After the TSE, I was on some very strict R&R. I was glad I got to go to the races on the East coast, but also very frustrated that every single time I tried to pedal, I felt good. The joy of riding my bike was being sapped and replaced with constant frustration and anxiety of waiting for myself to come back around.
I spent some time the week after TSE with my boyfriend, Matt and was also really busy trying to get caught up with work after being on the constant for several weeks. I still tried to get in a little bit of pedaling. My rides were short and pretty, but it also allowed time for other things since I didn’t have to allocate 2-3hrs a day for training.
I taught a little skills clinic for a software company in Boulder called Quickleft at Valmont Bike Park.
I got my BRAND NEW 29inch Carbon Hardtail – Canyon Grand Canyon CF SLX. It’s 21lbs….5 lbs lighter than the FS bike I had been riding all of May and 2 lbs lighter than the Aluminum hardtail I had been racing since last July. I was so excited about my new bike and I really wanted to ride it! It also has SRAM XX1(yessssss!!!!) and I wanted to get a feel for it before my upcoming race.
I was still so tired and my legs would burn from only a couple easy pedal strokes. I had the Bailey Hundo coming up in just days. I decided to take complete rest for the next 3 days. I got back on the bike Friday for a short ride and felt a little bit better. I hoped that the XX1 would be okay for my race since I didn’t have any time on it. It’s 1×11 and I’ve been on 2×10 for a couple years so I was interested to see how it would feel. I crossed my fingers, loaded up the car, and drove to Bailey to pick up registration, set up camp, and prepare for my 6 AM start the next morning.
I didn’t know what to expect given how my racing in May went for me, and how I had been feeling all week. 100 miles is a long time to feel bad on a bike, so I just hoped that my rest paid off. There was only one way to find out – line up in the morning!
