A hard day of bike racing

After completing my first race of the day in Clermont, Florida, my dad and I got in the car and headed to Lakeland where I would be competing in a Pro,1,2 cycle cross race. The previous weekend I had been in Miami where I took second place in a Pro,1,2 cross race, so with my success still on my mind I got to the course where the first thing I saw was a 35 foot sugar sand drop-off with caution tape marking the route down.

Realizing that I would have to ride down this hill I started to wonder how I would get to the top. With this question on my mind I still had to get ready for the race. I changed into my Colavita cycling kit and shoes, now I was ready to pre-ride the course. I found the path leading to the top of the hill. It was about 500 feet long and covered in sugar sand. I knew I would be riding and running up this sandy beast. Once at the top I would throw myself back on my bike and then it was just a matter of slipping and sliding down the hill. At the bottom, I would go about 50 feet around to a 10 foot tall hill of the softest sand I think I have ever raced or ridden through. At this point I would dismount my bike and carry it over the hill. Once over the hill I would ride across the start line and head on to a bit of double track mountain biking ending with a small little mound. With a little bit of luck and some speed I could just make it over the mound and onto a dirt road where I would ride as fast as I could to a 180 turn and onto the single track mountain bike course which I do have to say was my favorite part of the course. It was a fast and winding route leading me around to a little more double track before going back to that wicked sugar sand run.

Getting round the pre-ride on my own was one thing. Racing other people around it was quite another. Standing on the start line with my back wheel dug in and ready to jump off the line I realized I had forgotten to put on my number. With just a minute or two before the race would start I ran back to the car and got it pinned on. Now back on the start line and ready to go the official gave us the whistle and we were off. The eventual winner of the race was Daren Downing and off the line he was going fast and I was on his wheel. We headed through the double track, over the mound, down the road to the single track, and back to some more double track before the sand run where I ended up getting dropped by Daren. Once off his wheel I started to feel the burn of my morning race, one by one the other racers started to pass me until I found myself in last place. This was not good but at least the only place left to go was up so slowly my legs started to open back up and I headed by one rider and then another until I was in fourth place. I held this position for two laps hoping all was doing better but going into the last four laps I started to blow and coming down the sugar sand drop I lost my balance falling off my bicycle. By sheer will I pulled myself up and out of the sand, believe me I was flat out tired and just could not hold onto fourth place. Once again I found myself being passed by riders –one, two, three – now I was in seventh place. My teammate, JP, was one of the riders to pass me and he finished in fourth. I held on and got seventh.