This past weekend I had a difficult choice to make. I could
drive down to Mizzou and race collegiate on some pretty awesome trails and get
some collegiate racing in or I could race the WORS Wigwam race in Sheboygan. It
was a tough choice, made even more difficult by the fun that was to be had in
Mizzou. On the flip side the competition at WORS is so much better and I stood
to gain about 160 points in the overall which could move me up considerably. In
the end between competition, points, and the amazing Wigwam fans and course, I
decided to race in Sheboygan.
It wasn’t all bad either. Saturday night I went out with
some friends from high school and had a really awesome time. I got back a
little later than I wanted to, but no big deal. I’d rather go to bed in a good
mood than super early. That’s not to say I wasn’t really tired in them morning
though. My dad woke me up 30 minutes before we were going to leave. Luckily
everything was already in the car from when I drove home from Madison the night
before.
I got to course in time for my dad’s sport race and the
weather couldn’t have been any better. Seriously anyone who was there would
agree. The fall colors were amazing, but it was almost warm for summer time,
let alone fall. The course was also in amazing shape too. Some spots were a
little dry and dusty, but I’m not complaining. Things got even warmer during my
dad’s race too. But it was a lot of fun to watch him race. He has been putting
more time into racing and riding this year and it’s fun to watch it pay off for
him. As he was finishing up, I got ready and started my warm up. It was just a
few 30 second sprints with about 20 minutes of spinning, but it was just right.
Then I headed to the start line.
I got super lucky on the start. Everyone had a call up who
was in front of me so I actually ended up on the 3rd row right in
the middle. I knew that the inside of the first turn would get crowded so when
the race started I took it fast and got to the outside. It worked really well
and I went through to hole shot banner like 15th wheel. I was able
to make a few passes before the single track started, but everyone in front of
me was plenty fast enough. I did make a few passes in the second section as
Scott Cole was behind me pushing me to go faster. I made those passes and
actually left him behind and caught his Adventure 212 teammates Chris Peariso
and Ryan Krayer. I filed in third wheel and started looking for passing lanes.
I tried to pass on this off camber downhill, not the best idea I admit, and
Ryan made sure I knew as he put me into the bushes a little bit. I was able to
get him later in the lap, but only after Chris got away. I broke away from Ryan
and ended up catching Dalas Fowler, a good friend, Kuhl Midwest rider and UW
Alumni.
We battled back and forth on lap 2, 3 and 4. One lap he
would attack and I was on the rivet, and the opposite would happen the next
lap. But I was pretty content because we were riding well inside the top 10. I
decided to take it a little easy on lap 4 because I knew I wasn’t going to just
ride away from him, he’s just too strong. I saved my energy for the last lap
and attacked him going into the single track. I got a very small gap, but most
importantly had control of the pace. I started to really put the hammer down
and push it. I stretched the gap out to about 5 seconds. I tried to snap the
elastic but he was just a little too strong. I finally was able to get out of
his sight on the climb after the river crossing and continued to push the pace
until I went across the road into the riverside single track.
I was pretty confident I had him at this point. I ended up
getting caught behind a comp rider in the single track. This made me nervous
because I had the big advantage in this section. I admittedly was being a
little bit of a dick trying to pass in this section, but all I could think of
was Dalas catching me. I got just a little too close to the rider in front and
crossed wheels, getting thrown over the bars. Without even thinking I grabbed my
bike before the guy even knew I crashed and he let me by. I lost some time and
Dalas could see me now. I just laid it all out there. Two big climbs and some
single track left. Dalas had the advantage in the climbs, but I was faster in
the technical stuff. I gave it everything I had on the first climb and found
the strength to demolish the equalizer on my final lap. I continued pushing it.
On my way down towards the lake I felt my heart rate spike and I knew I was
going deep into the red. But I kept pushing. Finished up the lake section and
got a little caught up in the sand. Coming into the final section, I took a
look back as Dalas wasn't there. I took a deep breath and rolled in for 7th
place. HELL YEA!
This was a huge confidence booster going into collegiate
regionals. Not only was it my best finish all season, but it was on a tough
course with a stacked field. I also felt like I really laid it all out there,
nothing left at the end. I played the tactics game just enough to give me an
edge and gauged my effort perfectly. Overall it was an amazing race. I got to
thank my Dad for being there, love to hear him cheering for me. Also Claire Cannon
form the Trek Store of Madison and Team WORS. She works so hard and still
offered to give me a hand up, which on lap 4 I really needed big time.
That was an awesome way to end the WORS season and good way
to feel heading into two important races. Next up is collegiate regionals. Then
there is a weekend of cross races in preparation for collegiate MTB nationals.
The next month is going to be crazy, but I can’t wait!
Thanks for reading!
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