Monday, September 21, 2009

Over the Hump MTB Series - Irvine Lake

Some guys decided to start a weekday race series here in Orange County and it was about time!!! I can't believe no one has done that before!



It was a huge success! The first race was at the end of August and the second was a few weeks later. Over 300 mountain bikers participated in each race and did laps around a 3.4 mile loop at Irvine Lake.


It was great to see all the different levels of riders. There were some TRUE BEGINNERS who lined up just behind some TRUE PROS! Beginners did 1 lap; Sport- 2 laps; Expert- 3 laps; & Pros- 4 laps.


Even Hans "NO WAY" Rey showed up to give his support. You may know him from this photo....


Although I haven't returned to my former fitness level, I wouldn't have felt comfortable racing anything other than the Pro category. There were 5 of us ladies in the Pro category for both races and both times I ended up in 5th place. I must say that I was very satisfied with my performances. Not only was I able to somewhat compete with these super fast ladies, but I was also able to improve my time during the second race.




Next I will be competing in a race that is more my style. It is a 50 mile sufferfest at Vail Lake. The SoCal Fat Tire Epic is on October 3 and it will be a tough one for me. I haven't had a whole lot of training time but I'm getting in rides whenever I can. I just hope to finish within the 8 hour time limit!

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