Hi there, I thought I would write about my race at Mountain Bike Nationals last weekend June 11-12. I was so excited when I learnt that I would be going to Mont St. Anne, Quebec with Shawn and Neil Clark as Coach/Manager.

Our hotel was right on the racecourse so the morning after our arrival, Shawn and I got on our bikes to pre ride the race course. I did 3 pre ride laps and crashed four times in the exact same spot! It was a great course which started off with a bit of a climb that lead to a hot gravel road climb where the humidity got to you pretty hard at the top. Then there was single track, a few more hard climbs and a fast section at the end. The technical parts were manageable except for this one area that I didn't get along with too well; it was an off camber muddy trough-like decent with lots of rocks pointing out. I was thankful to have a tree nearby to throw myself at the first two times to keep me from crashing on the rocks!!

My race category (junior/cadet women) had 20 racers, which was great since I don't get the chance to race in a category that large too often. The pace was fast right from the start, which is what I expected, but since the climb was at the beginning, I wanted to be ready for it, so I didn't go too ballistic at the start.  When we reached the climb, the pace slowed immediately, but the top 5 were already off the front. I worked my way up the pack on the hill. The hill was loose gravel with a worn track down the centre so a few girls lost traction and spun out on the loose stuff.

I was in pretty good position after the climb and I passed some more riders on the single track to move into 9th place after the first lap. I played it safe and ran the rough section that I crashed in the pre ride so I wouldn't loose any time to a fall. I maintained my spot throughout the race, and finished in 9th place. I have a long way to go before I can be competitive with the leaders but I'm closing the gap a little each year. 

Since this was my second mountain bike race of the season, I am pleased with my result. It was nice to be on my mountain bike and enjoy a break from the road bike!

Thank you so much to Sask Cycling for giving me the privilege to be part of this National Event. Also, a huge thanks to Neil Clark for his support while we were out there. I learnt a lot from him and he helped me learn from my race, and focus on what to improve on.

It was exciting to be able to watch the Pro Women race and see Alison Sydor and Marie Helen-Premont. I hope more girls get a chance to be sent to events like this in the future.

from Andrea Bunnin