year, it was the only World Cup I would be participating in, so I was pretty excited. 

The only tiny little thing that was bothering me was that I got sick on Monday before the race. It was nothing too serious, but still a good cold. However, the last time I got sick must have been about 2 years ago, so I couldn't complain too much. All I could do was to rest, hope it would go away soon, and not worry about it. 

The week in MSA was super fun and we had a really good time pre-riding and preparing with the team. Lea, Haley, Hannah, Catharine and I all rode together and helped each other with line choices on the dry course. I crashed once, but I didn't get injured and felt confident on the course. Once we finished pre-riding, it started POURING rain for all afternoon and all night Saturday. We were all expecting (and hoping) a mud fest on race day! 

Race day: 

• We wake up and it turns out the course is not that wet. 
• Haley and Hannah are racing early, they both do great races! 
• I am pumped for the race. We prepare, and head to the venue. 
• Michel and Chris have prepped my bike, Waldek has bottles and everything else ready. 
• Warm up. I'm psyched. Take a minute to remind myself of some key points and what I'm about to do out there. i'm ready!
• GO! 
• Clean start. Crash in front of me. I go around. 
• I feel like I'm glued to the ground, but I keep pushing and trying to pass people. 
• I'm suffering like a dog. "Come on Magh, it will get better!"
• Get to the Beatrice climb. I see the clusterf*ck ahead. RUN. 
• Pass a few people. I finally reach the cluster. Wait in line.... 
• Okay, now I can move. Get to the Beatrice climb: track stand while waiting my turn.
• It's my turn. I mess up, unclip one foot. WAHHHHH go down on one foot. Bambi on ice. I finally make it down. 
• I keep pushing as hard as I can, but I am feeling super weak. Luckily, there is David, my family and hundreds of fans lining the course who are cheering for me! "That's awesome".
• On the final lap, I go through the feedzone and Waldek screams : "Do it for the team competition!"   "Okay. Let's do this Magh. For the team!". 
• I'm able to find a tiny bit of energy left and pass two people. Then I catch up to Evelyn Dong in the last few minutes and try to pass her several times. She goes left, I go right. She takes it wide, I take it tight. Can't pass. It will be a sprint. I try to go outside/inside on the last U-turn, I don't quite make it, I sprint from behind, she gets me. 

Photo by Matt Delorme. Look at those roots! The trails in MSA are rad.

Photo by Matt Delorme. Going down on the Beatrice. 

At the finish line, Waldek welcomes me, congratulates me and we run to the podium. Catharine got third and we won the team overall for the day (Lea got 11th and me 27th) so we have to go quickly.

To be honest, I am a bit bummed that I didn't have a good day at MSA. My head was in the right place, but my body really didn't have any energy at all. It's a bummer that I turned out to be sick at that moment, but that's life and it's okay. Afterall, arriving healthy to an event is a part of the challenge and the preparation so the resposibility is on me, not on bad luck or anything else. On the other hand, I felt pretty good on the technical features, whereas I used to shit my pants on every single one of these descents in the past. So I guess that's a win...and even if it wasn't what I hoped for, it was my best MSA race ever. I was also very happy to contribute a tiny bit to the team winning the Overall on the day! The bonus of being sick was that after I took a sip of champagne, no one else wanted to touch it...so I got to finish it! 

Photo by Matt Delorme. Mag-Dogg, L-Diggity and Quick-C. Celebrating the team overall win!

Photo by Matt Delorme. Feeling so proud and lucky to be on this team! :) 

That was the end of the mountain bike season for me. I'm now on vacation for a week before starting to prepare for the cyclocross season! It's been the most fun mountain bike season I have ever had; thanks to great company, great events, amazing support and an improved maturity/honesty/calmness in my own little head! 

I can safely say that I caught the mountain bike fever this season. 

Boston Rebellion

Ever since I started racing cyclocross, I've always loved coming to New England for a bike race. Not only the region is cool, but most importantly, the bike scene is huge, people are big fans of the sport and the races always have such a fun and positive vibe. This weekend, to the soundtrack of Notorious B.I.G, we headed to New England with David and Lea for the UCI HC Boston Rebellion race. 

Nowadays, I don’t really get super nervous about the race itself. What stresses me out the most is whether I’ll be able or not to do my absolute best during the race. It sounds super cliché, but if you’ve ever experienced it, you know what I’m talking about…

Sometimes in races, I have a hard time getting out of my own way and when that happens, I never do very well. Most importantly, when I do that (getting distracted and then being stuck in my head for an undetermined amount of time), I don’t really have fun and I am not proud after the race because I know I could have done better. I call that bad version of myself "Baboune la Vieille Poune" which could translate to "Grumpy Old Chamy". 

