| |
WINBERRY IN ECUADOR: TRAINING, RACING... AND WINNING
4/11/2009
Primera Valida
Laura’s first international race was in Cuenca, Ecuador. During the race, she mentioned feeling horrible, likely due to racing at altitude for the first time. Laura was racing against this woman named Alexandra, the current Pan-American champion. Needless to say, Laura was lapped near the end but still rode very hard, good enough for 3rd! The race was less technical than what she’s used to, but she would adapt…
Caballo Campana
2 hours, 4 laps. Laura said the race is simple: “sufrimento,” or suffering. There were more climbs on this course, long climbs chock full of switchbacks. There was an amazing view of towering green mountains speckled with cottages and farms, with the Hosteria Caballo Campana littered with ants of people below. The scent of surrounding Eucalyptus was a constant reminder of the beauty that she was fortunate enough to be existing and riding in. Laura mentioned it was a mental and spiritual test more than anything, as many races can be. She knew the body would continue if the mind and heart told it to. On several levels, the race, indefinitely, was hard. She was glad to have done it and is stronger because of it. Result: 3rd place. Not too shabby…
Race #3: Paute, 1st Place!!!
The trip out to Paute and and back was fast, plenty of steady double-track, open dirt roads. Aerobically, this would be a great test to see where we’re at…
Laura’s HR was 170+ for the 1h20m out to Paute, then the same HR for the return trip. It was a long, fast race. Laura mentioned she never stopped pedaling, no cruising. She was able to push on the climbs and ride hard tempo on the flats… Her form was certainly coming as she mentioned she recovered quickly from the efforts and it felt good to be pushing so hard… She ended up taking 1st in her division: way to keep moving in the right direction, Laura!!!
Segunda Valida (Cuenca)
This was another fast race, basically flat with one rooty section, a few tight turns, some rocks, NOT Ringwood style. There was an extremely fast technical downhill section, and Laura was able to put her bike-handling skills to use, taking back some time on Alexandra… Laura worked on popping hard through the water ditches and did not get lapped. Finished 3rd, again!
Final Race: Chimborazo, the Epic National Race!
Laura rode this race with a partner, her friend Ruben, an 8-time Pan American Pro champ, in the Mixed category. Laura noted she felt super, the race actually giving her energy. The race was 40k, the final 30k all climbing!!! The riders climbed 3600m to 4800m.
Laura described some epic conditions, the snow, the rain, the freezing temperatures…Laura wrote she had a glorious ride, clmbing like a mountain goat. Despite having hiked Cayambe the day before (a full-day trek!), she felt very strong despite no recovery riding, no pre-ride, no warm-up, just RACING. The climbs were steep and Laura noted she could keep pushing, her form continuing to improve… The descents were treacherously steep with lots of twists and turns and stuff to jump over – it was actually a solid mountain-bike course and Laura loved it. The race ended on a steep climb, where Laura finished strongly and recovered immediately thereafter.
The climb was a big test. Laura was able to push hard when it counted, her HR shooting into the 180s all day – always a good sign when an athlete is feeling good, pushing it hard, and the HR is responding almost immediately. Her HR was lowering as she struggled to get enough air, just harder to push, but Laura wrote that she rode to her limit, using her legs, her body, her mind, her heart. She wrote, “When you get up in altitude, it feels like you are pedaling and going nowhere. Feels like you’re going a centimeter every minute.”
Laura and Ruben finished 2nd overall, behind Pan American Champion Alexandra and her partner, Martin. To boot, this was Laura’s birthday. She wrote, “I loved the race, the rain, the snow, the mountains, the people, the suffering, nothing more would I have wanted on my birthday. I went past some barriers for sure in this race.”
|