Result: 20th (Pro category)
Dist: 25miles
Terrain: dry singletrack, undulating
Here is what the organisers said...
"Experience one of Durango's premier mountain bike courses, right on the edge of town. The SUBARU Cross Country Course starts at Chapman Hill and crosses over into Horse Gulch with a mixture of terrain including both single and double track and a few rocky technical areas. Ride on the '01 World Cup and '02 NORBA Nationals course -only one long loop & better!"
Durango is home to many mountain biking legends, and it is obvious why - these guys live in mtb heaven! Ned Overend was racing the pro category with us and gave the lighties a hard time - he really is a legend.
From the gun, we headed straight up a loose rocky road climbing up to the top of a little ski run. It really was not bad at all - the pace was quite manageable and things were looking good. I was placed 7th, just on Ned's wheel for the first 20 min and then went through a bad patch for 15 min before picking up the tempo again and fighting back to 7th. The singletrack was really fast and dry with a good mix of rocky sections and hardpack flowing trail. Unfortunately i don't have any photos of the course but will post some here on this blog in a few weeks time...
Bad luck struck when i flatted my front tyre and damaged the rim - the slime in the tyre had dried out and i unknowingly used my only bomb to try and re-inflate it. So i was forced to run the last 5 odd miles which threw me out of the prize money (top 10). But not a bad day in the office, I am quite upbeat with the standard of racing here in the USA - these guys are beatable and a lot slower than the europeans. My form is on the up and i am really looking forward to next weekend's race in Angel Fire, New Mexico.