The good thing is that this happens less and less theses days. And when it does happen, I am more able to get out of it than I used to.

Anyway, last week, after a few mistakes, I got in that mindset for about half the race at Nationals before getting back to reality on the last 1.5 laps and finishing strong. So before the Boston Rebellion, I was a bit worried I would do it again.

My strategy to counter that was to take a minute before the race and set my head straight by setting some tangible goals for myself. Basically, I reminded myself what I was about to do and what I should focus on. For me, that meant:

• Remind myself of the start and couple few features.
• Focus on myself, not others. 
• At the start, I wanted to go as fast as I could to get in a good position in the first singletrack. I was not starting on the first row, so to do that, my focus was set on looking ahead and searching for opportunities to pass.
• Have some key points I could control to think about during the race: Looking way up the trail, breathe, accelerate out of corners. 
• Embrace the pain: Smile and say "Heck yeah, that's good" when I was hurting instead of saying to myself "Ouch that hurts, maybe I need to slow down..". 
• Have balls, don't hesitate. Or as one of my good friend always says: "Go fast, take chances." 

With that in mind, I was excited and felt ready to race. I'm happy to report that Baboune la Vielle Poune never showed up during the race, it was only me, and I had a good, fun, and clean race! Yahooo! 

The race was relatively uneventful for me...

• Lea got the hole shot and was leading, we were a leading group of 5.
• "This is good!"  
• Lea broke her chain. Me: What happened?! Are you okay?!" Lea: "I broke my chain!" Me: "Crap!" 
• To myself... "That sucks...Okay Magh, come on. You gotta do it for the team now!".
• In the feed zone, I told Dave that Lea broke her chain so he could get ready to fix it. 
• I kept riding with Rose, Emily and Kate for a while and let a gap open on the second lap after a small mistake.
• After that I pretty much rode by myself the whole time and finished in 4th. The course was very fun and I was happy about my race and my performance! 

However, in my book the "Champion of the day" award totally goes to Lea. She broke her chain on the first lap, very far from the tech zone. I honestly thought she would drop out of the race. I think I would have. But L-Diggity took her bike and ran all the way to the tech zone with her two "surgery-ed" hips, got her chain repaired and started riding in last place. She set out a super strong pace and made her way through the field to finish in 8th in a stacked field. To me that's the attitude of a true champ. Thanks for showing me how it's done Lea! 

The day finished off with a cool down with my official New-England-races-cool-down buddy Crystal Anthony and a fun dinner at whole foods with more New Englands friends (Ian, Jack and Jeremy). 

That drop was a fun feature of the course. Although the whole course was great as it was mostly single track.
Photo by Mark McCormack

High fives after the race. One thing I really love about racing is the camaraderie between racers. Rose is definitely a super nice and classy competitor :) At some point during the race, Rose and I were riding together and I thought "Okay Epic Rides team, let's do this together!!"
Photo by Mark McCormack

David took care of the bike fixing, bottles handing, driving, cheering, and way more! Thank you :) 

Short Track 

Sunday was the Short Track and my excitement level was high. In pre-ride, I had tried a couple of different liens in the rock garden because it was the main feature of the course and I knew the race could be separated there....(I'll leave it up to that for now.)

• I started off strong taking the hole shot and leading the first minute. "You got this Maghs!" 
• Before the rock garden, 3 girls pass me. "No prob, I'll take a different line to not get stuck behind if they mess up." 
• 10 sec later, my face is stamped in the rock, I can't breathe and I'm tangled up in my bike. "Great." Everyone passes me. 
• A guy helps me to get back on my feet. "Should I even keep going?" "Oh come on Magh, Lea did it yesterday. You can do it too. At least get a good workout in!"
• I thank the nice guy and get back on my bike, 1+ minute behind the rest of the fields. 
• Rode by myself and caught up a few people until the end of the race! "Glad I kept going!" 
• The day finished with a fun spin with Rebecca Henderson from Australia. She is super nice and it was fun to get to know her a bit better :) 

ave drove us back home (thanks you Dave!) and now I'm getting ready for my first World Cup of the season in Mont Ste-Anne! 

Thanks to the Boston community for the fun event and good cheers!

Can't believe the next time I'll cool down with Crystal it will be on our cross bikes...

Short track start!