SC State Championship 2008

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South Carolina State Championship

The sun was shining and the temperature was cool and comfortable. This was one hell of a change from just about every race this year. The rain held off and it look like it was going to be a great day of racing.

I decided after getting dressed to pre-ride the start some which turned out to be both good and bad. On the way back to the start I caught a water bar wrong and blew out my front tire in two places. I quickly hopped off the bike and tried to seal it up with the sealant in the tire. Apparently, I am about as smart as a two year old having not learned that stuff never works. With the start quickly approaching I finally broke down and put a new tube in it.

It was almost go time and I was curious if the tube was going to work. Then we were off. This was where the race was pretty much decided. Another gentleman and I left the field and began to pull away. By the time we hit the woods there was no one else in sight.

This was a very fun, rooty, and technical course with short steep power climbs and an awesome section in the middle that wound around the creek. It was perfect for single speeding. My only disadvantage was my lack of single speed skills.

I felt great this race. My legs felt strong and I really never once felt fatigued. My only real issue was that the guy in front was just pedaling away in technical sections that I could not. Soon he was out of sight and I settled in a very solid comfortable pace.

I passed the entire class in front of me and each time I got a different response as to how far up the leader was. At one point a guy told me eleven minutes and we had only been racing for about nine minutes. As the race neared the end I chased and chased but never saw him.

I crossed the line in second place four minutes back and one spot out of winning the state championship. As we waited for our medals I watched most of Brandon’s race and rooted for a fellow teammate.

Now it was podium time. I received my medal and my goody bag. With a star-studded prize pack it was ironic that a 29er crew member won a 26 inch tire and a rain poncho from Wal-Mart. So with my 26 inch tire in hand, I went home to rest and prepare for next weeks race.