5/31 - Rush

Teamwork nets Dorschel it's first W of the year!
90 degree temps promised some tough racing on Tuesday. A small group of A riders brought another surprise as the two groups merged to race together. The results were to be kept separate, so additional strategy would be involved. The A riders helped keep the pace high for the first couple of laps. The second time up the backside hill brought difficulty as I dropped my chain and went from fifth wheel to standing in the middle of the road. I finally got the chain on and looked up to see a sizable gap to the field and figured my night was over. Then I saw Brent waiting to pace me back on. We joined up at the top of the hill and I was safely back in the group by the north end of the course. That effort put an end to Brent's night and I knew I had to make it worthwhile. As the laps wore on, the field slowly whittled. With 3 laps to go a marshal held up the flag and the field was split in two. Unfortunately, I was not in the first group and found myself chasing again. A group of chasers started bridging the gap a lap later, thanks mainly to Jack's (FMV) efforts on the backside hill. By the main hill, the gap was almost closed. Over the next half lap, one by one, three of us (Jack, myself, and SBR rider Adam) managed to bridge to the front group - only half a lap remained. It was a mad sprint up the hill that saw Adam and Jack pull free. I knew this was my chance - if I could bridge up without any other Cat 4 riders, I would have the race won. I clawed my way up and immediately went to the front to prevent any other riders from joining us. I led out the sprint not caring about winning the sprint, just trying to maintain our gap. I finished third, but managed to be the first Cat 4 across the line. Thanks to Brent for keeping me in the race! Good luck to all taking part in FMV's races this weekend.