Date: April 16, 2000
Event: 10th & Final Michaux Ironmasters Classic XC
Class: Women
Category: Pro
Length: 27 mi.
Time: 2:46:46
Conditions: Sunny - 70s and humid
Bike: Trek 9.9
Tires: Super X on the front and a
           Jones Directional Front tire on the rear with lots of air pressure.

Did you do anything special to prepare for this race?

No. We did pre-ride the beginner course just to get a flavor of the race so we saw the start and the finish. I thought that was important because of this finish.

In the last two months how many hours a week have you trained?

Not enough. I would say 10 to 13 hours.

Were you strong from start to finish?

Yes.

When did you put the hammer down?

When did the hammer come down on me? Right off the start - we were all together on the road - when we hit the single-track I passed Charmian (Breon) and felt really relaxed. I wanted to get a little gap right off the start cause there's a bunch of big climbs after that. I really just felt strong from the start by just relaxing and being happy that it was this kind of race. A single loop course like this is just so different.... you know psychological that if you get a gap on someone - they don't know where you are. They have no idea. They think they are far back, or maybe they think they're close.... I was kind of working that a little bit... thinking that if I can get riding with all of these guys I can see their pace an know if I'm still passing guys - I have a feeling that not that many girls are going to come up on me.

Did you have any unusual problems?

Well I did hit a tree. My hand slipped off the handlebars and I slid into this tree. I didn't hit my shoulders or anything... I just kind of just slid into it and was still clipped into my pedals. It didn't hurt me but I did bump my knee a little bit. When you think of all of the things that could have happened out there...it wasn't too bad.

You're used to West Virginia trails....

Exactly.

How do you rate the course?

A+, Super, The Best!

Were you happy with the way the race was run?

Yeah, I was. I thought it was very well marked a lot of racers came out and everything was organized. I thought it was fun seeing the motorcycles out there. I thought that was kind of cool. An excellent race!

If you could do the race again, would you do anything differently?

Well, since this is the last year, yeah - have the race again!
     I would have liked to beat more Vet guys. I think about duking it out with the Expert Juniors and the Vet Expert Men. I don't know the times, but I don't think I was in the top five Vet Expert Men. So that could have been a little bit better.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Thank you mountainbikeracer.com. Can't wait to check it out!

Thank you Sue Haywood for spending time with us.