Troupe Racing Co.

It has been a few years since I raced at Elings Park. It was my first mountain bike race four years ago. I will never forget the temperature, sweltering hot, well into the 90′s. The festival was a buzz with riders and spectators. Trucks stacked with DH bikes routed up the hill, Super-D practice swirled around the XC course, and the BMX course was like a skate park. I didn’t know what to expect, but the flurry of activity was an amazing dynamic in itself. At the start I was nervous with butterflys. I didn’t have any preconceived notion of what to expect or what I should be doing. I remembered sprinting at the word GO so hard that I died on the first climb, and got passed by many, including the leader. The climbs were tight, and steep, definitely not easy for a newbie. The top of the hill took us to beautiful ocean views. From there on, I did my best navigating the short turns. Unsure of how long the course was, I paced myself in the heat. Unfortunately the race ended sooner than I expected even though I had energy to spare. I came in second, which was nice for my first race. Since that year, I’ve added a few more races to my resume. So when it was time to sign up for Elings, I was excited to return to where it all began.

This time the race experience was very different. The event had all the buzz of the previous year. The staging was in a larger field that overlooked sections of the xc, dh, and super d. It also expanded to include a newly developed pump track. The course was longer, adding a loose descents, several single track rollers, and final climb. 

Race day temperature was a contrast to the last. The clouds in the hills suggested that at any moment it might rain, but it stayed at a comfortable temperature hovering under 70. The day before, a few of us scouted the course. It was an easy mapping, checking out the turns, knowing when climbs were. So on race day I was eager to test the speed. I wasn’t nervous for the start, I was determined to do better than the previous finish. I paced my self in the beginning but I knew that needed to stay ahead as much as I could. The course had several sections of single track, where it could be difficult to pass, and easy to get caught. The trails traversed back and forth in such a way that one could see the competition ahead or behind. In the last lap, I could see that the distance between me and my competition was too close for comfort. I resisted braking for fear that I would be caught, and powered climbs just enough to not burn out. In the last switchback climb, I looked back, and I couldn’t see her, but I didn’t take any chances and pedaled hard to the finish. It was a great Eling anniversary, I was happy to take 1st place against a strong field of other girls.

Tim finished with 10th place finish. Special props to fellow local hosts from Santa Barbara, Amanda Schaper finished 1st, and Greg Wadsworth also finished 1st. They pre-rode the course with us the day before, which attributed to the successful finishes on Sunday.

REPORT BY : MICHELLE VANGILDER