Waverly Park, KY

On Saturday night, Dave and I drove down to Louisville, KY to contest the Wild on Waverly cross country race that forms part of the new Kentucky Points Series. After a delicious meal at the Terre Haute Denny's Diner, we arrived at our host's house for some sleep before race day. We were greeted by some quality hospitality and some hyperactive golden retrievers. Following a restless night on a halfway inflated air mattress, these same golden retrievers served as our wake up call and one nearly consumed my ipod in its excitement.

We got to the race a little later than anticipated and I thought my chance at a pre ride was gone. Luckily, the start got pushed back twenty minutes so I set out to see what I was in store for. What I found was screaming fast hard pack dirt singletrack with excellent flow and enough climbing to put some sting in the legs. Whatever the race outcome, it was going to be a good ride...

The start went a bit better for me than usual. It was set up weaving back and forth on itself and I was able to cut corners to get a good position, rather than rely on my non-existent drag race style start. Once into the woods, there was instant separation between the five or six fastest guys and my group. I sat in the middle of the chase for the first section and moved to the front of the group on the long steep climb after the road crossing. The Kentucky superfan was poised at the top of the climb blaring death metal and screaming at all the competitors. He was hilarious on the first lap and highly motivational on subsequent laps.

I kept at the front for the remainder of the lap until we came through the finish line and I was passed while grabbing a fresh bottle. As the second lap went on, the elastic between myself and my group of five stretched and stretched until I thought I was dropped. I spent a while wondering why I race at all and had all but decided to quit the race and racing period. I kept telling myself that I get better as the race goes on, but the roctane was making me sick and I was in no man's land. Not long after this, I caught a KHS rider and attacked him on a doubletrack grinder, successfully restoring some level of confidence.After the next series of climbs, I began to reel in the chase group and found some fresh motivation. I kept them in sight at about thirty seconds for the rest of the second lap and finally made contact on the big long climb on the third lap. Superfan's metallic encouragement helped me get back on the wheel and I sat at the back recovering for a bit.

Toward the end if the third lap, another rider on an Epic attacked the group and I went with him, immediately distancing the other riders in our group. He was clearly stronger than me and I declined his invitation to come around and hoped I could hold his wheel. I couldn't. I tried to keep the gap in check for the rest of the lap, hoping he would fade on lap four, but he didn't and the elastic finally broke. Thankfully, I was able to hold off the remnants of the chase and a very strong woman from SOBE who was creeping up the whole race. On the last lap, the sounds of "Metal Health" rang through the forest and I dug deep to hold my position until the line. I ended up third in th 19-29 field and seventh overall. I have to say that I'm extremely happy with the result and with the race in general. It isn't often that I can ride such pristine singletrack in such phenomenal weather and race against friendly, quality competition. It's worth remembering the next time I start stressing out about the commitment of a weekend away from home to race.

After the race, we were treated to free barbecue which thankfully included Boca burgers for us veggies and more Red Bull than I knew what to do with. Mountain bike races always have such a superior attitude and camaraderie that I wonder why they aren't more popular. Good time. I have to thank Rusty for putting on the race and setting Dave and I up with some beds, as well as his influence in the hardcore scene of the nineties. Well rounded individual to be sure.

In the end, St. Louis did itself proud with Dave winning the expert race, Christopher topping the sport 19-29 and Schweiker coming second in the same class. I'm always proud when we go to races and come back with the results. Hopefully, there's more of this to come.