A successful European racing block was in the books and it was time to refocus and put in a final training block before Nationals Championships in Snowshoe, West Virginia. The weeks before flew by soaking up summer at home. It was time to pack up again for a big week of racing. I was racing Short Track XC as well as the Cross Country event that week. After arriving on Tuesday, two early mornings were spent dialing in the cross country course before I kicked off the racing on Thursday afternoon with the Womens 17+ Short Track XC. The warm weather had stuck up to this point and at 3pm I rolled out the door to begin my warm up. The temps were in the 80s and the humid air surrounded me. It was hard to be succumbed by the uncomfortable weather though when the venue was back dropped by endless green mountains and valleys of West Virginia. At 3:50 I rolled to staging, really excited to see a big category of women line up beside me. I was called to the line second. I was nervous to be here again, I had raced a total of two short track races in my career and none so far this season. I was planning on racing smooth and smart and hoped it’d all come back to me when the whistle blew. Short track, if you are unfamiliar, is a short race, 20 minute plus 3 laps, spread along parts of the XC course. This years course was a bit more challenging than most STXC courses featuring a tricky rock garden and a good climb in the middle. Our laps would take about 5 minutes. 1 minute…30 seconds…15…anytime in the next 15…and we exploded off the line. I found my pedal smoothly and jumped into about third going down the first decent. Back on a flat section my category sprinted into the single track. I was still in third and feeling calm. The course made a sharp off camber right turn and shot us up the first half of the climb. Then we hit the rock garden and it was chaos with running, crashes, and chasing. Up the next steep climb, I was feeling strong sitting in second, right where I wanted to be with my teammate, Katja Freeburn, right behind me. We kept this formation for the next couple of laps. I drafted off the leader for a while before jumping in front, pushing it when I felt good, and being smart on the flats as a steady crosswind picked up. Slowly the lead group I was with broke off from eight riders to five. With two laps to go I was beginning to fade on the climbs. I fell back and a small gap grew between myself and the leader. I was still in second but by myself in the wind and the rest of the riders were now spread out. Coming through the start/finish going into the final lap I couldn’t see the leader ahead of me. I put my head down and attacked, letting the brakes off on the downhill and sprinting again on the flat. I crested the hill and looked down to see a medic waving his arms to tell myself and the leader to get off and walk out bikes. There had been a crash by a rider behind us. I braked, dismounted, and jumped back on quickly. The leader was still ahead of me with a 2 second gap. I knew these last few minutes of the race were crucial if I wanted to win this, and making a mistake was not an option. I sprinted up the climb, hit the rock garden smoothly and caught the wheel of the leader on the final climb. She still had the lead when we started the final descent but I was able to get around her on one of the blown out turns. I soon realized I was making a small gap and rolled in to take my first National Title. It was a super exciting and tactical battle, and I was so happy to be back on the podium with my teammate. The next day was spent reuniting with friends, spinning through the fog, and doing everything I could to recover for the main XC event the next day. I had been training for this day for the past 11 months and now all I had to do was get out there and race my heart out. I was in love with the course, full of super fast technical descents and steep steady climbs. I knew the rain changed the course a lot since I last rode it, making all the roots and rocks super slippery. I was calm, knowing I had raced this terrain a couple times before. On my warm up I dealt with a couple mechanicals with my lockout and a front flat. I got them fixed minutes before staging thanks to my team mechanics Julien Petit and Jack Drain. I was called to the line second, behind National Team teammate and reigning national champion, Gwendalyn Gibson. The whistle blew and we launched off the line. My teammate, Mina Ricci leading us out fast as I had expected. Down the first descent I was sitting calmly in third, but as we exited the singletrack I jumped into second and told Mina to grab my wheel as we entered the first technical section. It was sloppy and slick as we maneuvered ourselves over the roots and lines had changed. There were new lines dug into the deep mud that cut corners and seconds. I missed them all on the first lap as I nervously stumbled through the wet woods. Out of the first single track my legs were feeling good and I went for it. Taking the lead and quickly realizing I had made a gap on the field. I stayed pinned on the climbs and smooth on the descents, having so much fun on the downhills that I forgot I was racing for a second. I grew the gap throughout each lap, thankful to have my team director, Julia telling me the splits as I came through each lap. I had nobody in front and nobody behind me so I just focused on getting smoother and smoother on the technical sections and pushing it on the climbs. Going into the last lap I had a two minute lead on the rest of the field. On the steep climbs I felt my legs cramp and I was forced to slow down. I took a drink and fueled up and went into the final lap. I was cautious on the rock garden and sketchy turns, not wanting to make mistakes. Throughout that lap I fought the cramping in my legs but was motivated by my teammates cheering and Anders and Kelsey on the steepest sections of the final climb. Anything could have happened in the last minutes of that race and I really didn't know I had secured the win until I was on the final stretch to the finish line. It has truly been a dream week at MTB Nationals. I could not have asked for anything more. The support from my team, parents, teammates, and friends is what made this week such a positive and smooth experience. I can't express my gratitude in words what it means to have so many strong supporters behind my back. My village goes beyond those who are physically there at each race. It is my coach, my hometown, my childhood friends, and competitors that make this sport what it is to me. I wouldn't be here without all of you. Thank you.
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AuthorSavilia Blunk, 20 | XCO MTB racer for Liv Racing Archives
March 2020
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