Many people around Michigan will remember the CPS that the MMBA used to put on. It has been many years, but that series made things interesting. With the rise of gravel events we could see the mountain bike scene take a back seat.
Yankee Springs Time Trial
First race of the year is always the biggest. There were 27 people in the Sport Clyde race. Knowing so many people show up, I was just going for my best result. I missed my goal time by just 1:33. I landed in 11th out of the 27, missing the top 10 by only 6 seconds. This was a great finish for me to start the season!
Fort Custer Stampede
Home course advantage is always good here. I know this course better than most. With 7 of us lining up I knew it was going to be tough. I was able to make the lead group hitting the woods. I held on as long as I could, and pressed all the way to the finish. I landed in 3rd, for my first podium in many many years. Great race for me. One item of note here....the guy in 2nd place DID NOT look like a Clyde. But, it is what it is.
Island Lake Challenge
I was not able to attend this race. I woke up sickly and didn't risk further health issues.
Maybury XC
I did not attend this race. Its too bad too, only 2 finishers. Had I been able to race I would have had a higher finish and possibly would have moved up in the points series.
Luton Park Time Trial
Another course that I know very well. I was able to get off the line early and stay in high speed mode for the entire race. I took that pace to the 2nd step for my highest finish of the year! Love the course and the event was good overall. 2nd out of 7 is a great race for me!
Addison Oaks Summer Classic
I made the trek across the state to Addison, on a course that I had not ridden in many many years. I was prepared for the race, but it didn't go as good as I had hoped. I started and hit the singletrack in 5th place. A few poor decisions on my end had me trying to bridge gaps on the first lap. I ended up tanking and landing 9th out of 14 on the day. This was my worst race by far. Started hard, tanked, and suffered for the 2nd lap.
Traverse City Trails Festival
This race was a ton of fun. It did have its own set of issues, but those just sound like excuses now. I mustered a 7th place out of 14 on the day. I was hoping for a better finish here, but some odd circumstances (excuses) left me reeling back in the pack a bit. Still, super fun event and I am confident it will be better next year.
Custers Last Stand Time Trial
The series finale was also my season finale. With a goal of podium I was excited to get started. I was really hoping Chris wouldn't show, but he did and killed me for 1st overall. I finished in a solid 2nd place to wrap up my series. I felt great and had a strategic race to end up where I did. Good day!
So to recap my finishes.....
11th
3rd
2nd
9th
7th
2nd
The 11th place finish got dropped off because only your best 5 races count. The points I gathered were enough to land me in 3rd place for the overall series. I was only 4 points behind 2nd place. I needed a top 5 and I would have been there, but this was a really fun season. While Chris was way ahead, Charles and I had a battle right to end. I will take this season and try to build off of it.
Here are some stats that I find interesting....
Total Races: 6
Average Finish: 5.7
3 Podiums (2-second place, 1-third)
Finish place in top 45% of all races. Meaning I was better than average.
5 Top 10 finishes
Overall races in the series: 8
Total different racers in the events: 66
Average racers per event: 11.3
Total different winners: 5 (Chris won 4.....and took 2nd in his 5th)
Different people on the Podium: 15 (this is a good mix over 8 races)
There were 8 people signed up for Sport Clyde, with 5 of them qualifying for the overall series.
Big thanks to Dale and rest of the group over at MORC for putting this series together. I know there are countless hours that go into the planning of something like this. It was a lot of fun to be part of a MTB series where I could compete and not just donate my money. The gravel series was basically a donation from me. lol. I prefer the woods anyway, so I am thankful for all of your efforts to make mountain biking fun again!
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