On Saturday Sept 14, Nicole and I (Maureen) participated in the 2nd edition of the Savage Dirt Sprints, an event to benefit the development of a velodrome in Sacramento and also The Bicycle Business Cyclocross Team (TBBCX). This event involved lots of sprinting, a qualifying round, several rounds of competition, free beverages, and even betting.
The sprinting took place on a 1/4 mile dirt horse track in some very nice people's backyard in West Sac. The track was flat with some loose spots here and there for extra fun. Nicole and I were just about the only ladies on mountain bikes, with the rest of the field opting for cross bikes.
During the qualifying round, Nicole set a blistering pace and became the 1st seeded lady. I surprised myself by taking 2nd, several seconds back. Since we took 1-2, that meant we were in opposite brackets, and would not race each other until the final race, if at all. We would have a maximum of 3 races: quarterfinal, semifinal, and final. Top 2 from each race advanced. Each race was 2 laps around the track, which took about a minute and a half.
Our friend Chany came to cheer us on and place some bets. Turns out she is also an amazing tattoo artist, and she gave Nicole and I some sweet sharpee tats!
During Nicole's first two rounds, she battled a strong lady and took 2nd both times. In my first two rounds I was able to fend off the others and take 1st. It was so much fun to blaze around that track as fast as we could.
Then Nicole and I were headed to the final. We discussed and decided that one of us should try to win to represent for mountain bikers everywhere. We knew we had stiff competition in the strong lady that Nicole had battled in the previous rounds. We decided that Nicole would go for the win, and I would take the role of worker bee. The plan was for me to rip off the line and set a blistering pace for the one and a quarter laps, with Nicole staying on my wheel. At this point, Nicole would swing around me and fend off the others and take the win. There was an increasing wind all afternoon, and by the final it had developed into a significant headwind on all but the last quarter of the track, so drafting would be a significant advantage.
Race time came and we lined up. There was some nervous energy and a lot of excitement. At the whistle we all took off, I was able to get the hole shot and took the early lead. I sprinted like it was a one lap race, hoping Nicole was on my wheel.
The sprinting took place on a 1/4 mile dirt horse track in some very nice people's backyard in West Sac. The track was flat with some loose spots here and there for extra fun. Nicole and I were just about the only ladies on mountain bikes, with the rest of the field opting for cross bikes.
During the qualifying round, Nicole set a blistering pace and became the 1st seeded lady. I surprised myself by taking 2nd, several seconds back. Since we took 1-2, that meant we were in opposite brackets, and would not race each other until the final race, if at all. We would have a maximum of 3 races: quarterfinal, semifinal, and final. Top 2 from each race advanced. Each race was 2 laps around the track, which took about a minute and a half.
Our friend Chany came to cheer us on and place some bets. Turns out she is also an amazing tattoo artist, and she gave Nicole and I some sweet sharpee tats!
During Nicole's first two rounds, she battled a strong lady and took 2nd both times. In my first two rounds I was able to fend off the others and take 1st. It was so much fun to blaze around that track as fast as we could.
Then Nicole and I were headed to the final. We discussed and decided that one of us should try to win to represent for mountain bikers everywhere. We knew we had stiff competition in the strong lady that Nicole had battled in the previous rounds. We decided that Nicole would go for the win, and I would take the role of worker bee. The plan was for me to rip off the line and set a blistering pace for the one and a quarter laps, with Nicole staying on my wheel. At this point, Nicole would swing around me and fend off the others and take the win. There was an increasing wind all afternoon, and by the final it had developed into a significant headwind on all but the last quarter of the track, so drafting would be a significant advantage.
Race time came and we lined up. There was some nervous energy and a lot of excitement. At the whistle we all took off, I was able to get the hole shot and took the early lead. I sprinted like it was a one lap race, hoping Nicole was on my wheel.
On the backstretch I peeked under my arm and saw her perfectly positioned. Starting the 2nd lap, I quickly realized I was completely gassed, and I yelled for Nicole to take over. She did so, and I watched her as I fell back from first to last in rapid succession. I saw her go through the second-to-last turn and she was holding her own. I was not content with dead last, so I after a few deep breaths I went hard again, passing one lady to end up 4th.
As I crossed the line I found Nicole waiting for me. She told me that she WON! We hugged and then did a victory lap together. She said it was a tough battle, and that fortunately she had gone into the final corner first, taking the win by half a bike length!
It felt so awesome for the plan to work perfectly! This event was a TON of fun and we can't wait to come back next year!
More pics here!
-Maureen
It felt so awesome for the plan to work perfectly! This event was a TON of fun and we can't wait to come back next year!
More pics here!
-Maureen