Double Lake Race

This has never been one of my favoites. It tends to draw the roadies out as it is mostly flat and non-technical. I tend to do better the more technical a trail is.....and have done Ok but not well at this venue. I have this and one more race left and need to finish well if I wish to be on the podium with a top 3 in the series. A friend named Guy from San Antonio has been coming on strong the last few races.....and he's in in a position to knock me down a few places. (which would most likely tickle him to death...LOL)

Well, the whistle blows I'm in 5th gear....and get a great jump. I hit 6th, 7th, and 8th sitting, when I hit 9th.....I stand and power it up the start road and hit the singletrack a good 30ft in 1st. Of all the race venues, Double Lake is the one were position going into the singletrack is hugely important. You transition from a park road taking a sharp left, down into and out of a swale. The single track starts as you come up out of the swale and is very sandy and tight. This spot has seen many, many pile-ups as guys jocky for postion......being out in front, I missed it all!!!

The only technical part of DL is maybe the tight trees. There are a bunch on the first couple miles and I am powering through them scraping my shoulders against a few. I am going all out the first of 3 laps....trying to put some distance between myself and the rest of the field. It is about here that I start to encounter racers from other classes. I reallize that every time I get held up......it gives the guys behind me time to close the gap. On the other hand, if I can make clean fast passes....maybe I can gain some more ground. So, it now becomes a timing thing, as I approach a rider I call out "lead S8 rider behind" and start looking ahead for the first safe place to pass.

As I come though the start/finish line, I grab a sport shake that Alex has waiting for me. I get about 3/4 of it down before I have to dump it going into the trail again. I take a quick glance back....and can't really tell if anyone in my class is close.....so I keep hammering it. I'm still hitting a lot of traffic....but making good fast passes. Legs are starting to hurt, as is my back.

Still in first after 2 laps.....I come flying through the start/finish line and grab another shake from Alex. No need to look back.....this is the last lap.....8.5 more miles and I'm hurting.....but surprisedly still going pretty fast. There is still some traffic, but not as bad as before and now most of the guys are tired and moving over pretty fast to let me by. I know my compitition......and they are as fast as me....so, they can't be far behind. I am sore and tired, but keep pushing with all I have.....someplaces this is fast.....some of the short climbs slow me down. When I finally break into the open at the finish.....I get a glimps of another rider still just inside the treeline. I had just passed a couple of guys before reaching the clearing....but didn't know if it was them right behind me. I stand on it and hammer it the last 150 yards to the finish. I take 1st place....just 8 seconds in front of the 2nd place guy, 55 seconds in front of 3rd. Both of these guys are in the running for 1st in the series with me. They both are in a better positition to take it......but I'm not out of it yet......LOL. X-bar should be interesting, but no matter the results, I'll be racing as an Expert after this series.

I've had several 2nds......multiple 3rds, etc.......but this is my first, 1st place finish. Guy finished 4th which will keep the pressure on me to finish well at X-Bar.