My second cross weekend begin at Webberville. This was one of my favorite courses last year and was the beginning of my success in racing cross. I had a good start and managed to avoid the chaos seen in the photo sequence below. I was sitting fourth about halfway through the first lap and when we made the first transition to the pavement and I felt my rear tire going flat. I made it to the wheel pit but my wheel change was slow and I was now dead last. I spent the next several laps chasing back up and eventually made my way back through half the field to finish 16th. It was very disappointing because it was the best my legs have felt this year.
Sunday's race in Manor was the site of the State Championship last year. This year the course was dry and had almost no resemblance to last years mud fest. My current lack of fitness is most apparent on the 2nd day of a weekend of racing and I definitely didn't have the pop in my legs that I had at Webberville. It was a strong field and after several laps I was sitting about 16th again when I slipped through a corner and dropped my chain. I fell back 4 positions and started to loose my motivation. This is when my teammate and absolute powerhouse Kevin Barton caught me. Kevin was on his second race having completed the 40+ race prior to our race but that didn't stop him from telling me to get on and then hammering till we caught the 3 guys that passed me when I had my mishap. He pulled all the way till the finish and then launched me for another 16th place. It was an incredible act of sacrifice that makes this team so special.
1st lap of Webberville barrier photo sequence:
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