!! THE BIG WIN !!
Well the weekend at X-Bar was a huge success for Hammerhead team members and friends from Austin. Personally, I had the time of my life.
So, here is my first blog posting - the much anticipated race report:
I get to the starting line a little late and they walk me up to the second line and put me right next to Ellis. I got to start with the whole 30 – 39 sport class and 30 – 39 expert class. I am a little unsure how the start would go with the experts and all. Jürgen blew the whistle and off we went. I got a good start and am right there with all the top experts and Ellis is right in front of me. We shoot down the dirt road and Ellis makes a break and jumps in front of everybody and just before the single track he lets 3 or 4 experts by and I slip in right behind him. We roll through the rock gardens and I really want to get by because I can cruise the first 5 miles of rock considerably faster, but there just is not enough room pass and Ellis is not going to let me by. I try multiple times and am unsuccessful.
Dave Esper takes a spill about 10 minutes into the race, snaps his rear derailleur hanger and is out of the race. He was in contention for the State Championship and I was really sad to see that happen. Next year is going to be your year Dave!
Back to the race… All of a sudden Ellis goes down right in front of me and I brake hard to avoid hitting him. I call for the trail as he gets up and runs through the rock section and attempts to get back on his bike. He can’t get clipped in and I try one more time to pass him and am again unsuccessful. He then proceeds to recite the TMBRA rule book saying he has the trail and it is his. The last thing I said to him the whole race is “So that’s how it’s going to be.” I ride Ellis’ rear wheel for the remainder of the tight rocky section. As we break out onto the Jeep road I find myself in the lead and realize quickly I would be better off drafting the experts instead of trying to pull them. (I have to say it was a real treat to run with the top expert guys even though I know they were holding back and pacing themselves.) We cruise a couple of miles before one expert guy takes off so fast that no one has time to even think of grabbing his wheel, and he puts a quick gap on the whole field. We get to the first big climb and Ellis busts a move and picks up the pace. I start to follow but the experts tell me to be smart and hang back. I take their advice and fall back behind them to take advantage of the draft. I see Ellis pulling off quickly till he is out of sight.
Right before we enter the game trail I thank the experts for their advice and the chase begins. After a few minutes I look back and there is nobody in sight nor is there anybody in front of me. I just keep going. I am in the zone. I have caught Ellis on many races this way and I am sure this is in the back of his mind. I round the corner and see Ellis drop into the last section of rock gardens. I know I’m closing the gap at this point. I hit the rocks and am moving considerably faster than on the first rocky section. I know it’s only a matter of time before I catch him. I also know there is a lot more room to pass in the last 5 miles of rock gardens. I slowly catch up to him somewhere between 1 ½ and 2 miles before the end of the race. It is at a rock ledge climb in a wide turn. He goes right and misses the ledge. I immediately go left and make a clean pass. My adrenaline skyrockets and I pick up the pace a bit. On the next rock ledge he misses again. I concentrate on trying to be smooth and efficient on the remainder of the rocks. After about 5 minutes I realize that Ellis is nowhere in sight so I ease up a bit so I avoid making any critical mistakes before the finish line. Suddenly I realize I am passing the leader of the 30 – 39 expert class. He doesn’t look like he is enjoying the rocks very much on his hardtail and I’m sure I wouldn’t either if I were on a hardtail.
The Red Bull arch comes into view and it starts to hit me that I am on the verge of becoming the new 35 – 39 sport State Champion. A minute or two later I cross the finish line a very happy man. This is my sweetest victory ever!
On another note, it is very clear from his Pedalmasher blog, and various other postings on bike-related message boards, that Ellis doesn’t like me and is mad at me. I have remained silent throughout the last few weeks of mudslinging, but would like to take a moment to make my views clear. Ellis was a very worthy adversary. He made me work harder than I ever thought I could both physically and mentally. I had to continually push myself to train harder and harder in order to put myself in a position to beat him. Knowing how hard I had to work for this win makes it that much sweeter. I had to earn this win. The series was not just handed to me. Ellis and I took turns standing on top of that podium and nobody knew what was going to happen from one race to the next. It made it quite exciting for many of us. Quite a few people in the racing community were following our races and I am very glad I was able to be part of that. Despite James’ current bursts of online hostility, I hope that we can continue to be considerate and civil toward one another as we continue to race in the coming years.
