Double-header weekend of cross

SATURDAY
The CUBE Race #3 in Rexburg, ID was the final race in the series and the organizers put together their best course of the three in my opinion. More grass meant longer lap times and tire pressure was an important consideration. Fitzy, Jannine, Bergy, and I rolled into Rexburg plenty early and casually rode the course and chatted with some new faces from Boise who came for the weekend double as well. Although a bit chilly, the weather held and rain never fell during the race.

With the addition of the out-of-towners, the Men’s A field was the deepest yet and they separated our start from the Bs which definitely reduced the congestion at the start. I had a good, but not great, race and just couldn’t close on Bob Walker in the final two laps. I could always see him…just ahead…but he never faltered and I didn’t have anything extra to real him in.

Fitzy and Jannine rode solidly and claimed their respective overall series championships! Congrats! Despite racing only two out of three races, Bergy took 3rd overall in the series by winning the two races he entered. Bergy is quickly building an impressive cross resume.

SUNDAY
The Victor crew was really excited about the King & Queen of Cross in Pocatello, ID for the opportunity to race on a new course against some new faces. Sam Krieg did not disappoint and put together a brutally hard, long, fair, and fun course. This was my favorite course of the year by far and my lap times were in the 11 minute range.

Being a “BIG” race, Fitzy and I signed up for the Men’s B race. The Men’s A and B groups started together but were scored separately in the end. I like having more folks on the starting line but when the “A” guys take off it definitely gives me that “I am SO off the back” feeling. I need to work on my cross starts for sure.

The feature that defined this course was a HUGE run-up (Fitzy appropriately named it the walkup). It was about 80 meters of very steep singletrack that left us non-runners totally blown once we reached the top. On lap two, I came into the run-up just behind another rider and actually made an adrenaline-fueled pass on the run-up but the effort left me so wrecked I was re-passed shortly after on the pavement. Doh! Most of my race was spent suffering alone as I was in between the lead pack and the slower group of B riders. I never once let off of the gas but I find it far easier to squeeze out that little extra when I am racing close to other riders. In the end, I placed third in the Men’s B race...once place behind my hero, Fitzy.

The Victor crew accumulated some impressive results in Pocatello:

Bergy – 3rd Men’s A
Trevor Garner – 5th Men’s A
Fitzy – 2nd Men’s B
Jannine – 2nd Women’s A

It was a great weekend of racing and traveling with friends! It would have been great to see more of our friends from Jackson race too.