WORS #5 - Eau Claire

This is quickly becoming my favorite race of the series. We drove up on Saturday with the new rack. As a side note, anyone that is looking for a bike rack this could possibly be the best thing since sliced bread! The bikes load so easy and quickly even when you are dead tired from the race!
Typically when you head north things get a little cooler, not the case here. When we got into town and got the tent set up it was topping 90+ degrees. We loaded up with water and headed out for preride. There was one rocky downhill that Cathy was really struggling with, after about 5 tries we changed plans and she decided to run down it during the race.
Sunday turned out to be even hotter than the day before. I walked around with an umbrella all morning trying to keep from burning up before the race. Even though it wasn't part of the Minnesota Series this year there was still a really good turnout in the Expert field. Before I knew it we were off and the dust was flying! Everyone was really jockeying for position going into the first single track, and despite some people forgetting how to ride we all made it in smoothly. I was feeling pretty good and was pushing a pretty hard pace. I knew the heat was going to take it's toll but I wanted to get moved up as far as I could before that happened. Sure enough on the 3rd of 4 laps I started to feel the heat. I was cold and shivering every time I came out of the woods, and a few times things were getting blurry. I ate a bunch of my clif bloks and drank all my water to try and pull things together. By the end of the lap I came back around and could put the power down again. Good thing because during that time I dropped back to 20-23 place. I just floored it the last lap moving up the 17th. Coming out of the final single track a guy got on my wheel. I tried to push the pace and shake him but he was already in the finish sprint. I stood up and grabbed 3 gears. We sprinted side-by-side for the last 150 yrds. of the race...I got him by 1 bike length at the line!
Meanwhile Cathy was having a really good race herself. She took off with a new strategy to stay on the main packs wheel as long a possible. She was feeling good and as they approached the downhill section she planned on running, everyone else rode it so she sat back and just hung on riding it like a champ!! With that added confidence she upped the pace and for the first time felt like she was really racing. She was hanging on and dropping girls throughout the rest of the race. When she finally made it to the line she was sitting just outside the top 10 in 12th spot!!
We were both pretty burnt from the heat so after a quick cool down we loaded up the truck and headed home. The next couple days were much needed recovery rides. That brings us up to today. I think we are going to stay in town tonight and depending on how we feel do some mt.bike Time Trials around rockport...if it is hot we might end up in the pool by the time it is all said and done.