Race Report: MARIPOSA
WOMEN’S STAGE RACE - Friday May 16-Sunday May 18
2014
I was sooo excited for this race…the girls all say it is a
highlight of the season, that it’s nice not being lost in the mass of guys,
that Robert Leibold puts on a great event in support of the girls.
We even get our own age groups!
After being clobbered in 35+ races all season, I was looking forward to a
55+ race. I raced Leibold’s races
in the 80s and 90s, and true to his outstanding reputation, this event was
spectacular! I have to say, we are
very blessed to have Robert putting on local races all these years because So
Cal girls are not so lucky -- they come up here to race, due to the shortage of
good events there! Nor Cal is a
hotbed for talent precisely because we have soooo many classy races here! So, thank you, Robert!!
Stage 1 - Basso
Bridge TT: This year I noticed that Calaveras Frog Jump (our county
fair) means I’m off school on Friday, the first day of racing!
(My students show their animals.)
Well, clearly, it was meant to be - I’ve just got to do this race! And we had a noon start for the stage 1
time trial, only about an hour’s drive from home!
Many of Leibold’s races start “in the middle of nowhere”, so I mapquested
and highlighted how to get there…and I was so excited that I left about an hour
earlier than really necessary…or so I thought! At some point out there in the middle
of nowhere, I realized I’d gone way too far south…and started to panic. Whew! A gas station appeared along a
desolate road and the owner redirects me - I was sooo glad that A) they knew
English, and B) they knew where I was trying to go!
I must’ve been nervous, because I was on the verge of tears, thinking I
might miss stage 1 and not be able to race the next two days.
Well, I made it to the registration and it was so nice to set up our
trainers under the shade of the oaks, as it was HOTHOTHOT!
I had an uneventful 40 minute trainer warm-up, followed by 20 minutes on
the road and felt ready for this.
It was so hot, I kept my water bottle (although I never used it, being
too busy going hard). The 10 mile
course goes slightly uphill on the way out and turns around near Turlock Lake to
hit a ton of cross wind and head wind coming back.
I rode hard, but finished slow in a 29:02, and had a cough attack at the
finish line for several minutes.
This HURT! 95 degrees and
windy is not anyone’s fav! While
waiting for the results, we all waded in the river, chilling tired legs and
sipping recovery drinks. I
finished second to Yvonne Walbroehl, but the gap was 2:00
L She is a
fastie!
My roommate for the weekend,
Roxie (Elena Joroski) and I followed one another to Groveland, about an hour’s
drive, where we would stay the next two nights. Checking in was tiring, maybe even
hilarious, as we had to pick up keys at one B&B, and drive 10 minutes out of
town to the “ranch”, the difficulty being that no one was there to check us in
! Just a red phone on the porch,
which connected us to a faraway person who promised someone would let us in in
“5 minutes”. The next hour was the
longest 5 minutes of our lives!
The lady who finally did let us in started crying and said she hated her
job, but…we did indeed finally get
out to the peaceful ranch setting, where we ate our dinner on the deck. We brought most of what we needed to
eat, and the lodge attendant very kindly offered to pick something up for us in
town (to make up for the check in scenario!). I ordered a chicken quesadilla, about
the safest item I can think of, and ate it with my tomato soup from home. Note to self:
bring everything you plan to eat…so get a cooler and pack more food for
upcoming races…because this quesadilla just may have been the turning point of
the race. After an hour in Recovery
Boots, and a little NookBook game time (no wifi, no fb!), it was sleep
time.
Stage 2 -
Groveland Hill Climb - 6.7 miles - 2045’ climbing: Saturday morning we
had only a 10 minute drive to registration J. Thirty minutes on the trainer, a seven mile ride down to
the river start, and off we went, each in our own categories.
The refs hoped we would all agree to a mass start (50 riders), but many
of us (me being the vocal one) asked that each age group start its own race, so
we could see where our competitors were.
My category had only 4 gals (some of the 55s rode down for more
competition - they are the super human ones!), and I wanted to at least see what
was going on in my race. However,
after a bad clip-in and a less than spectacular start, my race was decided. This was a LONG, RELENTLESS CLIMB, 2045‘
in 6.7 miles, with no flat spots.
My head was pounding as I tried to close the gap on Narda Roushdi, who
was trying to close the gap on Yvonne.
