April 25, 2004 - INTERVIEW
Name: Theresa Richardson
City: Davidsonville
State/Province: MD
Country: USA
Age: 31
Place: 1st
Category: Pro
Class or Age Group: Pro/Expert women combined
Team: Cannondale Mountain Bike Team
Race Bike: Scalpel
Tires: Continental Vertical Pro
Conditions: Rainy and cool
Email: tlrichardson@hotmail.com
How was your fitness level going into this race?
Very good. I had a few races under my belt this spring, and had a good base built
up over the winter months.
Were you happy with your position going into the
singletrack?
Yes. I was back and forth with about four other women.
Were you strong from
start to finish?
I felt pretty solid throughout the race. Over the course of the 3 hours and
22 minutes I was out there, I certainly had some moments where I was lagging
a bit.
When did you put the hammer down?
Once we got into the singletrack, it was a little crazy with the mix of expert
women and expert vet men. I tried to hold a good position through the singletrack,
and then pushed hard on the fire road once things cleared out a bit. Later
in the race when Trish caught up to me at the end of the first ridge trail,
I picked up my pace a bit to try to catch her. Once I caught her before the
second ridge, I pushed hard until the end of the race to try to hold my position.
Did
you have any unusual problems?
Not really. I did an endo in the beginning of the race in the mass of vets
and women getting through the first bit of singletrack, but other than that,
I managed not to crash.
Were you happy with the way the race was run?
Very. The race organizers did a great job from start to finish.
Did you
have any interesting experiences during your race (exchanges with competitors/spectators)?
No. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Anything you would like to add?
Thank you very much to race organizers and sponsors. I appreciate the opportunity
to race such an awesome, epic course.