OVERLAND: CAROLINE RECAPS BWR, DAY 2
OVERLAND: CAROLINE RECAPS BWR, DAY 2
Words: Caroline Dezendorf | Photos: Jake Orness
Expectations are a funny thing. When you don't have any, it's easy to exceed them. Or maybe it's because when things go bad, it's hard to be disappointed, and when things go well, it's easy to be excited. Looking back at Belgian Waffle Ride, the reason I signed up for the Dubbel Header was that it took the pressure off of Saturday's Waffle. Knowing that I had 2 days of racing, totaling 211 miles and 17,000 ft of climbing, meant the focus became less on Saturday's result and more on surviving the weekend.
That's not to say I didn't want to do well. I'm a competitor, I love the challenge that racing brings. But I used the Dubbel Header as an opportunity to push myself and accomplish something that scared me, rather than to fixate on a single result. And after last season, where I came in with high expectations, only to be (literally) taken out by a truck, I viewed the Dubbel Header weekend as an opportunity to compete in a big race, without putting pressure on my result.
The Waffle and the Wafer
Before registering, my friend and weekend host, Casey Cohenmeyer, told me that BWR "destroys everyone... it just destroys you in fewer hours than me." I think Casey's attitude and excitement about the race weekend was instrumental to my success. Casey and I both went into the weekend thinking, if we survive Saturday, then we'll party pace our way through Sunday. We weren't riding together but we were in it together.
After Saturday's top 5 finish, I was really looking forward to racing the Wafer. 76 miles and 6,000 ft of climbing felt way less intimidating than what we had completed in the Waffle. It became less of "I just want to survive this." and more of "Let's f***ing go!". Saturday night, I tried to eat as much food as my body could handle and drink as many electrolytes as I could handle. I went to bed laughing at the fact that in a mere 10 hours, I was subjecting my body to the chaos of racing again.
We lined up and for the first time in a gravel race, I heard my name announced for a call-up. Things were getting real. The neutral roll-out was not-so-neutral (I blame Easton Overland's own Rob Britton for that). As we started up the first climb, my legs were heavy and not really excited to sprint out of the gate so I let the leaders go. At the top of the first dirt climb, in the same spot as the day before, Amity came flying around me. A feeling of deja vu hit me and I knew it was time to go.
Happy Place
For the first quarter of the race, Amity, Flavia Oliveria, and I rode together. I assumed we were the leading 3 women but really wasn't concerned. Going into Lemontwistenberg, my chain dropped and Flavia and Amity put a small gap on me. I managed to stay calm because I knew the next 20 miles of flowy, sandy, cyclocross-eque dirt played to my strengths. I was in my element - bunnyhopping curbs, bouncing through small rock gardens, and whipping around flowy corners. My happy place. I started charging, picking off racers in front of me. I found a few guys to work with and eventually caught the group of men I had lost.
The rest of the day was smooth sailing. I think I smiled a lot, laughed a little, and genuinely enjoyed myself. It was long format cyclocross and with a higher dirt-to-pavement ratio, I was loving the course! To me, one of the coolest parts of BWR (and possibly also the sketchiest) is that the course doubles back on itself for a few long stretches. This allowed me to see a lot of other people out racing and it was so motivating to see other people pushing their limits in the Wafer and the Wanna.
"Well, this is going to hurt."
When we reached the final climb, I remember thinking "this is going to hurt" but compared to the previous day, it was also possible to enjoy. Maybe it was because reaching the top of Dubbel Peak meant the finish was near or maybe it was because I was proud of what I'd accomplished but either way, I was elated.
I crossed the finish line in 1st position. 5 minutes ahead of 2nd place. To my own surprise, I won the Wafer! And more importantly, I completed a brutally hard weekend of racing. Looking at the results, I was in shock: 5th overall in the Waffle with the Queen of the Sprint jersey, 1st in the Wafer, and 2nd in the Dubbel Header. On paper, it was an excellent weekend but more importantly, it was a huge accomplishment for me that results cannot describe. Both days, I raced strong and smart. Both days, I stayed calm and didn't let my competition dictate my race. Both days, I thoroughly enjoyed racing and the people I was lucky enough to be racing beside.
Here's looking at you, '22
It was a weekend for the books, one I will look back on fondly for some time. A good reminder of why I love racing - the community, the thrill, the party - and how lucky I am to do what I do with the support of those around me.