Linda Locke, in forth, has done all 17 years of this race!
Again, as I crossed the finish line, I was coughing like crazy and had a
massive head ache and stomach ache.
Again, several minutes passed before I could stand up ok.
This is not the usual me. I
finished 3rd in 51:12, and lost my lead over Narda by a lot.
Roxie and I rode back to the registration area (7 miles) and drove back
to our ranch, where I had 2 hours to recover for the afternoon race. Normally this is not a big deal for me,
but I think the chicken quesadilla was my downfall.
I was sooo glad we had a place to relax before heading out about 15
minutes to our afternoon start. (Some racers stayed about an hour and a half
away in Mariposa, site of the Sunday race, and had nowhere to hang out between
the Saturday races. The payoff
being they did not have to wake up at 4:30 the next morning!)
I was GLAD to be in Groveland! J
Stage 3- Greely
Hill Circuit Race - 5 miles per lap - 38 miles - 2500’ climbing: This was a very challenging race, as I
was feeling sick, headachy, and somewhat dizzy. I really wasn’t sure how I could do
this, but I made it to the start and we flew down a 35 mph descent for a mile or
so. Unfortunately, feeling this
bad, I got dropped right away and then I got MAD, and fought to get back on,
which took us to the climb at the end of the lap (and the eventual finish
line). I was able to stay on for
another couple of laps (we rode with the 45s, about 20 of us), before tiring and
riding in, working hard to catch stragglers. I never give up hope of catching
someone out there. I really liked
this course, and hope to improve on it next year - multiple laps on a short,
wooded course was fun! A few
locals rang cowbells and cheered as we endlessly raced by.
I finished third, and our standings were now set, as the gaps between the
four of us had grown L Darn - I’d
hoped to place second this weekend (knowing Yvonne is eons ahead), but Narda and
I have battled it out over the years and always have a good time doing so! I was more than fried after this race,
and coughing yet again. By this
time I was suspicious that the coughing fits were asthma related, something I’ve
dealt with in the past, but not in recent years, so I did not have an inhaler
anymore. Live
and learn.
Roxie Did great - in all her races - and it was so fun
having a fast roommate! She was a
great roommate, and liked my Recovery Boots as much as I enjoyed her string
cheese and peanut butter J We enjoyed
baked potatoes (on the deck) and called it a night.
Stage 4:
Bootjack Road Race - 3 laps - 3600’ climbing: We had to be packed and on
the road at 5:30 am, for a stomach wrenching twisty Highway 49 drive to Mariposa
for the final stage of this 3-day event.
Some of the young’uns looked awfully eager, but that wasn’t me - I was
ready to wrap this baby up! My
usual enthusiasm was stretched, due to stomach and breathing issues, so when the
45s announced they didn’t want to race with the 55s, I was relieved - going
another 3 hours at their pace on this hilly course could’ve killed me! As they rode off, the starter asked if
we had any questions, and Linda suggested, hey, why not go 3 laps instead of
4…the standings were set. So we
did just that, and we rode out on
the most fantastic and fun 5 mile descent of my life!
It wasn’t steep enough to be scary, and it had enough curves to give that
exhilaration. What a welcome
sight! And then…Yvonne, our race
leader, says, hey, why not ride for fun until the last lap J ! OK, now I
was in heaven, since I was still feeling sick-ish.
So we rode it as a club ride and stuck together, catching up with one
another finally, since we don’t see a lot of each other after each stage. Once we got to the back half of the lap
and started climbing, I realized just how bad my breathing was…what a
bummer! I was so glad to have
company! At the end of the final
lap, Yvonne and Narda rode off, and Linda and I rode in together.
With 1k to go, we looked at each other and shook our heads, naaa, too
soon to race! With 200 to go, we
did the same - we were that tired!
With about 50 yards to go, Linda says, “Wanna Sprint?!”
So we do, and in my typical sprinting style I finish …last J The racing
was done! 99
miles, 7500‘ climbing - done J I felt like crud and finished with a
smile.
Robert had a great and amusing awards ceremony, in which he
presented handmade awards, and lots of oddball awards for interesting events
along the way. I was 3rd in the
55s. Congrats to my competitors -
each of you rode a great race!!
