the pink helmet: Turnin’ Laps @ Lodi

They say third time’s the charm. This weekend marked my third year riding at 12 hours of Lodi Farm, and the first time I finished well. It could’ve been because I joined a team, inspiring me to make a good first impression.

Or, it could’ve been because we raced from noon to midnight, instead of the typical midnight to noon setup. Truthfully, I think it was the first year I was conscious of the course—an incestuous 10-mile tight, rolling, rooty single track loop, with a seemingly bottomless stream crossing to boot!

I could even chalk it up to the forecast. With the looming possibility of rain, I tried to turn as many laps as I could before the monsoon hit. And it hit—ten minutes into my 5th lap. I rolled across the finish line around 8:00 sopping wet, head to toe in mud.

With four hours left in the race, trail conditions deteriorating and rain holding steady, I called it quits, dried off and ate some dinner. I guess all the other ladies had the same idea. I took 2nd place in the women’s solo category and completed the same amount of laps as the woman in 1st place. (Yes, I knew how close the race was—but being dry and full is highly underrated.) After an early morning awards ceremony, as in 1:30 a.m., it was finally time to sleep.

In between working the Princeton Tec booth, Justin and Ryan raced men’s duo and took turns riding with me each lap. Their conversation and steady pace was a welcome distraction to my throbbing wrists and sore seat bones! It turns out that fifty miles of mountain biking on a fun course with great company is a perfect way to spend the weekend.