Impromptu race day ~ Yankee TT was not on my list of races to do. It is usually held in April when I have finals and no ride time, so I tend to opt out of it and stick to the NIMBA series. This year the race was rescheduled and Dwight decided that morning he was going to do it. I was itching to ride my bike but did not want to race it. A good group of our teammates were racing so I figured I would take pictures and follow little Jacob Goff out while his dad and brother raced. Unfortunately for us, his trail was cut from 9 miles to 2 miles…he wasn’t a happy campier.
For a millisecond, I considered following Dilan Goff but realized that might be embarrassing to him and there was a strong possibility he could be a stronger rider. Those Goff genes are crazy!
After going back and forth drumming up my excuses with my teammates they solved my issues and left me with no excuses but to look like I “wussed out.” By that point, I already gave myself prerace jitters and just needed to pull it together and warm my legs up! As usual, I did more of the warming my mouth up then my legs, but that’s just another reason why I love racing…mountain bikers are just awesome people!
- That’s Me!
I made my way to the start where sport women were taking off in 10-second intervals. Cyclone was just two people in front of me and she had had her game face on eying the women on the white Niner. I hoped I could use Cyclone as my rabbit but only had a glimpse of her after takeoff. The women in front of me started strong, passing a couple others but by mile four, she bonked too and I had to pass. The 10-second intervals were ideal for me because there was always someone else to try to catch and chat up. It also gave me a big boost when I am doing the passing.
On that note, I had just passed a girl who was a strong climber but couldn’t handle down hills and turns. I assumed she would get on my tail and follow my lines. Well… we hit the big, black, rubber mat climb. I charge it, my front tire started spinning out, and I thought she was blowing up my back tire. I didn’t think I was going to make it and moved to the right so she could pass. To my surprise, I heard a familiar male voice say, “Damn it!” Apparently, just as I reared off, Dave was passing me in the same direction and I messed him up. (No sad feelings… he still won his class and learned the lesson of calling his passes!)
Towards the end, I shifted to climb a hill and my chain fell off. It was a quick fix with the front ring and a spin of the peddle but the fact that I was at the bottom of a sandy hill with no momentum sucked! My legs were screaming all the way up and I just wanted it to be over…luckily I got some encouragement from a few spectators and cowbells, which felt like a gu shot, giving me that extra push I needed to finish.
To my surprise, I came in second!
I really have to give Dwight kudos here. He gave me his Gatorade and hit the racecourse without even bringing a water bottle. Since he didn’t preregister, he had a great deal of racers to pass and could have used those electrolytes. In the end, he was literally seconds from 1st place against our very own Keith Wilkinson!
- Keith Wilkinson (1st) and
- Dwight Denisiuk (2nd)