The Master of Disaster
by Evomo Sponsored Rider on March 20th, 2008
This race started out like a disaster not only did I invite my girlfriend but my mom as well. Now most of you riders know you usually only bring one just to be nice, but two, you usually try to avoid. Twice as many women getting ready in the morning, that many more bathroom stops, etc.
So regardless we set out to the race almost a half an hour later than I wanted but I was gonna drive so oh well Ill make it up. Wrong! We get to the race 15 mins before the start! Here I was getting my number, unloading my bike piece by piece out of my moms little hatchback (better gas mileage on the 250m round trip), and changing into my Evomo Super Suit while at the same time the experts are leaving the starting grid 2 minutess before my start. So a warm up is out the window, I’m just trying to make the start. Which I do just as they call up my age group. Then 3..2…1…Go! and we’re off.
I’m trying not to go to hard off the start because I am not warm but maintain a good position. As we go through the first lap I’m surrounded by older sport riders (I’m in the 19&under Cat) and I didn’t see any younger riders ahead of me so I was doing good so I just chose a rider going a good pace for me and stuck to him. Then coming around to the last mile or so of the 1st lap a kid I recognized as a DH rider for Specialized and a racer in my cat, sprints by me and I stick to him. As we go through the finish line I sprint past him and just keep going. I reach an uphill I know he wont stay with me on and just launch up it and from there it was smooth sailing.
I catch up to a group of 3 or so 20-29ers and thats where I stay until the end of the race. They were going at a decent pace and were obviously more tired then me but knowing I was winning I just stayed with them until the last straight of the race. The straight is about a half to 3/4 of a mile flat sprint and I just go as soon as I hit it. None of them could keep up with me and I finished the race easily a minute ahead of other kids in my category and 3rd out of the age group above me.
It was a fun race on my favorite course but it makes me wonder about the classification system for races. I race sport 19s everywhere I race and I dominated the competition here but at my hometown series I have to fight for the podium…its weird but as long as people don’t think I’m sandbagging its all good. But regardless this has been a good season so far and am looking forward to making it into expert next season.
Ben
