WORS #12 - mtbVegan

WORS #12 Wigwam MTB Challenge Sunday October 11, 2009
by: Regina Campbell

The last race of the season has come and gone. I finished 10th overall out of 19 and 4th out of 10 for my age group! Over the last week I was debating about what bike to race, go Singlespeed or go for Gears. But then the decision was practically made for me….Chris built up an incredible fork for me to try out on my Singlespeed, The Angry Inch as it’s been called.

So I set out on Saturday to preride on the SS and try out the Angry Inch. I did my usual 2 laps for preride and felt pretty darn good. The Angry Inch was amazing. I remember going down the roots of all evil and thinking how great it felt compared to my old carbon rigid fork, how The Angry Inch floated over every bump, took corners quickly, climbed like a dream, and how after my ride my forearms weren’t sore. I got back to the car, smiling, and excited to race the SS for the final WORS race of the year.

Sunday’s race day came and with it some very cold weather. I dressed in several layers and spun out on the SS for my warm up. I felt really good but was also just looking to have a great time on the course for my last WORS race. Sheboygan is always a great course for racing (and riding). I headed to the start line, huddled with the other women to keep warm, got my call up and lined up with some incredible women racers. With Don’s “GOOOoooo…” we were off. I was impressed with how well I kept up with the ladies at the start, I knew I wouldn’t get the start prime but, if I could avoid being DFL I was in good shape. I entered the singletrack with a few of the Junior X ladies and towards the last third of the elite ladies. I worked my way up on laps 1 and 2, passing a few women each lap.

The course was amazing, and with the Angry Inch I was able to float over the bumpy roots and rocks and not feel as beat up as you can start feeling on a fully rigid bike. On lap 3 I settled into my position. I was still feeling good and was just trying to keep my pace and keep some time on the ladies behind. Lap 4 I slowed down a bit. The legs were getting tired and I was getting cold. One more time through the creek crossing and I managed to clear it, but in the process I soaked my entire left leg. Yep, icy cold water in my shoes…awesome. I was able to ignore the coldness and just kept pushing my pace. I was twisting through the singletrack and got to the last climb before the equalizer and saw Jennifer behind me. I jumped on the bike and spun like mad to the equalizer. Running up the climb, people still cheering, lots of complements on the sweet socks I was sporting, and then I hear Jennifer behind me. I made it to the top, hopped on the bike, and started pedaling. I just kept my head down and pushed it to the finish. Not looking back, just pushing my pace, and made it to the finish in 10th place overall. I was super pleased with my race and just had the best time out there with all the ladies.

This year has been great, I can’t wait until next season. But only one question remains…which category do I race next year? Thanks to Alterra and TwinSix for the support this year, you guys are all awesome and thanks to all the wonderful racers/fans or racing, it’s been a great year!