Downeast 'Cross

Last Saturday and Sunday, Curtis and I raced in maine for the 7th and 8th rounds of the Verge series. The conditions were extremely muddy both days. It was freezing and rainy on Saturday. It was nice and warm on Sunday, but muddy because they just ran the previous day's course backwards. I started out well on saturday and got the hole shot with Curtis right behind. I had too big of a gear for the extremely thick mud, so I went right back to 7th place. My legs just didn't work. (This was also due to poor race preparation on my part...) Curtis was with the leaders for most of the race and finished fifth. A few of the top finishers were mountain bikers, so they had an advantage in the woods section. On sunday, I used my dad's bike because it had a 39T little ring, which was needed for the mud. Again, Curtis was second off of the start and I led. Curtis and I changed bikes every half lap, which was extremely helpful. Curtis was with the third place rider for the majority of the race. I caught up to him in the long woods section. We were going to try to catch second and third place but his gears were shifting all over the place on a climb, forcing him to run. Curtis and I both held our spots for the next two laps to finish in 4th and 5th place. I learned a good lesson on saturday. A successful weekend overall for the New England Clif squad!