Blue Ribbon Race Day

I finally got my first win in a big race! 

Here's the context: 

There are a couple of different race series I've been competing in. One, the Weekly Race Series (WRS), is relatively low-key, less expensive, and a lot of people use it to train for the other: the Intermountain Cup race series (the I-Cup - don't laugh at the abbreviation). 

The WRS events are every Wednesday night during the summer, alternating between a course at Sundance and a course at Soldier Hollow. Racers are divided into the following skill categories, in ascending order: Beginner B, Beginner A, Sport B, Sport A, Expert B and Expert A. I have worked my way up from Beginner A to Sport B, and came within one race of finishing in the top three in cumulative points for the season in Sport B last year in the WRS (so that includes a couple of first place finishes and other times in the top 3).

Weekly race at Sundance, Summer 2011

The WRS doesn't award podium prizes or announce winners every week, but it does keep track of individual scores for the season. The rewards are great, however: Every race participant gets his/her name in the prize drawing at every race, and you go home with bike gear, tools, clothing - I even won a bike for Tara last year!

The I-Cup is much more competitive and has many more categories of racers (all the way up to professional riders), dividing men and women and age groups into three or four different categories each. I race in the Beginner Men age 30-39 group in the I-Cup, and I don't do very many of them because they're more expensive, usually farther away, and take at least half a Saturday at a time.

I have also raced twice - once in 2011, once so far in 2012 - in a Utah State Championship Series race. I got third place the first time, but didn't make the top 10 this year. I might try another of their races in June this year (Round Valley, Park City).

USCS race at Lambert Park, April 2011

Levi was happy for me when I got home & showed him my ribbon.

This is my second full season of racing. Last year I joined the race team with the local bike shop, Mad Dog Cycles, for the benefits of team support and camaraderie. The I-Cup series is a big deal to the team, because the series tracks team points for the season and awards "The Cup" at the end of the season to the winning team. 

We won the Cup in 2011

The more often you win, the more notoriety you achieve for the shop, and the easier it is to get team sponsors. Higher finishes for racers in each category are worth more team points (duh). Last year I made it to five I-Cup races, usually finishing in the top 5 or 6, and I was ecstatic to finally make it onto the podium with a 3rd place finish in the grand finale race of the year at Snow Basin (Ogden Canyon).

"Basin Bash" I-Cup race, Aug. 2011

This year, my first I-Cup appearance was a week ago at Sundance, the fourth (and, arguably, toughest up to this point) I-Cup race of the season. 

Mad Dog Team at Sundance Spin, showing off our new 4Life-sponsored kits (Seth & Caleb arrived a few minutes after the photo was taken)

I let someone pass me in the final downhill, not realizing he was in my category, so I reeled him in on the steep uphill climb, passing him as we neared the finish line. He battled back and, in a final sprint, he managed to pass me again a few feet before we crossed the finish. I thought we were battling for 5th or 6th place, but it turns out he got 1st and I got 2nd - my best I-Cup finish yet! If only I had known earlier in the race that I was leading, I might have pushed harder earlier and been able to hold the lead. I started liking my chances for the upcoming races.

 2nd place at "Sundance Spin," May 2012. If you look closely, you can see I'm lopsided - I only shaved half my face & head.

Yesterday (Saturday) was the I-Cup at Soldier Hollow - the 10th annual "Hammerfest." The turnout in my category was low, with only a handful of us at the starting line, which is a little disappointing, but I felt like it was my race to lose. I didn't push too hard off the start, conserving some energy for the challenges I knew were coming. I did push just hard enough to ensure a lead going into the single track (narrow trail only wide enough for one rider at a time). The weather was perfect, the venue was beautiful, and I was excited to make a good impression on video - I had borrowed my friend's helmet cam.

  Beautiful day at Soldier Hollow. Caleb, Seth, teammate Chris Broderick.

In fact, I turned to look behind me several times during the race, which I never do, but this time I thought it might help give context to the recording. Good thing I looked, because I spotted a guy gaining on me in one of the climbs, and he looked dead-set on catching me. I pushed as hard as I could the rest of the race - and it was a blast! I felt strong on the climbs, and I flew down the descents. Still, going into the last set of switch-backs leading to the last steep hill before the finish, I looked over my shoulder and saw that same blue jersey closing in on me. This gave me the motivation I needed to dig deep again into my energy reserves to make it over that climb, down the other side, around the last couple of turns and across the finish line... in first place (by a little more than a minute)! 

So, with an exciting race, a beautiful day, and a first-place finish, I was sure I would have a great video to share. And I would have, except my memory card was only big enough to capture the first eight minutes of a course that took me 1:05:06 to complete. :-(  The card fills up right before we get back into the steeper, more varied terrain and more dramatic passing, descending, interacting with others on the course, etc. Well, it is what it is, and chances are you couldn't stand to watch more than eight minutes, anyway. Here, give it a whirl:

None of my competitors stuck around for the podium ceremony. I can't say I blame them - we were done racing before noon, but didn't leave the venue until at least two hours later! But I look a little silly standing atop the podium with nobody else around me. Congratulations, Brian! You beat... nobody. 

It's lonely at the top.

Even Seth, who had his best finish ever at third place (!), had to go back to work in the afternoon so he couldn't stay to claim his prize.

Seth raced a strong race in spite of the fact that he couldn't use his left thumb to shift gears and had to cover a gash on his right arm - both results of crashing in last week's race - and his bike has a rear shock and front wheel that need to be rebuilt or replaced. Very impressive!

It would have been awesome to be on that podium together. Hopefully we can both land in the top three again sometime soon.

Our nephew Caleb, Seth & me at the finish line.

Racing has been a fun way to introduce 14-y.o. Caleb to mountain biking. He fell in love with it at last year's biathlon (he's a crack shot on the firing range) and has continued with the WRS, joining the Mad Dog team and adding some I-Cup events to his race regimen this season.