|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
5 Exciting Events, all at the
infamous
Renaissance
Park Short-Track |
|
January
27, Feb 2, 3, 10, & 16 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
What a
great weekend for racing. The rain we received on
Thursday night and Friday morning pretty much rolled off
the course and made the course for the weekend races
super tacky and fast. The temperature in the morning was
as little cool as we started out the day in the middle
30's but the sun came up and warmed the ever exciting
short track course at Renaissance Park to over 60
degrees both days. Awesome for the middle of the winter.
Like the first race of the series, we saw lots of new
faces in many of the categories. We had big fields on
both days in the Beginner Women, Single Speed, Beginner
Men and Sport Men. I gather we have a lot of new people
that have caught the fever, the short track mountain
bike racing fever. While the short track is incredibly
hard due to the fact you pretty much have the gas at
full throttle during the race, its addictive.
This Single Speed races this past weekend were once
again one of the biggest fields with 23 participants on
Saturday and 19 participants on Sunday. Saturday, pro
mountain biker Robert Marion came back after a mid race
spill to surprise Eric Kleffman with a last lap pass to
take first place. Kleffman had lead most of the race,
not realizing Marion was passing for the lead, didn’t
challenge the pro rider as he came past him on the last
lap. On Sunday, Kleffman was ready for revenge as he
and three other racers, Tim Anderson, Ian Smith and Toby
Porter, worked together to distance themselves from the
field of Single Speeders. The group of four worked well
together until the final stages of the races when one
after another, each racer would take a stab at the lead.
With only few laps remaining, the group of four would
dwindle to three as Ian Smith couldn’t quite match the
fierce pace of the lead group. On the final lap, it was
Toby Porter he put in a huge charge to take first place
with Kleffman in second and Anderson in third.
Once again, our young phenomenal athlete out of Mt Airy,
NC, Chase Dickens lit up the Sport Men 19 – 39. Chase
took the lead early on both days and rolled away to take
first on Saturday and Sunday. I said it in my first
write up and I’m going to say it again, remember the
name Chase Dickens, he could, scratch that, he WILL be a
future star in the sport!
The race of the day on Saturday has to go to Bob Pugh
with Sledgehammer Charlies in the Super Sport Men event.
Pugh was with a group of four riders midway through the
race and decided to make a go at it solo. Pugh, taking
advantage of his cyclocross fitness he gained in the
fall and early winter, put in huge attack and set a
blistering pace to distance himself by a minute to
second place teammate Marcus Morgan. Morgan had his
revenge on Sunday taking first, but it was Pugh on
Saturday that lead the charge of the Super Sport Men.
On Sunday, the race of the day goes to Patty Smith of
the Dirt Divas during the Super Sport Women’s race.
During the first several laps of the race, the entire
field of the Super Sport Women worked together, pacing
off each other, looking at each others facial
expressions to see who was suffering and who could match
the pace. Patty Smith put in a strong attack and
started to distance herself from the field of racers.
Dirt Diva teammate Cathie Docherty, sitting in second
place, turned up the heat and put in a huge chase on
the first place Smith. Lap after lap, Docherty starting
closing the gap on first place. Near the end of the
race, the gap was only a few seconds but Smith was able
to hold on to her lead and take home the gold. This was
the first win for Smith after recently giving birth to a
beautiful baby girl.
Crongrats to all of the race participants who came out
and raced the weekend events at the infamous Winter
Short Track Series at Renaissance Park. Hope to see
you all this upcoming weekend on Sunday.
Cheers
Neal |
| |
|
|
|
|
