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Cohutta 65 Race Report
This
year has been on and off for me so I couldn’t help being nervous at the
start of the Cohutta 65. Sitting on the line with Patti Simpson and
Anne Ledbetter, it was hard to believe that an entire year had passed
since the last time I had done this race. All of a sudden the memories
came back of how hard the race was last year, and what I was in for
this year!
The race started on the uphill pavement climb, and I managed to put myself in a good position for the Brush Creek single track. I was in a long line of cyclists that were pushing a good pace but not too fast. I then headed out into Bear Claw in a great position. The forest service road climbs felt GREAT. That is certainly my strong point. I passed at least 3 women along the climbs, and was really on cloud 9. It was almost as if I didn’t want the day to end! I entered the last 15 miles of single track just as I passed a woman I’d been chasing a while. I grabbed some food and headed in. There is a nice climb right there that I was able to push more of a lead on. I still expected her to catch me on the single track. To my surprise I kept my lead, even through the tough single track that everyone says is “all downhill” but is most definitely NOT all downhill. I was absolutely thrilled with my 8th place finish, only 29 minutes behind the pro winner. It was definitely my best race ever, and I took 1.5 hours off my time from last year. I just felt strong and confident and I love those climbs!  |
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