# @strava on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CY4JlJ_u-NB
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/3300896-strava-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/ad40c7f09a.jpg
- **Posted:** 2022-01-18T16:00:11.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Strava (@Strava) — https://gondola.cc/Strava

## Caption

The new year has a tendency to pressure us to go full throttle on resolutions. It can be overwhelming: setting lofty goals, but knowing there will be inevitable moments where we will get derailed from our hopes or plans because such is life. For @Sarah_Sturmy, two-time US Single Speed Cyclocross National Champion, lots of those moments happened during the single speed race at the 2021 #cxnats . Her race there reminded her that when those derailing moments happen, the thing that matters most is to put the chain back on.

She shares, “It's always a mix of emotions to walk away from a race, a performance, anything and feel like nothing went right. For me, unfortunately, that was my pro race at #cxnats. My only goal was to give it everything I had; I knew it would be a longshot to the podium when I had hardly raced any #xc. 
 
I was excited to race, eager for the crazy slippery course, and excited to see how hard I could go. That excitement carried me into a top position for the first 1/4 of a lap, and then my chaos began. I crashed out (a common occurrence with muddy conditions) all while I was frantically getting back on my bike and untangling my bars from the tape and other women's wheels, my composure seemed to float away along with a top finishing spot. After that, if I wasn't crashing in a corner or slipping on a run-up [the part of the course that she had to get off her bike and run up] I was stopping to fix a dropped chain. I don't think I could count all of the times I had to stop during the race! 
 
There isn't such a thing as a perfect race; mistakes and bad luck will inevitably happen to everyone, but it's the athlete's ability to stay focused and move past the hiccup! I forgot the essential part of cyclocross, the ability to make small recoveries throughout the race.
 
I've heard people say things like, ‘sometimes you're the hammer, and sometimes you're the nail…’ and now I know what that nail feels like. Even as I was running across the finish line (another dropped chain), I honestly just had to laugh. I learned a lot from that day, and if anything, it left me eager to come back with some fire but primarily focused!”

Photo Credit: @brettrothmeyer

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 2,447
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 8

## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Strava | @Strava | https://gondola.cc/Strava | Social Media Specialist |
| Krystal Salvent | @krystalsalvent | https://gondola.cc/krystalsalvent | Social Media Strategist |

## Tags

xc, cxnats

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