First errrrrr waitaminute.....THIRD! WHAT A SEASON

What a season!!! FREEFLOW XC was final race of the Offroad Ontario XC season and it brought with it some drama!! I went into this one feeling as cocky as one could with this being my home track and all...I could link this course in my head an knew every corner, rock and undulation. This, however, proved to be my fatal flaw...

I got the holeshot and just hammered out of the gate leaving my Vet B crew turns behind me going in to the woods. Felt like this could be the day I stood up one or two steps on the podium. Then....it got weird.....I always cut left near the road of the second section where I was supposed to go straight which resulted in cutting out a couple km of trail. The section just before it was slick and I never put another thought into it because that was the corner I've ridden dozens and dozens of times. Brutal.......a stupid error done 6 TIMES!!!!!!!! If only there was someone in FRONT OF ME during one of these laps to show me the err in my ways....The end result could have been worse. This could have been a DNF but once I realized....hmmm...no I don't run faster laps that the fastest PRO...I had to figure it out. A quick scoot out with Robin Brant confirmed the error. I quickly confessed it and the ruling to bump me down to third was gratefully accepted. A DNF would have been catastrophic! I'm pretty sure the guy who was sitting 4th overall in the series would have loved my DNF to enable him to bump into 3rd overall but no go. He'll get his crack at some podiums next year...I'm going to either be bumped or voluntarily move myself into Vet A for next season...First start on the line with a clear path until the fast Novice B's catch me sounds like a good way to go me thinks.

PODIUM BABY!!!! 3rd Cochranes XC

I had nerves festering all week up to this event....in hindsite....I'm thinking it was the aticipation of crushing my best finish of the year :) The quick and dirty is this..The top two guys showed up and knew there was only one other spot for the taking. A few new faces on the line and having never ridden Cochranes I decided to just ride smooth. As the saying goes..Smooth is Fast and Fast is Smooth. There were some glimmers of greatness in this race. Bike was handling a bit odd. The front forks need some looking into and not quite sure if it is stiction or something else going on but they were pretty stiff. All in all the course was DREAM LIKE with cake like conditions and some nice changes in vertical.

I recall getting off of the line....OK...I wasn't really motivated to grab the holes shot when I knew the fast two guys were just going to pass me anyway but did get surprised by rider #649 when he got in front of me on the second turn. This made me focus a bit as he had beaten me on Day 1 of Walton and I beat him on Day 2 of Walton....my podium was in threat. Not entirely sure why he let me pass later in the second lap but I took it and never looked back.

Not really much to comment on. Bike is running like a firebreathing MONSTAH ever since I cut some big ole holes in my airbox. Look forward to checking my plug. 53 hrs on this beast and it looks like I am having my first issue I need to deal with....have had to top up the rad after this race as well as my last ride...can't see where i am loosing coolant. May just leave it to the experts!

Day after...Feeling more fatigued and sore than any other event from this year. Testament to this guy givin'r I guess. One more race to go next weekend to seal up 3rd with a potential for 2nd....