Round #5 Race Recap

Round #5 of the PA State Harescramble Series was back at Foot of the Mountain in Neelyton, PA. Track conditions were questionable after getting a great deal of rain throughout the week. Although the track layout did not change much from Round #4 the conditions were considerably different. In the previous race the conditions were dry, the course was fast, the rocks were rideable, tree roots were no threat, and the up hills were –at times- an enjoyable challenge. This past weekend the previous obstacles that I have mentioned with the addition of mud were, to say the least, treacherous. I found this out when I tried riding the course like the previous race and within the first two minutes of the start I crashed hard, right into a tree. Going down on the first lap is bad news and it’s even worse when you hit a tree that hard and watch the rest of the pack fly by you. My bike was sore to look at, mostly cosmetics it seemed, so I continued on to try and get as many points as I could. With the help of pit boyeee Jimmy B I was told that within the middle of the race I had caught back up to 3rd place. Putting the first crash behind me I managed to move my way through the field by setting a good pace and concentrating on racing the track. Yes I said the first crash, hitting a tree after bouncing around on a boulder packed trail was minimal to the next mistake I made. With about two laps to go I went through the barrels and headed back into the woods, just as I made my second turn and headed down a downhill my front wheel was bounced to the left. I was in an aggressive riding position on the bike and I was expecting to recover from the sudden change of wheel direction like I did the previous 50 times it happened prior in the race, but this time my wheel landed on some slick tree roots. Within a second my front wheel washed out and the next thing I knew my head slammed the ground. I got up and my bike was a little ways down the hill, I regrouped and fired it back up so that I could finish the race. I was a little shaken up after this crash because I was going pretty fast when I hit so I decided to set a “cruse control” pace for the remaining lap. It wasn’t until this lap when I finally saw DHaggs Sr. and I must admit that I passed him and then he passed me back. I got him back on a roller coaster down hill and made the pass stick. I ended up losing a place on the second crash so I ended up coming in 4th for the day. When I returned to the pits after taking the checkered I took my helmet off and the right side of my face was bad news. My cheek bone was black and was swollen like a golf ball. It matched nicely with the big gauge and random cut marks. It could have been much worse and I have some time to recover. After a ride like that I deserve it, to date the swelling has gone down leaving me with some battle wounds to show off for a while.
The HUGE news of the weekend was DHaggs Sr. coming in 3rd place!!! His first podium of his career and I know that it had to feel good. He has been working hard during the week and he is finally starting to seem some good finishes as a result. Some new tires and a good consistent race pace go a long way. Hopefully he can continue his ways and I can make some fewer mistakes so that we can both be on the podium the next round which will be held at Back Mountain in Dallas, PA. This track is awesome and it suits our riding styles well. Until then its gym time, riding time, suspension testing, tire swapping and more riding time. Round #6 is on the 25th of June…see you there!
Pics to follow