Granite Bay- NorCal #2 3/19/16

[Otis Lyons]

Well, here we go again! With one race under the belt, going into the weekend I felt good, but I didn't want to perceive this as overconfidence. I was glad to have the race be on a Saturday this time- not only to get out of school early, but also for an earlier race, and a fresher course.
I did two laps the day before, and liked the way the course looked, all the way up until the end, where they incorporated a new weird cyclocross-like Z into a sand pit. Oh well. So, I decided that I didn't want to be with anyone by the time it came to that. Backtracking, that means that I wanted to be at the front 2 miles before the finish, the last point really for a clear cut passing point. Even further back, and I knew that if I could ride the whole last lap alone, that would work as well. Of course, we only had 2 laps. So, basically I'm gonna go from the gun.
The callups around me were Kaveh, Logan, two Woodcreek kids, Kyle and Bridger. I knew that, besides a kid or two who succumbed to a flat tire or sickness in the first race, these would be the race contenders.
The gun went off, and I immediately started strong. I sensed Kaveh on me, and maybe it was Logan behind him. We hit the long flat section, and I was in the lead. As soon as we got a half mile in and the single track entered the forest, Kaveh and I had opened up 10 seconds.
What??? 10 seconds? I look back, and it's true. We truly had gone from the gun.
The next two miles were the "testing zone," which I had planned out. I kept the pace hot, and I wanted to test Kaveh to see if he could stay through the flowy, meandering trail. I kept increasing the pace, maybe five minutes of this, until I attacked.
Some race tacticians may call this a bit stupid, but I knew what I was doing. Well, I thought I did at least. The attack was hard, but not a killer blow. I opened up five or six bike lengths but soon he was able to pull it back.
We reached the road, about two miles in, and this is where the course changes. It becomes more technical, steeper climbs and descents, and less groomed. So, as the course changed, I decided to let the tactics change as well. I was still on the front, but I eased up, giving us a much needed drink. As we crossed the big puddle after the road, I looked back and was hit with a surprise- third place.
A kid from the Bruins had bridged the gap, a kid with no call up before. Later, I found that his name was Andrew Cambridge. He instantly caught us and passed. I nudged Kaveh out of the way for his wheel. Andrew was fast, and lead us through technical sections well. We crossed the road again and reached the steepest sections of the course, and soon dropped Kaveh. Perhaps my earlier digs had worked, after all.
But, this backfired as well, because through every technical section Andrew was just a little better, just a little faster, and soon I didn't know how much longer I could stay with him. At 1.5 miles to go in the lap, I wiggled my way around onto one steep incline, and powered my way past some sophomores, choosing the right line. Andrew did not, and I quickly opened a gap. This was a bit of a repeat from last race, when I dropped Kaveh. That had worked, but Andrew looked way too strong, and I didnt think I could keep it up for long.
I held a slight advantage for the rest of the lap, and by the finish line I lead by 20 seconds.
I thought to myself, this is good, this is what I want. But I knew it would take a big effort to ride this whole lap alone.
In the end, Andrew faded. Luckily, because I did too. As the lap went on I heard 20 seconds, 35, 45. It kept growing until I raised my arms at the finish, thankful I had survived that scare.

[Dave Benjamin]

Nice work Otis!