Let’s do it again! We took
lots of photos, had lots of laughs, and hit the road for a 3+ hour drive
home.
If you have never done this race, DO IT!
It is not as hard as I made it sound, because I did it and was sick or
something . There is only one
downside to this race and that is lodging cost, so I’m already
on that to see what I can come up with next year!
The
courses are beautiful, the camaraderie is fantastic, and the sense of
accomplishment is something you won’t soon forget.
What
I learned: 1) Always turn on my Carmin (car Garmin)!
Duh!
2) I was tired going into
this race, in fact had been tired since Wente, 3 weeks earlier, where I’d also
had a coughing episode at the finish.
Although I had a recovery week prior to Mariposa, I was still tired…and
looking back, I should have addressed the coughing/breathing much earlier! I’m back on my inhalers now and doing
better. But my lack of attention
cost me. The results may or may not
have changed…but my experience certainly would have been more enjoyable if I’d
been breathing better! Again - duh!
3) Bring ALL food
-so, I’ve already bought a little ice chest like Roxie’s and I will bring
EVERYTHING I plan to eat! And
meanwhile, I’ve been using it as a bottle cooler for my daily rides (since I
leave from work, not home). OK,
most of you have been doing this for years, but I never noticed ‘til now how
nice it is to start a ride with cold bottles J
Fueling: I use HAMMER
throughout my racing and training:
Immediately following each
race - 2 scoops of Recoverite
mixed with the remainder of my second bottle, followed by dinner a couple of
hours later. HAMMER is great
product, with plenty of personal advice, and scientifically designed fueling for
success in all events endurance J
It is a pleasure representing a company I truly believe in and use
daily. If you are interested,
contact me for a 15% discount on your first order!
Heres what I take:
Ecaps (4-7 daily), Race
Caps Supreme, Mito Caps, Boron, Phytomax,
and Tissue Rejuvinator.
Thank
you to those who are helping me reach my goals this
season:
HAMMER
Nutrition *
Recovery Boots * Dr. Edward Chu, ART Therapy
* Town Center Bike
&
Tri
Marnene Waid - Serenity Springs, Massage therapy
* Joe Santos, bike fit
specialist, Davis Wheel Works
WOMEN’S STAGE RACE - Friday May 16-Sunday May 18
2014
I was sooo excited for this race…the girls all say it is a
highlight of the season, that it’s nice not being lost in the mass of guys,
that Robert Leibold puts on a great event in support of the girls.
We even get our own age groups!
After being clobbered in 35+ races all season, I was looking forward to a
55+ race. I raced Leibold’s races
in the 80s and 90s, and true to his outstanding reputation, this event was
spectacular! I have to say, we are
very blessed to have Robert putting on local races all these years because So
Cal girls are not so lucky -- they come up here to race, due to the shortage of
good events there! Nor Cal is a
hotbed for talent precisely because we have soooo many classy races here! So, thank you, Robert!!
Stage 1 - Basso
Bridge TT: This year I noticed that Calaveras Frog Jump (our county
fair) means I’m off school on Friday, the first day of racing!
(My students show their animals.)
Well, clearly, it was meant to be - I’ve just got to do this race! And we had a noon start for the stage 1
time trial, only about an hour’s drive from home!
Many of Leibold’s races start “in the middle of nowhere”, so I mapquested
and highlighted how to get there…and I was so excited that I left about an hour
earlier than really necessary…or so I thought! At some point out there in the middle
of nowhere, I realized I’d gone way too far south…and started to panic. Whew! A gas station appeared along a
desolate road and the owner redirects me - I was sooo glad that A) they knew
English, and B) they knew where I was trying to go!
I must’ve been nervous, because I was on the verge of tears, thinking I
might miss stage 1 and not be able to race the next two days.
Well, I made it to the registration and it was so nice to set up our
trainers under the shade of the oaks, as it was HOTHOTHOT!
I had an uneventful 40 minute trainer warm-up, followed by 20 minutes on
the road and felt ready for this.
It was so hot, I kept my water bottle (although I never used it, being
too busy going hard). The 10 mile
course goes slightly uphill on the way out and turns around near Turlock Lake to
hit a ton of cross wind and head wind coming back.
I rode hard, but finished slow in a 29:02, and had a cough attack at the
finish line for several minutes.
