Submitted by Karen Brems on 12/7/09
The BASP final race was at Coyote Point on Sunday. This was the "classic" Coyote Pt. course that went up into the Eucalyptus grove, back down a bumpy, off camber descent onto the sandy beach run and then around the parking area with some bumpy grass sections including a set of double barriers and a few up and downs on some berms. It was a cold day for CA with the cold, damp wind off the bay making it feel colder. The talk of the race however, was how much colder it will be this coming weekend in Bend for nationals!
I went into this race in the leaders jersey 5 points ahead of Sarah Maile and 21 points ahead of Kerry Barnholt. Sarah opted to race in Portland this weekend at the USGP and some of the rest of the usual Women's A group were either resting up for nationals or loosing steam after all the racing, so we had a smaller than normal field. Points are time and a half for the final race, but with Sarah missing, I knew that if Kerry won, I just had to place 7th or better to win the series overall - basically have a clean race and no mechanicals! Racing for 7th isn't much fun though, and I wanted to race hard one more time before nationals.
We started up the hill and I slotted in behind Kerry at the top and we opened a gap on everyone else. The first part of the descent was on loose bark mulch with several turns. Kerry flew down it! She was clearly in control, but her rear wheel was bouncing almost a foot off the ground through the turns and it kind of freaked me out to watch! I had to give her a slight gap so I could look at the trail and not her wheel! I caught back up on a slight rise and then we hit the really bumpy, off camper dirt descent - a mountain biker's dream! Kerry opened a few bike lengths on me again and I had to chase back on the short pavement descent. Then we hit the beach and she gapped me again on the run. I chased back and got a slight respite on her wheel in a flat, windy gravel section. I managed to stay with her through the next grass and barrier section and onto the 2nd lap. There was another barrier section and then a short up and down and back up again until we crossed the road to go back onto the dirt again.
There was a curb on the side of the road, but it had about an 18 inch gap in it that the main track went through, and which I always rode through in warm-up. For some reason however, Kerry decided to go about a foot to the left of the gap and bunny hop the curb. I was right on her wheel and thus could not really see the curb and was just expecting to ride though the gap. I didn't really have time to react when I saw her bunny hop and I hit the curb pretty hard with my front wheel. Luckily I was leaning back enough that I didn't endo, but it made for a pretty squirmy landing back on the loose, soft mulch. At first I thought I might have flatted, but luckily I didn't. I kind of lost my mojo and got on a bad line for the loose turn at the bottom and Kerry had gapped me again. I made a huge effort and caught her at the top of the hill. I got another slight rest on the pavement, but then we hit the mulchy descent again and she gained a few bike lengths. Then came the bumpy descent and there were a few more bike lengths between us. And a few more after the beach run...I was pretty maxed out by this point and could not catch her wheel again on the flat headwind stretch. There was nobody in sight behind me and I sort of took the path of least resistance to ride safely within my limits for the last 2 1/2 laps and hold onto 2nd and the series overall title.
In the end, Kerry won by about 50 sec. and Jill Fattor (Rock Lobster) was 3rd about 45 sec. behind me. Stella Carey took 4th after crashing pretty hard during her warm-up when a stick lodged into her front wheel in the mulch section and sent her over the bars.
Winning the Prestige Series was a season goal of mine, so I was happy about that. I feel that I improved a level from last year, partly from trying to follow Kerry around every weekend! It has been fun to race with her and she is a great technical rider and definitely showed me where my weaknesses are! I am looking forward to nationals this week. I will race the masters race on Friday and hope it doesn't snow!
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