Cyclocross Racing on the east coast...

Mary Crossing it up

Mike and I are just unpacking and recovering from the NEPCX Series finals in Warwick, RI.    We enjoyed camping on site at the event and testing the winter camping capacities of our new (to us)  Winnebago in what was our first taste of REALLY cold weather that we have had so far this winter.  The short story involves a slight mis-wiring of a new sound system that Mike recently installed and some resulting mystery battery drainage and heater failure that had us relying on the 6.5 liters of diesel engine just to keep the frost out of our hair.  Luckily we have a break in the action for some re wiring.  

The Brave  (stereo sounds great, by the way)...
 

We went to the races polished, tuned & dialed in to compete in what would be our final race weekend of the year.  My motivation was rock solid as I knew I had a chance for a podium in the overall series.  Unfortunately things did not go as well as we had hoped…  

Elite Women's start line up

I was unable to find the right form on Saturday - seemingly freezing up in the extreme cold as the racing progressed...  Perhaps I should have eaten more that morning?  or had bacon with my oatmeal...  Mike said my lips were blue after the race - not a good sign.

brrrr.

Sunday brought warmer weather and Much better legs...

Enjoying a Guayaki Yerba Mate Organic energy shot...

But also a critical technical error - I slipped a pedal prior to the start sprint...  Instantly these fumbling few moment had me seriously gapped off the front group.  All I could do was chase thru traffic… hard.   and I did.  Actually felt Really good and got as close as 8 seconds to the 4 leaders at one point, but this wasn't quite enough… Anyhoo, Finished 5th on the day (stoked to win my sprint) and this was enough to preserve 3rd overall in the NEPCX series… my reward for the consistent good days we had throughout the season! 

This cyclocross season in general felt really successful for the team and overall a great experience.  We enjoyed reconnecting with the East Coast bike community and met a lot of new faces.  These events have really proven top notch with the increased levels of competition and awesome media coverage.   Mike and I were glad to be a part!

Team KENDA - Seven - NoTubes

So we now are now looking forward to a little down time to give our minds and bodies a break after this long combined mountain bike and cyclocross season.  This short break in the competition will allow us to shift gears and prepare ourselves for the soon upcoming MTB season. 

Huge thanks to ALL our great sponsors, family and friends who helped make this season possible!

  

Good health and balance to you all!

:-)

Mary and Mike

Share this post