MTB Natz Recap

           In a blink of an eye, I went from racing my bike at the Texas Pro XCT, to flying to Idaho for MTB National Championships. I knew this nationals was going to be one of the hardest ones yet. With little acclimation to the altitude and my leg still useless, I knew the only way I could finish the race let alone do well was just to get my mind in another place during racing and just never stop hitting the throttle.  The XC was Excruciating! With a 8+ minute straight up climb and to rock sections that rattled my thigh enough to cause a little more pain than I would have liked.

            From the start gun, I threw it in cruise control and just focused on my pace and nothing else. I didn't necessarily have to result I wanted, but I finished the race which considering the circumstances I was damn stoked. I raced with Cliff Shot mix in me bottle and a Cliff shot right before my start as well as half way through which resulted in zero bonking! The next day, I practiced some Super D and watched some pros race like mad men. Made me soooo happy I was still a JR. The following day I raced Super D in the AM which was going beautifully until a collision with a rider that I just caught threw me over the bars resulting in a non rideable bike. Later in the day, I raced the Short Track which my goal was just to go as hard as possible for the first ten minutes to try to get the usage of my leg back. I finished fairly well and was super stoked to start to get my full leg power back. Now, it's off to Missoula, Montana for one of the best XC races of the year. Hopefully a nice little recovery week will set me up nicely for some rehab and race speed!