French Creek was a team race for us. Unofficially that is. Fueled to the max on Friday night (it's a real perk to have the top chef in the country on the team) and with the whole team in attendance to add inspiration I managed to pull out a win against some stiff competition. After 4hrs and nearly 50 miles it came down to the final climb. In the end, the top 3 were separated by only seconds. My strategy was to make the lead group and stay there as long as possible. In the middle I ran into a rough patch but was able to recover and catch back up for the final lap. Stephan Kincaid and Harlan were pulling away on most of the downhills all day so with the final 3 miles either being flat or downhill, I knew, if I could get there, I'd need a gap on the final climb. The moon the stars and the sun were all in alignment, so with the shot of adrenaline that you always feel upon getting back into the fold, I made a move.
I often don't understand what makes one race so miserable (Cohutta) and the next one so fun but I can tell you to ride with some of the most talented guys in the country keeps you super focused and the time just flies by. Lap races can be tedious sometimes. Get up front, do your best to stay there and once in a while you get lucky.... Results
Congratulations!!!
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