Poly-pipe peril
Down at Westgate park last night, ready for a bit more splashing about in the mud. With the previous weeks' rain, the course was sodden in a few areas, meaning that the ramps and boardwalks were utilised. Also an exciting little development was the inclusion of some random pieces of 2 inch poly pipe, cleverly laid down alongside the course in the wettest sections for some strange reason. As with all poly pipe, they got progressively more slippery as more water was added to the mix, and with 45 riders circulating the course there was sure to be lots of splashed water! Another handy addition to the start finish area was a definative finish line, to resolve any sprint disputes that have a been threatening to flare. Now riders are forced to come to an alomst dead stop before cornering around the tent and crossing the finishline, making it theoretically safer for all involved, and easier to judge a result!
First lap saw Ash on the charge, experimenting with the no food, no warmup technique from a late arrival. Jack got a slightly worse start, mired into 5th for the first section before charging by some other riders to make the selection with Matt Ligtermoet (DBike) and away they charged. Gapping the field by 10secs after the first lap, the group worked to eject Matt from the bunch into no-man's-land, putting 10 secs into him on the second lap. That narrowed the group down to what Felt (position 1 and 2!) finds comfortable, with Ash and Jack leading the 12 man A grade field once again.
On lap 3, Ash again turned up the screws to force Jack into the hurt locker, and managed to sneak out 10 secs on the lap. Combined with another 10 sec squirt on lap 4, the writing was on the wall for another Felt one and two, this time without the sprint. Jack persevered around, hoping that misfortune would befall his teammate and allow him to get back on level terms, and it almost happened!
As usual, traffic plays a huge roll in the final lap shenanigans, and this race was no different. Timing the sequences in always tricky with traffic, as one section of slow singletrack can ruin a lead, getting all riders back to level terms. Fortunatly for Ash, the sequence worked okay, with him in second wheel and Jack on the back of 5 riders in the singletrack. Ash gave a good kick upon leaving the singletrack whilst Jack was still waiting for it to clear, and Ash managed to hold onto his lead until the finish.
Once again, and for as long as our simple minds can recall, another Felt Racing 1 and 2. The series points are also looking very healthy, with Ash slowly edging ahead of Jack in the series, and leaving the other classes behind, with only a few races to go. All that stands to come unstuck with a handicap, but we shall carry on trying aboard our Felts.
Also, this weekend see's Ash conduct a skills session at Westgate Park for novice and intermediate riders to come down and pick up some tips. For more information, see the Full Gas Promotions forum or post questions in the comments section below this post.
First lap saw Ash on the charge, experimenting with the no food, no warmup technique from a late arrival. Jack got a slightly worse start, mired into 5th for the first section before charging by some other riders to make the selection with Matt Ligtermoet (DBike) and away they charged. Gapping the field by 10secs after the first lap, the group worked to eject Matt from the bunch into no-man's-land, putting 10 secs into him on the second lap. That narrowed the group down to what Felt (position 1 and 2!) finds comfortable, with Ash and Jack leading the 12 man A grade field once again.
On lap 3, Ash again turned up the screws to force Jack into the hurt locker, and managed to sneak out 10 secs on the lap. Combined with another 10 sec squirt on lap 4, the writing was on the wall for another Felt one and two, this time without the sprint. Jack persevered around, hoping that misfortune would befall his teammate and allow him to get back on level terms, and it almost happened!
As usual, traffic plays a huge roll in the final lap shenanigans, and this race was no different. Timing the sequences in always tricky with traffic, as one section of slow singletrack can ruin a lead, getting all riders back to level terms. Fortunatly for Ash, the sequence worked okay, with him in second wheel and Jack on the back of 5 riders in the singletrack. Ash gave a good kick upon leaving the singletrack whilst Jack was still waiting for it to clear, and Ash managed to hold onto his lead until the finish.
Once again, and for as long as our simple minds can recall, another Felt Racing 1 and 2. The series points are also looking very healthy, with Ash slowly edging ahead of Jack in the series, and leaving the other classes behind, with only a few races to go. All that stands to come unstuck with a handicap, but we shall carry on trying aboard our Felts.
Also, this weekend see's Ash conduct a skills session at Westgate Park for novice and intermediate riders to come down and pick up some tips. For more information, see the Full Gas Promotions forum or post questions in the comments section below this post.
posted by Ash Thomas at 10:55 am
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