2012 US Cup East/SERC #6/GSC #3--Jackson, Georgia (5/26-27/12)

This weekend's race at Dauset Trails in Jackson, Georgia was an emotional roller-coaster for me. Last year, a crash right in front of me at the starting line put me behind right from the whistle, and then a fall on some rocks into a creek when I was working to catch back up just ruined my whole race. So this year, I had a score to settle with the course, and I was on a mission to finally beat John Michael.

Pierce, me, and John Michael

We got up to Dauset on Saturday afternoon and pre-rode the course. To our surprise, it was a totally different set-up from last year. The trail with the creek that I crashed on last year wasn't even part of the course this year.  One section, called Huff and Puff, we rode in reverse last year and we were told to be thankful. This year, we found out just how it got its name when we had to ride it in the usual direction.

Saturday was very hot and in the late afternoon, I competed in an individual time trial event to earn bonus points for the Georgia State Championship series. I wasn't planning on doing the whole Georgia series because of conflicting races, but just in case we made it to enough to qualify for overall awards, I did the time trial. It was great too, because I finally beat John Michael by 17 seconds!! This had me excited and looking forward to racing against him on Sunday.

Because this race was another combined US Cup/SERC/GSC race, the field was pretty big. I got out in front this time at the start (big improvement from last year's start) and I was feeling pretty good.

By the time we got to the steepest part of the gravel road climb before hitting the woods, John Michael, Pierce and I had put some distance between us and the rest of the pack. Then out of nowhere, John and Pierce stood up and blew past me. I stood up then also to catch Pierce's wheel as we made the sharp left turn into the single-track. I knew I wanted to eventually get around those guys, but this first downhill section was really fast and was part of the parade lap that ended with us going through the finish line, so I knew if I just stayed with them I'd have a chance to pass when everyone slowed down there.

Well, it wasn't but a few seconds before my first big break came. Like I said, this section of downhill was fast and we were flying through there. John Michael's wheel slid out on a turn and he went down hard on his knee. Pierce and I went around him and John was finally able to get going on the bike again after everyone had passed.

I ended up getting around Pierce at the finish line area and took the lead. Then I knew I just had to ride fast, make no mistakes and do a better job getting through traffic than everybody else and I would have the race won.

Unfortunately, I only got 2 out of 3 of those goals right. I was definitely riding fast and aggressive, and I was definitely getting through traffic better than everybody else. However, I also crashed several times. On the last one, I got a flat and didn't have any CO2 with me to re-inflate it. I blew a lead of at least a minute because I didn't have supplies. I was so frustrated!! Walking my bike back out of the woods and getting passed by the guys I was in front of was one of the most humiliating feelings ever. I know mechanicals happen, but why did it have to happen when I was leading?

Marco--2nd place

So how did the race end? Obviously, I got my first-ever DNF. Pierce went on to get his first win and if I hadn't been so miserable myself, I would've been happy for him. He's a nice guy. Marco Newman came in second and John Michael worked his way back from dead last to third place.

On the ride home, we reviewed the video footage from the race--all 25 minutes of it--(yes, that's sarcasm) to try to determine what I did wrong and what I could learn from my mistakes. After we were done talking about it, my dad started playing an interview that a friend of ours, pro rider Drew Edsall, had done at the Transylvania Epic this weekend. Some of his answers really seemed helpful in my case. Here's what we came up with:  1) Protect the bike, 2) Protect the lead, 3) Be prepared. Thanks Drew (and Dad)!!


Next weekend, my dad and I are taking a guys only road trip to Birmingham, Alabama for Bump 'N' Grind. I can't wait! It will be my first Cat 2 race and I'm looking forward to being able to compete against some new and different riders. I'm not so sure I'm looking forward to riding Blood Rock though, but I guess I'll see when we get there.