Thanks to Will and Jimmy for the pictures. I believe Will took the race pictures on Jimmy’s camera.

Jill Behlen racing in the Junior Women’s race. Around 20 junior women started just two minutes behind the elite women, which is almost unheard of in the U.S. In 2003, I lined up with over 20 Junior X women at the start of the Durango NORBA in my first and only junior race of that size (also my first NORBA, and first race as a Junior X, and my first experience getting my ass kicked which I didn’t like). The following year, I raced 3 NORBA’s (Schweitzer, Snowmass, and Durango) and I don’t think we had over eight junior x women start any single event that year.

Now, where’s all the U23 ladies back in the U.S.? I finished 10th of the U23 women in Winterthur, although they made up over half the elite starting field! What a relief Switzerland can only send a few women to World’s…

Here’s Lydia, one of three U23 elite women racers in the U.S:

She’s fearless on the downhills and a good wheel to follow. My plan for riding the downhills fast is to pretend Lydia’s breathing down my neck. Trying to chase a former downhill skier turned mountain bike racer is a good way to eat some some dust. Anyway, she’s been a great training partner in Kirchzarten, except when she drops me over every overpass in town…

I also had to throw in these pictures for good measure.

Jill

Lydia

Me

Apparently at the last camp, Jimmy had some video footage and pictures of almost the entire junior women’s field riding a particularly gnarly section of trail, a section which all the guys chose to run through. So don’t underestimate the junior women.