I had a ton of problems getting started to race and then during the race--first I forgot my shoes! We were running around asking people to borrow shoes, and Sue Haywood actually had a brand new pair of Northwaves that the Trek people must have given her which were my size!! Then someone else found Shimano cleats for my Shimano pedals.(amazing how that worked out!) I got help from some guys I know getting ready and I just made it to the start--cleats in totally wrong position, but I thought I'd at least try. Then, about 2/3 into the race I was following 2 guys' wheels through this really fast twisty smooth part (after Rattlesnake) and we missed a sharp right turn and ended up in these peoples' back yard. So I had to back-track and find the course again and I was pretty mad about that. Then, 1-2 miles from the finish I got a flat tire after the dirt road climb before the last rocky steep uphill. I just kept riding the rest of the way though because I was ticked-off about it. I knew there was someone (Noreen) right behind me and I wasn't about to stop and fix the flat. So I managed to stay ahead of her and finish. It was quite a fiasco. But I definitely had fun.