Elings Park XC
post by: Charlie Gilmore
Rumors were swirling around that The June 5th Elings Park race in Santa Barbara was cancelled and I have to admit that part of me was hoping it was. June has been a very busy month for me both personally and professionally and a good local ride followed by some R&R was sounding very appealing. In addition, many Troupe members were either out of town or committed to the Toad Festival so I figured I would have to make the trek to Santa Barbara on my own. The Thursday before the race I confirmed that the race was still on and I felt compelled to participate in order to maintain my top 5 series point standings.
Tom, Mykyta and myself were the only three Troupe members to make the trip. Mykyta and I pre-rode two laps prior to the start of our race. The course was about 5.5 miles long and had a great combination of semi-technical climbs and downhills with lots of switchbacks. The course was fast and everthing could be ridden in the middle chainring (with fresh legs). The weather was cool and overcast, perfect racing conditions. To my surprise, there was a great turnout and I had about 25 riders in the 40 44 sport division.
As usual, the start was fast and furious. I slipped into 5th place but the top 3 quickly started gapping the rest of us. Third place crashed on one of the first downhill switchbacks and I moved into 4th place. First and second were pulling away and third place was starting to fade so I pushed my way buy on a single track section. After the completion of the first lap, I was alone in third and feeling good so I picked up the pace and managed to catch second place. I battled with second place most of the second lap and finally managed to pull a small gap. The hard effort of the second lap took its toll on me and late in the third lap I got passed by a rider in my class who came through the pack. Still, third place exceeded my expectations so I wasn’t complaining. Mykyta had an outstanding race, grabbing the lead in the 30 – 34 catagory late in the third lap and holding on for the win. Tom also had s strong showing finishing top 10 in the 45 – 49 catagory. Overall, another great showing for Troupe!!!
