2016 Shorty #2

[Mark Ingwersen]

Staying true to the level of intensity The Shorty brings, race 2 was probably my most challenging to date... but the reward was worth every last calorie burned off!

Team mate Otis stepped up from the B group and recruited several NorCal riders to join us in the A's. The A open group was 12 deep and Sean Melchionda joined the ACME team riders in A 35+. When I saw Sean roll up, I knew there'd be trouble! In a polar opposite to last week where merely 5 riders bolted off from the start, this week only the front row of A open made an explosive run to the single track. Everyone else rolled out comparatively slow since there was no safe passing until the paved climb on the back side. Moments before the start, Dave Benjamin shared a good tip with his team mates (want to know? join the team!) and off we went. Just around the corner, a young rider suffered a mechanical and the group flew past him. All was fairly mellow from my point of view until just before the end of the lower section's single track. Once we hit the pavement, Sean, Dave and myself bolted into a full sprint to get past anyone we could. Darting through traffic, Sean showed a strong road cycling background and was out in front within seconds. That sprint got us closer to the front but it wasn't without payment. The next two laps had me struggling to keep tempo and recover at the same time, no easy task in a sprint race. On every climb or flat Sean pulled a gap, but in the dirt I had an advantage. On the final two laps, he was usually a least a hundred meters ahead but I would catch him on the steep descent and over the ditch (its aggressive dip mercifully softened by an anonymous MTB angel since last week). It was on the final lap, on the back climb when I decided to make up some ground and pass an A open rider. As a bonus, I reeled in Sean and almost passed him at the top, but his endurance allowed him to squeeze back in front of me before the single track. Once we flew over the always-tempting-to-jump mini hill, we were headed towards the final climbs and once again into the gale force head wind whipping over the grassy slope of the hill. Sean suddenly pulled off to the right and I passed. A split second later I realized he was going to draft me and slingshot to the top. I'd been suckered! Legs already spent I failed to hold him back and he went by as we crested and turned down the trail again. The short, steep rise to the final descent had me trailing by maybe 10 feet; there was still a glimmer of hope! I went down the hill full tilt boogie, aimed for the ditch just left of the "improved" line and got by Sean with a two second lead to the finish.