This HURT! 95 degrees and
windy is not anyone’s fav! While
waiting for the results, we all waded in the river, chilling tired legs and
sipping recovery drinks. I
finished second to Yvonne Walbroehl, but the gap was 2:00
L She is a
fastie!
My roommate for the weekend,
Roxie (Elena Joroski) and I followed one another to Groveland, about an hour’s
drive, where we would stay the next two nights. Checking in was tiring, maybe even
hilarious, as we had to pick up keys at one B&B, and drive 10 minutes out of
town to the “ranch”, the difficulty being that no one was there to check us in
! Just a red phone on the porch,
which connected us to a faraway person who promised someone would let us in in
“5 minutes”. The next hour was the
longest 5 minutes of our lives!
The lady who finally did let us in started crying and said she hated her
job, but…we did indeed finally get
out to the peaceful ranch setting, where we ate our dinner on the deck. We brought most of what we needed to
eat, and the lodge attendant very kindly offered to pick something up for us in
town (to make up for the check in scenario!). I ordered a chicken quesadilla, about
the safest item I can think of, and ate it with my tomato soup from home. Note to self:
bring everything you plan to eat…so get a cooler and pack more food for
upcoming races…because this quesadilla just may have been the turning point of
the race. After an hour in Recovery
Boots, and a little NookBook game time (no wifi, no fb!), it was sleep
time.
Stage 2 -
Groveland Hill Climb - 6.7 miles - 2045’ climbing: Saturday morning we
had only a 10 minute drive to registration J. Thirty minutes on the trainer, a seven mile ride down to
the river start, and off we went, each in our own categories.
The refs hoped we would all agree to a mass start (50 riders), but many
of us (me being the vocal one) asked that each age group start its own race, so
we could see where our competitors were.
My category had only 4 gals (some of the 55s rode down for more
competition - they are the super human ones!), and I wanted to at least see what
was going on in my race. However,
after a bad clip-in and a less than spectacular start, my race was decided. This was a LONG, RELENTLESS CLIMB, 2045‘
in 6.7 miles, with no flat spots.
My head was pounding as I tried to close the gap on Narda Roushdi, who
was trying to close the gap on Yvonne.
Linda Locke, in forth, has done all 17 years of this race!
Again, as I crossed the finish line, I was coughing like crazy and had a
massive head ache and stomach ache.
Again, several minutes passed before I could stand up ok.
This is not the usual me. I
finished 3rd in 51:12, and lost my lead over Narda by a lot.
Roxie and I rode back to the registration area (7 miles) and drove back
to our ranch, where I had 2 hours to recover for the afternoon race. Normally this is not a big deal for me,
but I think the chicken quesadilla was my downfall.
I was sooo glad we had a place to relax before heading out about 15
minutes to our afternoon start. (Some racers stayed about an hour and a half
away in Mariposa, site of the Sunday race, and had nowhere to hang out between
the Saturday races. The payoff
being they did not have to wake up at 4:30 the next morning!)
I was GLAD to be in Groveland! J
Stage 3- Greely
Hill Circuit Race - 5 miles per lap - 38 miles - 2500’ climbing: This was a very challenging race, as I
was feeling sick, headachy, and somewhat dizzy. I really wasn’t sure how I could do
this, but I made it to the start and we flew down a 35 mph descent for a mile or
so. Unfortunately, feeling this
bad, I got dropped right away and then I got MAD, and fought to get back on,
which took us to the climb at the end of the lap (and the eventual finish
line). I was able to stay on for
another couple of laps (we rode with the 45s, about 20 of us), before tiring and
riding in, working hard to catch stragglers. I never give up hope of catching
someone out there. I really liked
this course, and hope to improve on it next year - multiple laps on a short,
wooded course was fun! A few
locals rang cowbells and cheered as we endlessly raced by.
I finished third, and our standings were now set, as the gaps between the
four of us had grown L Darn - I’d
hoped to place second this weekend (knowing Yvonne is eons ahead), but Narda and
I have battled it out over the years and always have a good time doing so! I was more than fried after this race,
and coughing yet again. By this
time I was suspicious that the coughing fits were asthma related, something I’ve
dealt with in the past, but not in recent years, so I did not have an inhaler
anymore. Live
and learn.
