Memorial Day weekend was one of those weekends I wish I could rewind and do over. In fact, I really didn't want to post anything about it at all because some of it was pretty awful, but my mom said I have a responsibility to share the good, the bad, and the ugly, because maybe somebody else could also learn from my mistakes. So here it is:
The Good
The best part of the weekend was being able to see friends that I haven't seen in a while. My friend Bryce and his family came up to Jackson for the race. I haven't seen Bryce since the first SERC race in Gainesville and I was glad he came up and was planning to race in the 9-11 class. He took off from the start like lightning and raced very hard. I wanted to win the race, but I wanted to cheer for him, too, because he was doing such a great job. I really think this was the best and most fun kids' race since the Florida series and I look forward to battling it out with him again!
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| Bryce was out in front |
You can see all the kids' race action in the video from this weekend.
This weekend, Kyley also came up with her family and actually spent the holiday camping with us. She raced in the girls' class and got her first win. Trent's sister, Lily, was a very close second. Way to go, Kyley and Lily!!
In addition to Kyley and Bryce, Vince also came up to do his first SERC race in the Junior 11-14 class. It was almost like going to a Florida race, there were so many people from Florida at the trail.The Bad
Ok. So this is the part I didn"t want to talk about--the Juniors 11-14 race.
As you know, at the last SERC race, I got my first win in the Juniors. My parents were very proud of me and I was feeling pretty good about it. When we lined up for the start of this race, I really, really wanted to do well enough to get a podium, because I didn't want anybody to think that I just got lucky to win last time.
I had a great spot staked out at the start, right behind my mom, who was going to go off in the group before us. As the different classes were going off, the boys kept pushing everyone forward and I got pushed out of my spot and in front of my mom. When it was time for the women to start, a lot of the boys were in front and we were told to move to make room for the women. Well, I moved over to the side and the other boys filled in the line behind the women and I ended up in the second row. This did NOT make me happy, but I didn't let it worry me too much, because Dustin was also in the back and I know how good HE is.
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| Dustin |
Anyway, the whistle blew and we took off. Unfortunately for me, a boy right in front of me crashed at the start and I ended up riding right over his bike and losing a lot of time. I caught up to the pack by the time we reached the woods, but I was still in the middle of the group. Then IT happened. I took a short line across some rocks in a creek in order to pass kids in front of me and ended up falling on the rocks. Boy, did it hurt!! Dustin's dad and uncle helped me up, picked my bike up, and made sure I was ok. I told them I had to keep racing, and I got back on my bike.
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| Trent |
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| Vince & Trent |
The Ugly
Here's where it gets ugly (and embarrassing).
I didn't just get back on my bike and keep racing. I got on my bike and had something my mom calls a "meltdown"-- I cried really hard--for about 30 minutes (according to the helmet cam) and just quit racing. I finished the course in dead last and Bryce told my mom that they could hear me yelling all the way down Pine Mountain. {edit: When the results came out it turned out I finished ahead of one boy} When I finally made it back to the finish, several adults congratulated me for completing the race after the fall, but I felt like a complete failure and the worst mountain bike racer EVER.
Hopefully, I won't ever find myself in a situation like this again. If I do, I hope I will be smarter and not give up so easily (or cry so loudly).
Fortunately, I've got two more weeks to get things back into gear before my next race in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
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