Quadcross ’13, Maynard, MA, Mens 4/5

This was my first race. Although I was able to move quickly on straight, flat sections, my cornering was pretty bad and I lost a lot of time on twisty paths in the woods. There were also a couple steep climbs that I chose to run-up while other riders rode. I went fairly well over the barriers and even remembered to downshift properly beforehand so my remount would be ok. I consistently ran over the sand after a quick fall during a practice lap.

The hardest part was that I got tired quickly. I felt like I was going to puke during lap two, and I didn’t understand how the laps worked. The juniors’ race prior to my race ended after three laps, and I thought my race would be three laps, too. But when I pounded to finish my third lap and realized I had one more to go…my heart sunk. I was delirious and had a terrible time concentrating. I was parched in the dust-ridden air. The Masters 4/5 who started a minute after me all managed to pass me. I managed two fall twice on my final lap, both issues with cornering. Handling is definitely an area in which I need to improve.

Huge thanks to Erin S. who cheered me on!