RR: XC and DH
Had a great time doing the Racers n Chasers XC ride on Saturday morning.
Arriving at the venue
Some of the many volunteers, including Dale from D26
XC racers
Luke on the XC
Temps climbed up into the 80s pretty quickly, which made for a headache by the time I finished. The mass start was a little hectic but things settled in pretty well once we got onto the singletrack. I have to say...I was impressed by how much singletrack Robert worked into the course...it was really fun.
Me, followed by a guy with a broken derailleur...he gritted it out
I was racing myself (nobody else in my age group). Before I knew it, the race was over even though I felt like I had just started warming up.
XC finish
I took the mid-afternoon off and rested, then got suited up for DH and took one practice run. The course was pretty loose and sandy in the turns (not my DH strong point) and I was kind of 50-50 on whether I would race. One run and my headache returned so I called it quits while everyone else was up practicing for the rest of the day.
Set up camp and then tried to cook dinner (camp stove has a leaky seal). So, we headed down to watch the Redneck Games (toilet seat toss, bobbing for pig's feet, tire roll) and then went for some dinner down by the freeway. Best part was hanging with everyone and catching up with friends.
The Redneck Games
You have to look close, but that's Dave Weagle (E13, DW-link, Evil bikes guy) tossing a toilet seat
Some of the kids dressed to the nines in hillbilly get-ups
Cool decorations
Turned in early and woke up in the middle of the morning to the sound of rain on the roof of the tent. And then the wind started.
What's at the end of your rainbow? At the end of ours is a sweet bike park in the making
It stayed windy for most of the day. I decided to race (after 8 months of not racing DH I was worried I'd be pretty rusty but I felt good during practice).
In any case, it was chilly and windy at the top of the course but the lines were burned in pretty well. I took it pretty conservatively and made most of my lines and had a pretty clean run. Still waiting to hear how I finished but I know the other girls were all really fast today so we'll see.
Pro men's podium...1st JD Swanguen, 2nd Cody Warren, 3rd Kevin Aiello, 4th ?, 5th Brad Oien
Vet pro podium...Man blong Gaua (Dan) 4th
Man blong Gaua with his Hillbilly trophy
We had an awesome time out there and can't wait for the next round! Thanks especially to all those who came out to spectate and cheer the racers on
