Georgia State Championship Series #2--West Point, Georgia (4/10/11)

Last weekend, my dad and I took another quick father-son road trip to Georgia to race in the second GSC race. We had planned to pitch a tent near the start/finish line, but we got there so late Saturday night that we decided to just put the seats down in the back of the van and climb into our sleeping bags back there. It wasn't the best night's sleep ever, but it makes for a good story (hehe).

The race took place at Lake Side Park in West Point, Georgia, and it wasn't called "lake side" for nothing. The trail followed the lake for a while and was really pretty. I had planned ahead and brought my fishing pole, so I was all set for some fishing between races.

The kids' race was a lot of fun. The course was short and fast, and my dad got a lot of great video of all the kids in the different classes, and you can see it below.

I took the lead at the end of the second lap and finished in first place again. Ms. Terri teased me about needing to move up a class and give up the kids' races, but I told her, "I'm only 10."

After the 2nd place finish I had at Tsali the week before, I decided to go ahead and race in the Juniors class again.

These are some of the boys that I raced against. One boy you don't see in the picture is Dustin. He is super fast and wins a lot of races in the Junior 11-14 class. I knew he'd be tough to beat, but I was feeling confident that I could do well.

The trail reminded me a lot of Nayl's Trail, a place near my house that my mom, dad, and I ride all the time. The big difference was that there were a few more climbs and the dirt was clay instead of sand. It wasn't a hard course, but just like at Tsali, there was a lot more uphill riding than I am used to doing, but unlike Tsali, the race was the first time I actually got to ride the trail.

I finished 4th out of 9 kids. Dustin's chain broke, but he ran with his bike and still finished 2nd. (I told you he was fast!)

Even though my mom wasn't with us at the race, Dad had her on speaker phone and I could hear her cheering for me when I crossed the finish line. Afterwards, I got to talk to her for a little while and tell her how things went. It was exciting to know that I was going to get on the podium again!

It was a really great day! I got a first AND a fourth place finish, and my dad won the Base 40-49 race. To top it off, I got some new gloves in my goody bag that match my racing jersey and my bike. I can't wait to see what happens next week!