Charles Covill
So, here is my first blog posting - the much anticipated race report:
I get to the starting line a little late and they walk me up to the second line and put me right next to Ellis. I got to start with the whole 30 – 39 sport class and 30 – 39 expert class. I am a little unsure how the start would go with the experts and all. Jürgen blew the whistle and off we went. I got a good start and am right there with all the top experts and Ellis is right in front of me. We shoot down the dirt road and Ellis makes a break and jumps in front of everybody and just before the single track he lets 3 or 4 experts by and I slip in right behind him. We roll through the rock gardens and I really want to get by because I can cruise the first 5 miles of rock considerably faster, but there just is not enough room pass and Ellis is not going to let me by. I try multiple times and am unsuccessful.
Dave Esper takes a spill about 10 minutes into the race, snaps his rear derailleur hanger and is out of the race. He was in contention for the State Championship and I was really sad to see that happen. Next year is going to be your year Dave!
Back to the race… All of a sudden Ellis goes down right in front of me and I brake hard to avoid hitting him. I call for the trail as he gets up and runs through the rock section and attempts to get back on his bike. He can’t get clipped in and I try one more time to pass him and am again unsuccessful. He then proceeds to recite the TMBRA rule book saying he has the trail and it is his. The last thing I said to him the whole race is “So that’s how it’s going to be.” I ride Ellis’ rear wheel for the remainder of the tight rocky section. As we break out onto the Jeep road I find myself in the lead and realize quickly I would be better off drafting the experts instead of trying to pull them. (I have to say it was a real treat to run with the top expert guys even though I know they were holding back and pacing themselves.) We cruise a couple of miles before one expert guy takes off so fast that no one has time to even think of grabbing his wheel, and he puts a quick gap on the whole field. We get to the first big climb and Ellis busts a move and picks up the pace. I start to follow but the experts tell me to be smart and hang back. I take their advice and fall back behind them to take advantage of the draft. I see Ellis pulling off quickly till he is out of sight.
Right before we enter the game trail I thank the experts for their advice and the chase begins. After a few minutes I look back and there is nobody in sight nor is there anybody in front of me. I just keep going. I am in the zone. I have caught Ellis on many races this way and I am sure this is in the back of his mind. I round the corner and see Ellis drop into the last section of rock gardens. I know I’m closing the gap at this point. I hit the rocks and am moving considerably faster than on the first rocky section. I know it’s only a matter of time before I catch him. I also know there is a lot more room to pass in the last 5 miles of rock gardens. I slowly catch up to him somewhere between 1 ½ and 2 miles before the end of the race. It is at a rock ledge climb in a wide turn. He goes right and misses the ledge. I immediately go left and make a clean pass. My adrenaline skyrockets and I pick up the pace a bit. On the next rock ledge he misses again. I concentrate on trying to be smooth and efficient on the remainder of the rocks. After about 5 minutes I realize that Ellis is nowhere in sight so I ease up a bit so I avoid making any critical mistakes before the finish line. Suddenly I realize I am passing the leader of the 30 – 39 expert class. He doesn’t look like he is enjoying the rocks very much on his hardtail and I’m sure I wouldn’t either if I were on a hardtail.
The Red Bull arch comes into view and it starts to hit me that I am on the verge of becoming the new 35 – 39 sport State Champion. A minute or two later I cross the finish line a very happy man. This is my sweetest victory ever!
On another note, it is very clear from his Pedalmasher blog, and various other postings on bike-related message boards, that Ellis doesn’t like me and is mad at me. I have remained silent throughout the last few weeks of mudslinging, but would like to take a moment to make my views clear. Ellis was a very worthy adversary. He made me work harder than I ever thought I could both physically and mentally. I had to continually push myself to train harder and harder in order to put myself in a position to beat him. Knowing how hard I had to work for this win makes it that much sweeter. I had to earn this win. The series was not just handed to me. Ellis and I took turns standing on top of that podium and nobody knew what was going to happen from one race to the next. It made it quite exciting for many of us. Quite a few people in the racing community were following our races and I am very glad I was able to be part of that. Despite James’ current bursts of online hostility, I hope that we can continue to be considerate and civil toward one another as we continue to race in the coming years.
Charles Covill
(race report written by Charles Covill and posted to Team Hammerhead by his lovely assistant, Val)
posted by TeamHammerhead at 2:31 AM
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