And then… it was over.

Wow, here we are, the end of 2013! Last weekend I raced my final race of the year, the Colorado state cyclocross championships aka Castle Cross, in Castle Rock. Oddly enough, it felt like my strongest ‘cross race effort of the year and ended up one of my racing highlights for the year. I felt a bit sad, knowing it was too little too late in terms of a halfway decent cross effort, and the fact that it meant the year’s season was over.

2013 Cheyenne Cycling Club Broken Spoke Award

States Raced In: Colorado, Pennsylvania, Wyoming
# of Races: 14 mountain bike, 4 road/time trial, 11 cyclocross, 1 triathlon, 1 running
# of Wins: 3
# of Top 5: 9 (including the triathlon, excluding the 5k)
# of Bags of Granola I Won That I Can’t Eat Due to Allergies: 1

# of photographers who I almost ran over: 1, shotwilliam during Castle Cross. Eek. My face says it all.

52 minutes… the length of suffering I endured during the first race of the Cheyenne Cyclocross Series.

Shawn Curry… 1 badass race photographer… which leads into # of barriers tripped over in ‘cross season: 2.

# of bushes mowed over during the start of cross country MTB Nationals: 3 or 5. Maybe 10. # of pairs of wheels I was envious of on my rivals bike: 1 pink set.

4: the number of badass ladies I shared the podium with at Nationals! 3: the number of silver medals I earned this year (actually, the only color I earned…)

# of times I wore the badass alien helmet: 2.

# of hole shots won: Far too many, especially in ‘cross. I suppose that’s my talent, 1st or 2nd place to 20th place in a half of a lap!

The # of DNF (did not finish) results: 3. Deer Trail Road Race, Laramie Enduro, Lory Mountain Challenge #3. # of DNS (did not start results): 3. IHBC Time Trial, Stone Temple 8, Boulder Cup.

The # of times I tried to look like the badass that Georgia is and post up on the finish line: 1. # of times I was successful at such a task: 0. The promoter of the Cheyenne Cyclocross series managed to catch me as I was falling over. Oh, and I was posting up for finishing last. Ultra cool.

Count down to 2014 Rumble at Road 18: 17 weeks.

I, along with my Spradley Barr Wind Chill Cycling teammate Joe Dailey ,were awarded the 2013 Cheyenne Cycling Club Broken Spoke Award, which is for most improved cyclists. Nice icing on the cake, and I am honored they thought of choosing me! Though my season had some super highs (winning the Gowdy Grinder unexpectedly) and super lows (the burnout period of July and August), I am thankful I got to race and have the experiences that I did!

2014 training got a little messed up about the time I closed on my house, so last week I restarted. I also restarted by training with power instead of heart rate. Trainerroad.com is an amazing tool for this. My time during Castle Cross, which included a Saturday ‘cross skills clinic with Georgia Gould, my awesome race during Sunday morning, and spending the afternoon reconnecting with my camera and photographing the women’s open race, where I finally got to see Georgia race in person and see her earn the CO state champ title!

folliesclinic — Fort Follies ‘cross skills clinic with Georgia. Who knew, I magically could run and jump on my bike the first time I tried at this clinic. Way to pull it together at the end of ‘cross season, Heidi.(Photo: Christi Leong)

So what’s up for 2014? First off, I am uber excited to announce that I will be racing as a Specialized Ambassador through the Bicycle Station here in Cheyenne! Specialized has been my go-to for bikes and gear since pretty close after I started riding, and the Bicycle Station has helped me so much throughout the season so I am excited to be racing for and representing these two great companies in 2014. 2014 will kick off nice and early on January 4th & 5th at Altitude Adjustment Cross, and follow soon with the US Cyclocross National Championships in Boulder on January 7th. Road season (which my road season is never anything big or special) starts February 22nd with the Carter Lake Road Race, and follows soon with the Frostbite Time Trial on March 1st. And finally, the biggie, mountain bike season and the road to Cat 1 starts on April 19th in Fruita at Rumble at 18 Road! Here’s to making my goal of Cat 1 by age 35… at age 30 😀 And cyclocross season… well, never too early to start planning, and September can’t come soon enough, LOL!