2012 St Anne Race Report

I left for my journey back east a week before the World Cup in St.Anne to ride in Bromont, and stay/catch up with my good friend and fellow racer Vaea Verbeeck.  It was an awesome 5 days full of bike park riding, waterpark sliding, and amazing meals and fun barbecues with friends!

St Anne was hot and dry until Qualifying, and with the top corners eliminated by a long fast stretch, I knew times were going to be fast and closer together than previous years.  Training went well, although I was still struggling with a few lines come Qualyfing, but a smooth run got me down in 11th place. I was hoping for a top ten, but I was confident I could knock off more time on race day and was glad to be in the mix. Because of the XC races on Saturday, we had an extra day to practice so I took that time to get a better flow on the track and dial in my lines.  Lots of rain Friday and Saturday followed by sunshine made Sunday morning practice conditions absolutely perfect.   Although I had been feeling a little sub-par with my riding all week, evertyhing seemed to click in that morning’s practice.

By the time the race came, the track had dried up a bit more, but was still near-perfect conditions. I felt calm and confident going into the race, and hit all of my lines.  I felt surprisingly strong at the bottom compared to previous years, and had a good feeling when I crossed the finishline.  I sat in the hotseat for quite a while until Emilie kicked me off with a time just .4 seconds faster! With only three girls left to come down, I was sitting in second, and I knew I had made my first World Cup podium!! I ended up in 5th; I was estatic and shocked that I had finally accomplished one of the biggest goals in my biking career, it was the greatest feeling in the world!  I cried, my mechanic cried, and when I phoned home everyone there was crying too! It was a great moment, and a fantastic start to my season!!Although I want ot sit and enjoy my result, my sights are now set on this upcoming weekend in New York: the Windham World Cup.  With less wide open, and a much shorter course, it’s going to be a whole different ball game, and I’m already thinking of what needs to be done to get me back on that stage Sunday afternoon. That’s all for now!

TIT

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