Words: Caroline Dezendorf | Photos: Jake Orness
Expectations are a funny thing. When you don't have any, it's easy to exceed them. Or maybe it's because when things go bad, it's hard to be disappointed, and when things go well, it's easy to be excited. Looking back at Belgian Waffle Ride, the reason I signed up for the Dubbel Header was that it took the pressure off of Saturday's Waffle. Knowing that I had 2 days of racing, totaling 211 miles and 17,000 ft of climbing, meant the focus became less on Saturday's result and more on surviving the weekend.
That's not to say I didn't want to do well. I'm a competitor, I love the challenge that racing brings. But I used the Dubbel Header as an opportunity to push myself and accomplish something that scared me, rather than to fixate on a single result. And after last season, where I came in with high expectations, only to be (literally) taken out by a truck, I viewed the Dubbel Header weekend as an opportunity to compete in a big race, without putting pressure on my result.
The Waffle and the Wafer
Before registering, my friend and weekend host, Casey Cohenmeyer, told me that BWR "destroys everyone... it just destroys you in fewer hours than me." I think Casey's attitude and excitement about the race weekend was instrumental to my success. Casey and I both went into the weekend thinking, if we survive Saturday, then we'll party pace our way through Sunday. We weren't riding together but we were in it together.
After Saturday's top 5 finish, I was really looking forward to racing the Wafer. 76 miles and 6,000 ft of climbing felt way less intimidating than what we had completed in the Waffle. It became less of "I just want to survive this." and more of "Let's f***ing go!". Saturday night, I tried to eat as much food as my body could handle and drink as many electrolytes as I could handle. I went to bed laughing at the fact that in a mere 10 hours, I was subjecting my body to the chaos of racing again.
We lined up and for the first time in a gravel race, I heard my name announced for a call-up. Things were getting real. The neutral roll-out was not-so-neutral (I blame Easton Overland's own Rob Britton for that). As we started up the first climb, my legs were heavy and not really excited to sprint out of the gate so I let the leaders go. At the top of the first dirt climb, in the same spot as the day before, Amity came flying around me. A feeling of deja vu hit me and I knew it was time to go.
Happy Place
For the first quarter of the race, Amity, Flavia Oliveria, and I rode together. I assumed we were the leading 3 women but really wasn't concerned. Going into Lemontwistenberg, my chain dropped and Flavia and Amity put a small gap on me. I managed to stay calm because I knew the next 20 miles of flowy, sandy, cyclocross-eque dirt played to my strengths. I was in my element - bunnyhopping curbs, bouncing through small rock gardens, and whipping around flowy corners. My happy place. I started charging, picking off racers in front of me. I found a few guys to work with and eventually caught the group of men I had lost.
The rest of the day was smooth sailing. I think I smiled a lot, laughed a little, and genuinely enjoyed myself. It was long format cyclocross and with a higher dirt-to-pavement ratio, I was loving the course! To me, one of the coolest parts of BWR (and possibly also the sketchiest) is that the course doubles back on itself for a few long stretches. This allowed me to see a lot of other people out racing and it was so motivating to see other people pushing their limits in the Wafer and the Wanna.
"Well, this is going to hurt."
When we reached the final climb, I remember thinking "this is going to hurt" but compared to the previous day, it was also possible to enjoy. Maybe it was because reaching the top of Dubbel Peak meant the finish was near or maybe it was because I was proud of what I'd accomplished but either way, I was elated.
I crossed the finish line in 1st position. 5 minutes ahead of 2nd place. To my own surprise, I won the Wafer! And more importantly, I completed a brutally hard weekend of racing. Looking at the results, I was in shock: 5th overall in the Waffle with the Queen of the Sprint jersey, 1st in the Wafer, and 2nd in the Dubbel Header. On paper, it was an excellent weekend but more importantly, it was a huge accomplishment for me that results cannot describe. Both days, I raced strong and smart. Both days, I stayed calm and didn't let my competition dictate my race. Both days, I thoroughly enjoyed racing and the people I was lucky enough to be racing beside.
Here's looking at you, '22
It was a weekend for the books, one I will look back on fondly for some time. A good reminder of why I love racing - the community, the thrill, the party - and how lucky I am to do what I do with the support of those around me.