By: Sierra Thomas

To prepare for Sturdy Dirty I raced Fears, Tears, and Beers which was 40 miles with 6k of climbing. I followed that up with a few days of riding near Arcata riding which was similar terrain to that of Raging River Washington. Due to work and family demands, I was not able to ride much in the two weeks leading up to the race. In fact, I wasn’t even sure I was able to race until the day we left for Washington as I was on the waitlist. 

I was able to pre-ride Thursday before the race Saturday. This was my first Sturdy Dirty race, first time riding in Washington and first time racing pro in a mountain bike race other than Fears, Tears, and Beers. After pre-riding 4ish out of 6 stages, I knew race day would be tough. I decided against scoping out Physical Therapy because I was aiming for energy conservation. I knew my legs would be gassed if I tried to pre-ride two days in row.  

Supplement wise, I was taking Twisted Spokes Cordicepts for about a couple of weeks and already was noticing a difference in my cardiovascular endurance despite minimal available training hours. 

Race day was amazing. The vibe, the people, the dirt and weather, it was all top notch. All of the racers were supportive on and off the course. I got to see Jill Kintner drop in a few times which was cool to see. 

I struggled climbing up the main climb the second time around and walked quite a bit. I was tired but not gassed and wanted to make sure I still had energy for the next 3 stages. I rode two of the last three stages (PT) blind and sloppy. A little nose heavy on one of the drops and clipped my bars on a tight section. 

After the climb out I was excited to see a familiar LPR face, Emily, at the last aid station before the last stage. It was the first time since the start that I saw anyone I knew. The aid station had amazing sliders and gatoritas (definitely had a few of each). Before the final drop two more teammates showed up and we got some pictures before dropping together. 

I was feeling pretty good dropping into the final stage. It felt like I was getting into a good flow when I over sent a jump crashed otb in front of a spectator. It was by far my worst crash to date. After throwing up on impact, I struggled to breathe while ripping off my pack and helmet. I couldn’t tell what was hurt worse but I could answer the questions the spectator had for me. Watching my teammates race by spectator encouraged me to stay there until the medic came. I insisted I finish the race because that’s what I set out to do. It was a very slow finish as my friend shoulder, playing the whole way down. Once I passed the finish line, I saw the teammates that passed me after my crash. Emily, Lucia, Hannah and Rachel. I was in a lot of pain that I wasn’t alone. My teammates were amazing and helpful and I couldn’t ask for a better team tap by my side. 

Despite the crash, it was one of my favorite races this year and it showed me what amazing teammates I get to ride with and enjoy this wonderful sport. I recognize that I was probably more tired than I was aware and my stubbornness allowed me to carry out when I set out to do. I wanted to finish the race and I didn’t wanna finish last. I did just that.