Mountain biker logs several personal bests in recent weeks
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Lea Davison (Specialized) being vigilant never to allow both Luna riders ahead of her(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Chloe Woodruff and Judy Freeman (Crank Brothers Race Club) finished up 3rd and 4th on the day.(Image credit: Tom Robertson)
Chloe Woodruff (Crank Brothers Race Club) rode a strong race to finish 3rd(Image credit: Tom Robertson)
Chloe Woodruff (Crank Brothers Racing) has been logging a lot of best performances lately. At the US Mountain Bike National Championships earlier this month in Idaho, she had two good back-to-back results in the elite women's cross country and short track races. She followed that up this weekend with another solid race at the fourth round of the US Pro XCT in Missoula.
"That was by far my best nationals cross country finish. It was a good ride for me. I had a few years of bad luck at nationals, and I knew I could do well on this course," said Woodruff. "I spent the last month training for this race and trying to get acclimated and ready for the heat. I'm happy I pulled off a decent ride.
"It's a little bittersweet - I was sixth place, one place off the podium, and I really wanted to be top five."
The next day, Woodruff got her podium in the short track. She finished fourth. "This was my best short track at nationals. I had one short track win before this - in Fontana last year."
The petite rider noted the lack of short track racing on the domestic calendar in recent years. "This was our second short track of the year - we don't get as many any more." The discipline was once a regular part of national series events and many regional events.
Woodruff primarily races cyclo-cross and mountain bike events in the US, but she did venture further afield earlier in 2012. "I tried my hand at World Cups this spring, and they're hard," she said. "They are a whole different type of racing, and it's so exciting to see how well Georgia [Gould] and Lea [Davison] are riding. I hope the best for them come August. I'm excited for them." Gould and Davison will represent the US at the Olympic Games in London.
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Following US nationals, Woodruff went on to finish in third place behind Heather Irmiger (Subaru-Trek) and Pua Mata (Sho-Air) at the Missoula XC. She is also planning on racing the final US Pro XCT at the Subaru Cup in Wisconsin in mid-August.
"After that, I'm going to try to turn the page a bit and take a little break then and get ready for cyclo-cross. Last year I raced the cyclo-cross season for the first time, and I want to do a full season this year. It might mean cutting the mountain bike season a little short. I'm ready to do some cyclo-cross."
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Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.