Roxie Did great - in all her races - and it was so fun
having a fast roommate! She was a
great roommate, and liked my Recovery Boots as much as I enjoyed her string
cheese and peanut butter J We enjoyed
baked potatoes (on the deck) and called it a night.
Stage 4:
Bootjack Road Race - 3 laps - 3600’ climbing: We had to be packed and on
the road at 5:30 am, for a stomach wrenching twisty Highway 49 drive to Mariposa
for the final stage of this 3-day event.
Some of the young’uns looked awfully eager, but that wasn’t me - I was
ready to wrap this baby up! My
usual enthusiasm was stretched, due to stomach and breathing issues, so when the
45s announced they didn’t want to race with the 55s, I was relieved - going
another 3 hours at their pace on this hilly course could’ve killed me! As they rode off, the starter asked if
we had any questions, and Linda suggested, hey, why not go 3 laps instead of
4…the standings were set. So we
did just that, and we rode out on
the most fantastic and fun 5 mile descent of my life!
It wasn’t steep enough to be scary, and it had enough curves to give that
exhilaration. What a welcome
sight! And then…Yvonne, our race
leader, says, hey, why not ride for fun until the last lap J ! OK, now I
was in heaven, since I was still feeling sick-ish.
So we rode it as a club ride and stuck together, catching up with one
another finally, since we don’t see a lot of each other after each stage. Once we got to the back half of the lap
and started climbing, I realized just how bad my breathing was…what a
bummer! I was so glad to have
company! At the end of the final
lap, Yvonne and Narda rode off, and Linda and I rode in together.
With 1k to go, we looked at each other and shook our heads, naaa, too
soon to race! With 200 to go, we
did the same - we were that tired!
With about 50 yards to go, Linda says, “Wanna Sprint?!”
So we do, and in my typical sprinting style I finish …last J The racing
was done! 99
miles, 7500‘ climbing - done J I felt like crud and finished with a
smile.
Robert had a great and amusing awards ceremony, in which he
presented handmade awards, and lots of oddball awards for interesting events
along the way. I was 3rd in the
55s. Congrats to my competitors -
each of you rode a great race!!
Let’s do it again! We took
lots of photos, had lots of laughs, and hit the road for a 3+ hour drive
home.
If you have never done this race, DO IT!
It is not as hard as I made it sound, because I did it and was sick or
something . There is only one
downside to this race and that is lodging cost, so I’m already
on that to see what I can come up with next year!
The
courses are beautiful, the camaraderie is fantastic, and the sense of
accomplishment is something you won’t soon forget.
What
I learned: 1) Always turn on my Carmin (car Garmin)!
Duh!
2) I was tired going into
this race, in fact had been tired since Wente, 3 weeks earlier, where I’d also
had a coughing episode at the finish.
Although I had a recovery week prior to Mariposa, I was still tired…and
looking back, I should have addressed the coughing/breathing much earlier! I’m back on my inhalers now and doing
better. But my lack of attention
cost me. The results may or may not
have changed…but my experience certainly would have been more enjoyable if I’d
been breathing better! Again - duh!
3) Bring ALL food
-so, I’ve already bought a little ice chest like Roxie’s and I will bring
EVERYTHING I plan to eat! And
meanwhile, I’ve been using it as a bottle cooler for my daily rides (since I
leave from work, not home). OK,
most of you have been doing this for years, but I never noticed ‘til now how
nice it is to start a ride with cold bottles J
Fueling: I use HAMMER
throughout my racing and training:
Immediately following each
race - 2 scoops of Recoverite
mixed with the remainder of my second bottle, followed by dinner a couple of
hours later. HAMMER is great
product, with plenty of personal advice, and scientifically designed fueling for
success in all events endurance J
It is a pleasure representing a company I truly believe in and use
daily. If you are interested,
contact me for a 15% discount on your first order!
Heres what I take:
Ecaps (4-7 daily), Race
Caps Supreme, Mito Caps, Boron, Phytomax,
and Tissue Rejuvinator.
Thank
you to those who are helping me reach my goals this
season:
HAMMER
Nutrition *
Recovery Boots * Dr. Edward Chu, ART Therapy
* Town Center Bike
&
Tri
Marnene Waid - Serenity Springs, Massage therapy
* Joe Santos, bike fit
specialist, Davis Wheel Works