Sea Otter Classic

April 13, 2014

I was very stoked to race Sea Otter since it was my first race of season. I felt good preriding the course so I prepared for the race with confidence to race my best. The morning of the race was early to make sure we got to the venue in time to get a good warm up before the race. I race Cat 1 17-18, and we started with the Cat 1 15-16's which made for an 80 guy start. I got a spot on the second or third line and was ready for an aggressive start. The course started on the Mazda track then twisted on the road until getting onto the dirt. I got to the first dirt road descent in the top 15. After that we descended on the road before a turn onto the singletrack. I went into the singletrack a little further back then I had hoped for, but I kept patient and saved energy. Towards the end of the course I was riding in a group of 20 chasing the leaders. We were pushing the pace hard and snatching up the riders dropping from the main group. Then a rider attacked on the climb and pushed even harder. I rode and worked with him on the roads. We got a gap, but he was riding a little slower on the descents. One rider caught me and was able to get around both of us, so I made a pass and followed him. I could see two riders further up the singletrack so I was putting massive efforts in to catch them. I passed the rider I was riding with and attacked to catch the two riders ahead. I was not able to catch them, so I just made sure to hold my position. I came into the finish and was told I had finished 4th, just 29 seconds off the podium. I was hoping for podium but I was still happy with 4th for my first race of the season. I was stoked for my teammates Sean Bennett and Chris Blevins who won in the 17-18 and 15-16 categories. Big thanks to Dario Fredrick and Whole Athlete for supporting me this weekend. Excited for an amazing season to come.