Why Not Race? Turning Setbacks Into Comebacks
By: Dorothy Curran-Munoz
“There’s no better time than the present” perfectly sums up my decision to race in the Hyde Park Blast this past weekend. After a crash in the Little 500 a few months ago, which left me with a broken collarbone and six weeks of recovery post-surgery, I thought it’d be a long time before I raced again. But with the offer of I free entry for women in the Cat 3/4/5 race, it was too tempting to resist. I figured, why not? Racing bikes is already so fun, but it’s even better when registration fees are waived!
Heading into Saturday, I had really low expectations. My training load since surgery had been the lightest it’s been in two years, and I was nervous—not just because it had been weeks since I’d done anything competitive on my bike, but also because coming back from an injury is intimidating. Not to mention this was only my second crit ever! My goal was simple: hang on as long as I could, and keep the rubber side down.
The 0.9-mile course was daunting at first but super fun once I got used to it. It featured a fast straightaway, a 180-degree turn, a short climb, and a quick descent. Several sharp turns and narrow lanes made it a very technical first race back. To make things even more exciting, the heat index during our race was a balmy 95°!
Although the field was small, it was fierce. I fought hard to stay in the lead pack for the whole race and sprinted for a prime about halfway through. In the final laps, another rider broke away, but we managed to keep up. I tried to hang on as long as I could, but lost her wheel at the start of the climb, and she solidified her break on the descent. I didn’t let that kill my spirit, though—with the end in sight, I emptied my tank on the final straightaway and crossed the line second overall, and first in Cat 4!
This was such a rewarding and encouraging experience, and I’m so thankful for the support from Apex. The hardest part was honestly just getting past my own nerves. Between my recent crash and lack of crit experience, I had a lot of mental blocks to work through. But I walked away feeling really proud of this day, and even more stoked for the rest of the summer!
