Now, on to the racing action.
So this past weekend Campbell Cycling hosted its first ever race and judging from the feedback we got it went great. Saturday started out with a 20 minute short track race. The course climbed up a steep double track climb to the top of the mountain and then hit some smooth singletrack for a fast decent back to the bottom. The race was a ton of fun. There were 16 racers and as we stood on the start line I couldn’t help but think about all the training that I had done for that moment and the time was finally here to race mountain bikes again. I was ready. The horn blew and we sprinted off the line onto the climb. I felt pretty strong the first time up and sat in third place at the top of the climb. I was honestly a little choacked as iv never been that far up on a race in my life. I hung on down the hill pushing it through all the berms to hold the wheel in front of me. Things were going good and I was still 3rd after the second lap. It was about that time though that the legs started to burn and on the steepest part of the climb I couldn’t keep my leg speed high enough and it lead to me spinning out. The three guys behind me past at that point. From that point on it was kindof a blur of suffering up that hill and going back and forth from 6th to 7th. The next thing I remember is the bell ringing for the last lap and I smashed the pedals to close the gap and get on the 6th mans wheel. The finish line had been positioned half way up the hill to give a nice sprint at the end, my idea. I held his wheel down the hill and as we emerged onto the double track I sprinted with all I had left and flew past the man in front like he was sitting still. As I approached the line though I dies about 10 yards from the line and somehow the guy behind me became the guy in front of me again and I had to settle for 7th.
I was a bit upset that I had went a fraction to soon but none the less I was satisfied with my finish as the steep climbs aren’t really where I shine. My goal is to finish top ten overall and top three for division 2. I did both in that race so I couldn’t complain.
The evening brought the gravity events and I was just hoping for some points, a top 12. Downhill was first and I pushed it as hard as I could. It felt fast, with no mistakes or bobbles, but I didn’t know. Turned out I finshed 9th out of 20. Biggest surprise of the day.
The day finished with a mass start super d. We decided to lemans start it and while I was messing with my bike everyone was lining up their bikes and I ended up in the very back. My plan was to just go into the woods in the top ten and try to hold on and maybe sprint past someone in the 50 yeard runout at the finish. When the start came I was amoung the first to my bike so I picked it up and hopped the other bikes like cyclocross barriers. I got on and began down the 200 years of so of jeeproad before we hit the singletrack. I passed a couple folks and found myself right behind marshall on his singlespeed. I could have pedeled on by him with my gears as he was just spinning but I decided to just sit in as I was in about 7th at that point anyway and I knew he would be trying to make some passes on the downhill. As we began down the hill though everyone was pilled up wheel to wheel. One of the “less experienced” riders had somehow got to the front and was taking his time down the hill. I cant say to much, it was the C race and if folks don’t wont to deal with that they should cat up. So I sat in and coming to a tricky spot where you have to really gear down to spin up and over some roots I readied myself for the pile up. Sure enough right on cue the slow guy stumbled and I hit the woods passing several guys and finding myself in 4th right with a half mile or so left. As we approached a tricky switchback I yelled watch out this ones tricky as I didn’t want him going down in front of me. No luck though he hit the ground but I somehow made it around. 3rd place with a couple hundred yards to the finsh. I started to get excited and then next thing I know my face is in the dirt. I still cant tell you what happened but I hit the ground wrapped my chain up bent my front brake and had to run it across the finish line. No points. From my best finish ever to next to last. That kinda ruined my weekend. Iv went down that hill hundreds of times and I don’t know what happened. I almost think the guy behind me made a pit maneuver or something but…
Still a little bitter about the super d I lined up for the cross country race Sunday morning. I knew this was my best chance for a top 5 finish maybe of the entire season so I was ready to smash it. There is a tricky little rock pile 100 yards from the start line so I knew it was imparitive to be in the front right off the bat. As the start came I sprinted into 3rd once again and made it cleanly up the rock pile but sure enough the guy right behind me didn’t make it. I was excited as I knew that gave me a little buffer up the first trip to the top of the hill. I settled in behind the second place racer but he was really takin it easy but there was no way to get around. As soon as I got to a decent spot I went on around to take second but by that time the first place rider had a gap. I started back down the hill and at the bottom right before the next hill I saw the leader standing next to his bike. I later found out he had went down hard and split his chin open having to go to the hospital for stitches. I continued on by him and realized…I WAS THE LEADER. First time for everything but I was pretty happy. I smashed the pedals up the hill and still had a gap on the riders behind me as I reached the top and started across the ridge on the root flat at the top. It was here the chase group caught me. They would be on my wheel then I would gap them for a minute and they would be there again. I lead them down the first long decent and as we started up the first long climb I was still up front. I did glance back and see that it was a four man chase group. I really didn’t know how to handle myself up the climb with the lead. I kept the pace kindof tempo not hard but not easy. I felt slow though but no one made any attempt to go around. By the time we crested the hill though and started to hit the flat at the top the group was ready to go on. I expected this as I said I wasn’t keeping a high pace. I though I would save my effort there and let them by and hang on their wheel until the second and last big climb. This was a mistake though. I held the group through the flat on top but we than began the long long decent to the last climb and there was no way I would hold their wheel. Furthermore an App rider caught and passed me down the hill as well. I wanted the top five bad and smashed it up the climb to catch him. A few times I would close down the gap but then the rider would see me and attack again. I summated the hill again hit the super d down to the bottom and coasted across for 6th. I think I may have been 1st for Division 2 but the results still aren’t out.
Overall Ill have to say Iv really come a long way from last year. Instead of fighting off the back now Im fighting for the front. It feels good. I still havnt hit my second peak and am not where I could have been had I not taken a month off in the middle of the summer for wedding, honeymoon and moving but the goals I went into the season with are still within reach. My biggest probel m is not being able to go to all the races due to school. My next race will be at NC State next weekend and I hope to really solidify my place there.
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