Cammie Urban Gets 4th at MTB Masters World Championships

Tam Cycling News - Race and Ride Reports

My husband and I just returned from the MTB Masters Worlds in Canada - what a world class experience!! Let's just say that it was the most insanely technical thing I've ever seen in my entire life, with grueling uphill sections in between all of the technical sections. There was no place to rest on the course, either mentally or physically, so it was a very strange experience.

I decided that the key to the race was to stay on the bike; there was no chance of riding the technical stuff fast. It proved to be a somewhat decent strategy: I've never seen such carnage on a course, with bikes and bloody, muddy women cartwheeling everywhere! With about a mile of the race left, I Iet my mind wander in shock to the fact that I was in 4th in my age group (40+) (after the ladies from Holland, Switzerland, and Brazil), ahead of the 2 US women who were supposed to leave me in the dust. Bad idea. I zigged when I should've zagged, leaned my shoulder into the oh-so-supportive 2" yellow plastic tape blocking off a cliff in order to avoid a tree, and went somersaulting off the edge with my bike flying overhead. Somehow, I got myself back on track and rolled over the finish with crooked brakes and a sexy shin hematoma - but I was still in 4th!