Plattekill DH Series - Race#6

Not much to say on this one. Never felt comfortable on the course. My race run was my best run of the weekend but it was off the pace.



Diablo Domination Series – Race#5 Finals

Super fast course including the "road to nowhere drop", step up, waterboy, victory trails and the Red Bull booter from the US Open. I was feeling great on this course and was ready to let it rip then I blew the rebound cartridge in my backup fork. Luckily the course was so fast I don't think it caused me too much trouble. I pushed hard on my race run but ended up losing time by getting to sketchy and not being smooth enough to maintain the speed on the short course. I finish 23rd and 23rd for the series with one missed race.



Plattekill DH Series - Race#7 "Last Chance for Glory"

This is it - the last race of the season. I wake up Saturday morning sick and decide to stay home to rest for race day on Sunday. I laugh as I look on the computer and see the mountain covered in snow. I arrive early Sunday morning to register and get some practice runs in before the race. I here reports from friends that the mountain has iced over and the course is a death trap. I suit up and take the lift to check it out for myself. The course itself is not too bad but the conditions are dangerous since the ice turned the course into an ice louge. I make it through with 3 or 4 dumps and one section in particular is just about impossible. In my 3rd run I meet up with my friends. It is more a case of finding a way to stay on the bike than picking lines. They postpone the race to see if it would melt some and they try to salt the course but there is little improvement. At the last minute they run everybody on the beginner course which I think was the right choice. Most riders were relieved since some were ready to pack it in and go home rather than risk an injury. We only got one practice run and then the race was started. My run goes well even though there is still some ice and it drops into the last icy section of the expert/pro course. I'm not that familiar with the course with only one practice run but I keep the bike rolling rubber side down and grab my first podium in expert class (3rd place). I'm especially proud of this result since these were the worst conditions of the season and I managed to pull it all together for the last double points race and bump myself into the top 5 for the series.



That’s it for this season. There's nothing like finishing on a high note. A lot of riding and a few trips planned over the winter. There will definitely be a report from Ray's Indoor MTB Park this Winter.



Thanks to all my sponsors (Azonic, e-thirteen, Hayes, Kenda, MTB Strength System, Rockstar Energy Drinks, Sun Ringle, Turner Bikes) and SVB Racing for all the support.