Last weekend kicked off my second season of cyclocross, with Nittany Lion Cross being my 16th and 17th races for day 1 and day 2.

Dudebros. And Ladygals. I got a UCI point in my 17th CX race. My season goal was to get a UCI point. I AM RETIRING!!!

Let’s not be hasty. But it was quite legit, finishing 10th day 2 in a field of 53 women. Day 1 I had a last row call-up and ended up 17th/49 starters. I blame the performance difference not entirely on last row v. mid-pack staging, but rather, day 2 I had a game plan: BE CONFIDENT. Oh, did I mention that day 2 was at least 10 degrees cooler?

 

#realtalk

This past weekend I surpassed only the 15 race mark. I don’t have much mass-start experience, or off-road cycling experience. I feel a lot of pressure to preform well because I have some “gift” of fitness, but the truth is, the stress of performing well on top of the stress of redlining with 50 fierce competitors powering full speed, not afraid to run me over when I overcook a turn… that’s a lot of stress. And stress degrades performance. Stress is so #notpro.

Bottom line, second season is definitely still a learning season.