3Cats: 2Girls

3Cats Cycling
Apr 6
2 min read

Updated: Apr 7

While the men of 3 Cats spent their day punching unicorns, the ladies spent a productive day at the Appalachian Journey.

Better Together

The Appalachian Journey is designed and intended to bring together the old and the new in a way that creates a challenging and enriching experience for the rider. In melding old and new, they revisited the fundamentals of what we love about racing and riding, and came away with the partner format. While some of our team have extensive MTB stage racing experience, where the format is used heavily, the big takeaway was that riding is more fun with friends. Solo experiences are swell, but the opportunity to share a challenge with others always magnifies the outcome more than twofold.

More Than a Race

The format has been around for a long time, adopted by some of the world’s most challenging and well-known events such as the Cape Epic, BC Bike Race, Swiss Epic, and many more. When riders partner together to accept a challenge, they commit themselves to a purpose bigger than just themselves and in a world that grows more selfish every day, that is something special.

The Push & the Pull

Racing in pairs magnifies your strengths but also multiplies your potential weaknesses. A good partnership is more than the sum of its parts, and we have some great guidelines for how to navigate the partnership. Riders are encouraged to finish within 5 minutes of each other.

5 A.M. Start

The day started at 5 am with a roadtrip to Floyd Virginia. Support staff, Karen & Tim with Sam picked up Lia at 5:30 am to begin the trek.

VAHS teamwork at its best!

The excitement began even before arriving, when the girls got a panicked call from one of their friends who left her gear in another car. In the spirit of the journey, gear was swapped, and by the beginning of the race, Camille had Sam’s AXS battery, Eden had Jane’s Wahoo mount, Grace had Gordon’s shoes, Sam had Lia’s spare helmet, Jane had Grace’s shoes and Christine’s glasses, and Sam’s helmet—and the race went off without further fuss.

The girls raced in the short doggie—36-mile race.

Sam:

This year was Sam’s third Journey and became one of her favorite races. Still recovering from broken ribs sustained in Arkansas, Sam had a plan. Unfortunately, in the gear-swapping whirlwind, she forgot to take anything for pain. By the first aid station, she was feeling it—especially on the climbs. Luckily, she was able to get some ibuprofen to help, but spent a few extra minutes at the station. As her pain leveled off, she and Lia worked well together. Lia helped pull Sam up the climbs, and Sam helped pull Lia on the descents and flats.

Lia:

This was her first Journey and longest race! As the youngest member of the team, she showed up and did the work, pulling up the hills with fierce determination.

Podium Finish

With their friends by their side, they came into the second aid station looking good. With the final push and the last 10 miles, they rolled into the finish together in 3rd place in the Open Women category, finishing at 3:32:52—just 3 seconds behind 2nd place and 7:30 from first.