World Cup #2
Houffalize, Belgium
May 30, 2004

There was another mass convergence of mountain bikers in northern California this past weekend. Infineon Raceway was the site of the second Norba National event. It was a new venue somewhat similar to Laguna Seca where the Sea Otter Classic is held in April. We had gorgeous weather and lots of wind. The event was modeled after the Sea Otter in that there was a road race, road crit, mountain cross, dual slalom, and a cross country and short track event. Lots of events and lots of participants. Unfortunately the spectators forgot to show up. Could have been that the Bay to Breakers 7 mile running race was held the same weekend. Or the 24hrs of Laguna Seca was also the same time. Finding a place on the calendar is extremely difficult I realize, but I hope they find a better date next year. There were more people watching the local race I did in Nathrop, CO two weeks ago then were at the finish of the cross country on Saturday.

The course was extremely challenging from an aerobic/vo2 standpoint. Lots and lots of short steep climbs. The descents were equally as short so there was very little recovery. The race was run on the hillsides surrounding the raceway. Not a single tree or inch of shade on the entire course. We rode on a mix of freshly cut double track trails through the grass, gravel roads, and pavement. No singletrack. Not the most exciting course to race on, but being a first year event I’m going to cut them some slack. Haha!

The quality of the field was a little less than other races due to the fact that almost all the Canadians and some of the top Americans were in Europe getting ready for the world cup races. I wasn’t complaining. The racing was still hard, like always.

Jimena Florit and Melanie McQuaid set a fast tempo for most of the first lap. After 40 minutes there were five of us together. I had decided to sit in and try and stay out of the brutal wind for the first half of the race. After about an hour I decided to step it up a notch and see who could respond. No one did and after a hard charge up the steepest and longest climb I was alone. I love being off the front but it was almost not worth it because the wind was blowing so hard. Almost. I rode alone for the second hour of the race maintaining a strong tempo. There were a few enthusiastic fans lining the course. Some guy called me a goddess which was good for a quick laugh. I’ve even had a few marriage proposals yelled at me while racing.

I won the race in two hours, 33 seconds ahead of second place. My teammate Shonny Vanlandingham was a strong 5th. Another 40 UCI points to add to my score. Dara Marks was second, Jimena Florit was third, Kelli Emmett fourth and Shonny fifth.

After consuming two recovery drinks, a dried out bagel, and some more energy drink we cleaned up and headed back to our hotel. The Holiday Inn we stayed at in Vallejo was quite interesting. It was right across the street from Six Flags Marine World amusement park. And there was a dog show in the area so the hotel was full of four footed furry animals running around. Between the constant barking in the room next door and the non-stop screams of the kids on the rollarcoasters, it was quite an interesting three days.

Sunday was the short track. The course resembled more of a road criterium than a mountain bike race. There was a short steep painful climb on pavement followed by a dirt road descent to more pavement that took you to the finish line. There was another short dirt section on the other end of the course. Nothing technical. In fact it was so non-technical that the men’s short track was won by Karl Deker on a road bike with slick tires! I, being the dedicated mtn bike athlete, rode my mtn bike with 2.1 semi-slick tires. I wanted to see how fast I could go with the most amount of resistance on the pavement. Haha!

The women’s race was fast at times and there were a few attacks, but nothing stayed away because of the strong winds once again. The hill was painful enough and I think our group shrank to around 15 women by the last few laps. I was under strict orders to sit in and do the least amount of work as possible. Trying to save the legs for the upcoming world cup. I don’t normally like racing that way. But I did and it worked. On the last lap I sprinted up the hill and went down the descent in second place, tucked behind Kerry Barnholt. I sprinted around her in the final 100m for the win. And another 20 points.

It was a successful weekend. 60 points added to my score. I have no idea where my ranking is or where I stand compared to the other riders. I think I still have 500 points to make-up in the next six world cups. Anything is possible I guess. Now it’s off to Madrid for our first of three world cups in Europe. I’ll keep you posted.

Until then.

Alison