My 1st Gravel Race was an absolute blast, and the 2nd/19 Place Finish was icing on the cake !
The demo Specialized Diverge w tubeless Tracer Pro tires (run at 40psi) on loan from @brianleib rode like a dream, & I was fortunate to finish without any mechanicals or flats (on a day where EVERYONE seemed to be flatting!)
Hung in there w the lead group of guys & @natsmithster for the first ~18 Miles.. took a bad line through a turn, got gapped off, & just couldn’t quite chase back on. Solo’d in no mans land for a bit, then rode w @joelrierson (who’d flatted earlier) for a bit, then solo again in TT mode… got caught by a chase group of 5, including @jennypark17 & @pamelaanne633 , about 30 Miles in & raced the remainder of the race with them. Attacked w 1.5 Miles to go, & got away w Jenny. Won the “sprint” for 2nd place after kinda forcing Jenny to lead me out . .
It was a hot/steamy one out there today w highs in the 90s, & I finished coated in a lovely mix of salt, sand, & mud . VERY thankful for the @nuunhydration Electrolytes & Nuun Performance in my bottles, which helped me to avoid the heavy attrition & still have something left to kick with at the end, cramp free!
Thank you to @capitalcityracingtexas for putting on such a fun & well run event. Verdict? I’ll definitely be back for more gravel grinding!!