It's bound to happen to every rider at some point in time. The mid race crash that throws you mentally. I know I've had my fair share of them - frequently crossing the line covered in dirt and dust with some blood mixed in for good measure. It doesn't happen as much as it used to, but sometimes I need the wakeup call to ride my bike smart and focus on what I'm doing.

Well, this was the wake-up call race at Palmer Park. With just me and Kelly N on the starting line for the Pro/Cat 1 women (where was everyone?) I threw caution to the wind. We started with the juniors and just a few seconds behind the Cat 1 40+ men. And I decided that I wanted to be mixing it up with the guys. The only way to get faster is to ride faster and risk blowing up. My legs felt spunky and I was definitely ready to ride hard after weeks of easy and fun riding. So when the whistle blew, I took off like a rocket - trying to catch the next group of racers before the top of the hill. I almost made it and entered the single track right behind one of the juniors and a few bike lengths behind ProCycling teammate Tom H. For me, that was a good place to be. In the last three years of racing the Ascent Cycling Series, I've never been that close to the guys at the start. Incentive to keep pushing the pace and try to hang on his wheel for as long as I could. I really just wanted to keep him in sight for the first lap, maybe the second lap.

Imagine my surprise when I close down the gap on the climb up to the road. It's a bear of a climb - Kinnikkinic trail. Starts out gradual with some rock obstacles, then kicks up for a short bit. A brief leveling out, then another steep, rocky section that tops out with a steep right switch back, rock ledge and a slick rock like climb before crossing the road. And I was catching Tom on that first lap. Wow. My elation was short lived as he quickly pulled away when the trail tilted downhill. But I was still in sight - could see his every move through the twists of the trail. I kept the pressure on for the first lap, keeping him within a few bike lengths. I didn't feel smooth through some of the rock gardens, but chalked it up to not getting a ride on my Fate that week. When we came through the start/finish to begin the third lap, I was right behind Tom still and almost caught him before the single track. This time on the climb, I did catch him. He was super polite, moving over to let me around just at the top of the hill. So I took the pass, but wasn't sure I could make it stick. I was climbing well, but he was out riding me everywhere else.

I never had the chance to see if I could make the pass stick and it was all my fault. After crossing the road and the short section of dirt, I came into the left hand turn to re-enter singletrack. And I came in hot. I knew I was moving much faster then I should have been, but was more focused on trying to keep Tom behind me - not on my riding. So when I came into the corner fast, the inevitable happened. My front wheel washed out and I went sliding. Always fun! My entire left side was covered in dust, the bruise on my hip was already forming and there was some lovely trail rash on my left elbow. Nothing broken, just bruised and dusty, so it was still race time. I quickly righted my bike and double checked my brakes. Everything good, so off I went, shaking off the shock of hitting the deck. Tom caught me about halfway down GrandView trail and I returned the easy pass. And my goal of maybe beating him this race was out the door. I did come close to him on the third lap, but wasn't able to close the gap. That's what I get for trying to chase instead of riding my bike! The joy of washing out my elbow after the race was almost worse then the race its self.

Once Tom was out of reach, it became the mental battle to ride smooth and fast. Kelly said it best - with the small field for the pro/cat 1, it was more an individual race - a mountain bike time trial. I was trying to mix in with the guys (and failing) and Kelly was racing against herself. It's races like that that provide the mental strength to perform. But it's not the same as racing against a full group of women - and not as much fun. I keep hoping that the Pro/Cat 1 race will start filling up like the Cat 2 race. Maybe some of those speedy ladies will step up to the challenge next season?