Sea Otter Pro XC: 58th

[Carson Benjamin]

I did a solid block of training after SoNoMas and felt I had enough top-end speed back in my legs for a 90-minute XC race. Sea Otter has been a HC-level international event since last year, which means that it is only one step below a World Cup in terms of prize money and ranking points awarded. This distinction also means that laps must be less than 3.5 miles long to be spectator friendly. The Sea Otter race organizers must have built the course with a lawnmower, because most of what we raced on definitely weren't real trails. 

Friday's Short Track race was fairly mediocre- I started at the back of the 85 rider field, and did my best to make up positions although I made mistakes in a sandy corner every lap. I finished on the lead lap, but still hoped for a better result in Saturday's XC.

Without world ranking points, call-ups at important races are a complete uncertainty. Sometimes the race officials honor a promise to call every single rider to the start line, but usually they only make sure the top-40 or so are in their designated positions and let everyone else sort themselves out.

I was supposed to be call-up number 79, but I watched from the very back of the field as current World and Olympic champion, Nino Schurter, was called to the line along with most of North America's best racers and a few Europeans as well. As everyone without a call-up rushed forward to fill the remaining space, I was squeezed to the last row, sitting 120th of 120 starters.

Right after the start gun went off, I shot up the left side of the pack, cut in front of a few dozen racers, and made some evasive maneuvers to avoid the usual pileups and chaos. I had gained about 20 positions by the time we entered the bottleneck at the top of the racetrack, and followed my teammate Jim's wheel up into the man-made rock garden. Immediately after I dropped into the first rock section, a Giant Co-Factory rider went over his handlebars and caused a massive traffic jam. I jumped off to run my bike, and surprisingly gained a few positions. From that point onwards, I set out on a mission to make up as many positions as possible.

With the exception of a small crash due to overcooking a corner, the next six laps were uneventful, and I focused on eating and drinking enough to sustain my pace. I gradually picked my way through groups of riders by attacking the sustained climb on the racetrack every lap. I was racing around a lot of riders who were called up in the 40's and 50's, so I think I actually might be able to have a decent result at an International-level race if I started anywhere besides the last row.

I was pulled on my sixth lap in 58th place, just as the race leaders were coming around to begin their final lap. I had hoped to finish the full race distance, but my start position conspired against me. I hoped for a top-50 finish, but top-50% isn't bad either, especially after passing every single racer I finished ahead of.