It’s been some time away from the blog, but if anything since the last post has been especially ‘blog-worthy’ it has got to be the WORS Subaru Cup ProXCT weekend. It was a race that I really looked forward to and it certainly turned out to be a memorable experience since it’s not every weekend that you get to race against North America’s best while having all the local fans out there willing you on with their cheers. Not that there’s a home-court advantage in mtb racing, but I was certainly a little extra motivated for this one.
Having raced Mt Morris the past three years I had a good understanding of the course and what to expect. This time around the competition would be much more so accordingly the short punchy climbs became all that much more critical. Being that the race was six laps with a fair amount of vertical there was little opportunity for recovery. Exactly my favorite kind of course to race on!
The number 40 plate made for a mediocre call up position, but in a matter of just 30 seconds or so I was able to maneuver up to 15th or thereabouts as we crested the initial climb. Definitely one of the better starts I’ve had and it put me in the mix right from the beginning. Lap one was fast but manageable and during the second lap came the challenge to somehow recover from the start while settling in and not backing off the pace too much. I was able to manage this alright and sought to keep steady lap times. Much of the race I went back and forth with Tristan who was riding the main climb a litter faster while I was able to lead for most of the decending and punchy uphill stuff. By the time lap five came around the heat/humidity was getting too me and I gave up a little bit of ground as a matter of self preservation. The final two laps were a delicate balancing act of not overheating (any more than I already had) while trying to maintain position. I ended up losing a couple of spot before the finish, but 18th on the day was still a great ride and something that I felt happy with.
2010 has been a strong(er) season thus far and I hope to continue the trend. The Trek Bike Store in Boulder has helped out a bunch with the Superfly 100, a race bike that I’m really loving. It’s not only fast, but also a lot of fun to ride. The Bontrager tire crew stepped in big time to help get me setup for the conditions so a big thanks to them for the help. WORS put on a top-notch event just as I knew they would. Having a pro race come to WI was a long time in the making and it was awesome to be a part of the action. Hopefully it was just the start of what will become many more pro level events in WI. WORS is a great group of people that make racing fun and exciting, so thanks again for making the ProXCT happen.
Up next will be the UCI stage race in Colorado Springs which serves as the proxct series finals July 9-11. That weekend ought to be a good tune up for the National Championships which are just one week later at Sol Vista, CO. I’ll be better acclimated and ready to give it a good run this year so I’m looking forward to challenge.
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