I had a damn good time in Kansas at the Florence Grand Prix.
1st in over 40, 24th overall. Started on the 5th row and went around over 100 people not including lappers. What a hoot!
The course was just shy of 7 miles long and I did 11 laps in the allotted time.
Race Report!
My soft goals for the race were to get into the top 30 and win my class. That’s passing 100+ people not including lappers and being really lucky all day.
I tried to ride smart and fast to have a good, clean start. I beelined through the woods and tippy toed past about 20 guys from the C class fourth row in the first section of woods. Then I promptly low sided on the 90 degree turn from pavement to brick in the second road section, right in front of my buddy Brian Aliff. We were hooting at each other multiple times those first 2 miles and I went back around him just before the bridge. I made some good passes and got a lot of two for one deals in the first lap.
I was going about 80% speed and came through in first on the first lap. I thought to myself, “Ok, 1 goal is attainable, but what’s my lead?” You can’t really get that information without a pit person. So I continued my 80% pace that I know I can hold all day until lap 3 and backed it off just a tad. I guzzled water in fields, cruised the roads giving lots of thumbs up to everyone I saw and big wheelies for spectators etc etc.
On lap 5 I pitted. Fresh gloves, fill the bike, fill the camelback, go. It took me nearly 5 minutes and I was down to second a minute or so behind coming into the chute. Now it was cat and mouse and I picked up my pace a little and whittled away at the leaders gap until lap 9. I passed for the class lead on lap 9 out in the big muddy field and promptly slammed the front wheel into a deep sticky rut at a 45 degree angle and threw myself down HARD. It took me probably 30 seconds to get the bike up and going again as I fell over again about 10 feet after the original fall. It’s sooooo hard to ride in slop like that going slow. Just greasy pudding.
Now my hands and grips are covered in pudding, I’m even muddier than before as well. I decided to make another pit stop. I changed gloves and goggles, wiped my grips off and threw in a splash of fuel because I had completely lost track of laps and miles at that point. I came through the chute nearly 3 minutes down and they told me there was 1-2 laps left. I put my head down and let it all hang out. No more resting, no more showy wheelies, we are racing racing now.
I finally caught the leader at the score chute with the white flag waving and we legitimately locked eyes and started banging off the rev limiters and we’re nose to tail all the way through town. I fell over twice trying to go by or make things happen. I finally got right on his rear wheel about half way through the lap and started some mental games with him whooping and revving. It must have worked as he made an error at a very sharp turn and I went under him and put in a charge over the next mile and a half to a long grass track where I looked back to see I had about 150 yards on him. “Home free baby, stay upright and smart” I thought to myself. I kept it on two wheels, smooth and fast the remainder of the lap. I waited just past the score chute for him but he must have beelined it out while my back was turned because I didn’t get to give him a fist bump or high five for an awesome race and a lot of fun, then He didn’t come get his trophy, so I guess I may never meet nick from Nebraska that I had so much fun with in muddy Florence Kansas.