Nationals and my first Gravel race
After the first World Cup in Belgium, I traveled back home before heading to Charleston, North Carolina, for nationals. I have never been to this area of the country and was amazed by the lush and beautiful landscape in Charleston. To my knowledge, this is the first year that Pro and Para nationals are combined. This was cool since I got to see a lot of the people I know from both sides of the sport. I arrived one day before the first event, which was the time trial. This was definitely not ideal, and I have learned that you need more time to settle in and get over a long travel day. The TT was an A event for me, and I had a shot at the win on the day I gave it everything I had, but unfortunately, I just did not have the legs I needed. While this was incredibly discouraging, it is a good lesson, and I have more races to come. I have learned that this beautiful sport can be so mentally difficult, having only one winner and everyone giving it their best means that so few will actually achieve their goals. While nationals did not go as I had hoped, I was heading directly to Kansas for my first gravel race the day after the pro race concluded in Charleston.
Arriving in Kansas was another incredible experience. My mom made the trip since I am not old enough to drive a car, and we drove from Kansas City out into the country to where we were staying. The area was quite rolling and had a lot of green plants and grass. Unlike the West Coast, much of their roadways were Gravel. This was so much fun being able to ride gravel from our house to houses without seeing a single car! On race day, we woke up early to make the two-hour drive to Emporia, Kansas, where Unbound Gravel is located. Starting the race, I was super excited and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We started with nearly 1800 riders, which was in its own an experience. Between there being a lot of new gravel riders and the surface, there were unfortunately a lot of crashes. I was cuacht in two of them and did the most damage I have ever done to a bike. I broke my frame, wheels, handlebars, and bent part of my drivetrain. While my bike and I were battered up, I was still able to make the selection into the lead group. At the end of the race, I finished in the first chase group, consisting of three other riders, and got 5th. Between this being my first gravel race and all the issues I faced, I was super happy with how the race unfolded.
With getting 5th at Unbound, I have secured my spot in the Lifetime GP U23 race series. The next race that I will be doing will be Leadville Trail 100, which is a mountain bike race in Leadville, Colorado. I am excited to do this historic Mountain Bike event before heading back to Europe to compete in the Para Road world championships in Belgium at the end of August.
