SRC Annual, 2008 Season Closer
This past weekend I raced at the SRC Annual. Saturday I raced my last race in Sport XC, and Sunday was my first race in Expert DH.
Saturday we were up with the sun and driving to Fontucky for the first time in quite a while! It is our home venue, but there aren't many races out there during the heat of summer. Unfortunately the heat of summer is not only unkind to the atheletes, but it also is hard on the trails. In quite a few places the trails are breaking down with the lack of water and maintenance.
I was looking forward to the XC race because it has been quite a while since I got to race with an early season nemesis. I got spanked in the Winter Series by Ryan and wanted to see how my fitness is coming along when measured against a good competitor.
Before the race I warmed up with a few different people and chatted some. It is always fun to hang out before the race with everyone and talk smack! We were called up to start with two age groups in front of us so I wasn't on the front row. I decided before hand to shadow Ryan and try to use some strategy in the race. Before I knew it we were off and Ryan and I were at the back of the group. We picked off a few riders here and there before the asphalt climb and when we turned up the road Ryan turned wide. I took it he didn't want me breathing down his neck so I took the inside line and started to spin. Not far into the climb I noticed one of the riders in our AG was up ahead a ways and I wanted to pass more people before we hit the next single track section so I stood up and got my climb on!
The rest of the lap was pretty uneventful, I was out in the lead and passing lots of riders. One guy crashed on a sandy descent right in front of me, but he seemed to be fine so I pedaled on. My heart rate stayed manageable and I didn't put myself in any difficulty. I passed Allison on the flats before the Start/Finish and told her she should not be coasting on the descents. (at least soft pedal!)
The second lap I didn't stand on the asphalt, I opted to sit and spin. On the first descent I managed to wash out my front wheel in a corner and crashed pretty good. My bars got twisted up and I had to stop to straighten them (you will see this was a trend for the weekend!) I pushed a good pace the rest of the lap and won by a decent margin.
After the race I felt really good. This was the first XC race that I can think of that I didn't blow up at some point on the course so it is time to move up to EXPERT! :) I had a great year of racing in Sport XC and will miss all the guys that I raced with (except those that also move up). Hopefully I can continue to train and improve my fitness and maybe finish mid pack in the Expert field.
After the XC race I went and practiced the DH course some. It was a fun course with not much technical challenge. The wall was being used which sucked because I was riding Allison's DH bike and it only has a 32T chainring on it.
Sunday morning I was back at the track practicing early and my first run was STELLAR! I felt great on the course. That didn't last long though as all the rest of my practice runs were pretty hurting. In my race run I had a good start and felt fast through most of the top of the course. Unfortunately there was a really loose and dusty left hand corner near the middle of the course that layed some smack down on me. I washed out the front tire and managed to knock my bars out of alignment AGAIN! I had to stop and straighten them AGAIN and saw any chances of a top finish evaporate. The bottom of the course went well and I avoided getting passed in my first Expert DH race.
I finished back of the pack, but I wasn't last. I learned some things that I want to implement for the next race and can hopefully improve on my results. I will continue to work hard and train, of course, but it will be primarily XC oriented. I am hoping to maintain pretty decent DH speed, it is hard to be a multi-discipline rider!
So this race wrapped up my '08 racing schedule and I feel that I was very successful in my first full year of racing. Thanks to all who helped me out, rode with me, raced with me, and laughed with me. I am looking forward to more great racing and fun in 2009!!!