Hot Springs, Arkansas
USA Cycling Ultra Endurance series race #2
3/9/2009

I just got home from the Spa City Marathon and my second race in the USA Cycling Ultra Endurance series.  The race was in Hot Springs, AR and their claim to fame in that area of the country is being the “boyhood home of former President Bill Clinton.”  That’s what the huge sign says as you drive into town.  This was my first trip to Arkansas and I learned that Hot Springs and the nearby Little Rock area have a lot more going for them than past presidents.  Hot Springs is home to a beautiful, wooded National Park, natural hot springs, a sweet looking roller coaster, a strip karaoke club and some really amazing single track riding.  I didn’t hit all of those hot spots.  I mostly focused on the riding part.

This race was my second stop in the USA Cycling Ultra Endurance series and part of my early season quest to find warm places to ride outside.  I traveled down alone, but shared a house with Danielle Musto and Fuzzy John Mylne, two other pro racers.  I spent a big chunk of my time in Little Rock hanging out at the Specialized shop, Arkansas Cycling and Fitness.  They took great care of me by buffing out my bike and taking me to their local favorite restaurant.  They even made some bets about how many laps I would be able to complete in the race.

The race was a 6-hour marathon on a 10-mile single track course.   The riding was really fun and fast through the woods.  The weather was humid, but overcast, so the heat didn’t get to me too much.  Danielle had driven to the race, so she had all the race supplies with her: tent, chairs, and Ted the mechanic!  She was totally willing to share them all, so the three of us used her tent and Ted was kind enough to provide support and time splits for everyone.

After my metabolic testing at G Fit performance studio in Boise last week, I was armed with some new heart rate zone numbers and a bit more knowledge.  I opted not to use an odometer on my bike and just start up my Suunto T6c to record all of the data from the race.  This was my last hard effort before heading to South Africa in a week, so my coach Matthew had asked me to try to go as hard as possible and “empty the tank.”

I took the lead from the start, but not by much.  After the first lap, Ted reported that I had a one-minute lead over 2nd and 3rd.  Part of the fun of coming to a race in a new place is that I have no idea who the competition will be.  I had raced against Danielle before, but all of the other women were unknown.  After about 2 hours, I still only had a 5-minute lead and was not content with that close of a margin.  I always think about possible scenarios that would eat up my advantage such as a flat tire, a crash or another mechanical.  It was easy to keep the race intensity high because the course was so much fun and required my full attention.  I avoided flat tires and crashes and finished 7 laps on the course in 6:10:50, set a female course record and finished 7th in the men’s field.  Danielle moved into 2nd place on the last lap and finished 6 laps in 5:41:10.  Fuzzy won the overall with a course record of 8 laps in 6:20:20.

The win keeps me in a solid lead for the overall points for the USA Cycling endurance series.  Most importantly, it was a great time riding my bike and the perfect brutally hard training day that I needed before heading to South Africa.
Thanks to Dan and Richard at Arkansas Cycling and Fitness Specialized dealer for all the great support.  Thanks to Red Bull for supplying most of the racers with energy drinks for the day.  Thanks to Danielle, Ted and Fuzzy for a fun time in Hot Springs!

–Rebecca