Windham- World Cup Finals 09/02/2010
So now I know how it feels to get whooped:) I finished my first World Cup race in 41st place and for some people it seems really far away from the top girls but for me it feels really good. I raced against the best women in the world, which most of the them have been racing much longer than me and have worked all season for these two weeks with their peak this coming weekend at World Championship. I started from the back of the field in 66th place which puts you 2 minutes down automatically with so many girls up front. I never have great starts to begin with and especially when you have 70 girls in the front of you running through the wood with their bikes doesn't seem to exciting, so first lap was the toughest for me. After the first climb the traffic jam spread out and I could start to focus and ride my own pace. I felt good and passing some riders gave me some confidence which helped towards the end where I felt stronger. Our good friend Bryna also started towards the back where she had to endure the backup going into the woods. She finished her first World Cup strong as well and hopefully she comes back for more next year. I really enjoyed racing with Bryna this season.
I love big races with big fields of women. It's seem scary and I didn't know what to expect but I just wanted to make sure I did my best.That was the biggest race I've ever done and it was very exciting for me. I could see ahead of me around five riders and the same behind me through the whole race. There wasn't any break and any mistake can cost you a few spots.
I had extra super power from all the spectators and I felt really lucky. It was unbelievable how many friends were there and I'd like to thank everybody for cheering! Doesn't get any better than having people scream at you. I love that. Thanks again!
My biggest support came from Mike who was more nervous than me on Saturday and also Matt . Both of them were giving me water on the feed zones. Every time I rode next to Matt he was jumping around with excitment and I was wondering if he is going be able to stay still to give me water. It was really motivating and pretty funny because he was jumping so high that you could see him at the bottom of the climb. It was also a relief to know that both of them had extra sets of wheels for me but fortunately we didn't have to use them because a lot of people, especially in the men field, were getting flats. Thanks to my two favorite guys for all that support!
Next weekend is the most exciting race of the year- World Championships in Mont Sainte Anne Quebec. I'm looking forward to seeing the results almost as much as if I were racing. Canada is definitely my favorite place to race so far but I think going to World's you have to be at a certain level...hopefully I'll get there next year:) I keep my fingers crossed for both: Polish and American riders. My favorite is definitely Georgia Gould and I believe she is one of the leaders. I'm keeping my fingers crossed also for Marek Galinski-my favorite male rider who spent 10 great days with us and shared his knowledge and experience with us. We had a really good time and having him around was lots of fun. He placed 15Th in Windham and I think both Mike and I were more excited about his result than he was. Thanks for all your help Marek!
Our MTB season is going to slow down... Fall is coming and I look forward to ride colorful trails with the local riders and drinking red wine after on the porch. There is going to be more time to spend with friends and having fun at the SMBA trials not thinking about specific training. Both - Mike and I will race some cyclocross races without big expectations. I'm already thinking about my 2011 MTB season and the World Cup series which will make it a very busy year. But for now we both need some time home to relax. Saratoga Springs is beautiful in the fall.
Enjoy riding and feeling good afterwards,
Aleks and Mike
ps. I'll post some more pics soon. Pete is the best photographer ever and he took a bunch of them. Thanks for the loudest scream as well Peet-o! :)
I love big races with big fields of women. It's seem scary and I didn't know what to expect but I just wanted to make sure I did my best.That was the biggest race I've ever done and it was very exciting for me. I could see ahead of me around five riders and the same behind me through the whole race. There wasn't any break and any mistake can cost you a few spots.
I had extra super power from all the spectators and I felt really lucky. It was unbelievable how many friends were there and I'd like to thank everybody for cheering! Doesn't get any better than having people scream at you. I love that. Thanks again!
My biggest support came from Mike who was more nervous than me on Saturday and also Matt . Both of them were giving me water on the feed zones. Every time I rode next to Matt he was jumping around with excitment and I was wondering if he is going be able to stay still to give me water. It was really motivating and pretty funny because he was jumping so high that you could see him at the bottom of the climb. It was also a relief to know that both of them had extra sets of wheels for me but fortunately we didn't have to use them because a lot of people, especially in the men field, were getting flats. Thanks to my two favorite guys for all that support!
Next weekend is the most exciting race of the year- World Championships in Mont Sainte Anne Quebec. I'm looking forward to seeing the results almost as much as if I were racing. Canada is definitely my favorite place to race so far but I think going to World's you have to be at a certain level...hopefully I'll get there next year:) I keep my fingers crossed for both: Polish and American riders. My favorite is definitely Georgia Gould and I believe she is one of the leaders. I'm keeping my fingers crossed also for Marek Galinski-my favorite male rider who spent 10 great days with us and shared his knowledge and experience with us. We had a really good time and having him around was lots of fun. He placed 15Th in Windham and I think both Mike and I were more excited about his result than he was. Thanks for all your help Marek!
Our MTB season is going to slow down... Fall is coming and I look forward to ride colorful trails with the local riders and drinking red wine after on the porch. There is going to be more time to spend with friends and having fun at the SMBA trials not thinking about specific training. Both - Mike and I will race some cyclocross races without big expectations. I'm already thinking about my 2011 MTB season and the World Cup series which will make it a very busy year. But for now we both need some time home to relax. Saratoga Springs is beautiful in the fall.
Enjoy riding and feeling good afterwards,
Aleks and Mike
ps. I'll post some more pics soon. Pete is the best photographer ever and he took a bunch of them. Thanks for the loudest scream as well Peet-o! :)
