Point to Point Racing Brown County Indiana

Point to point racing is an awesome format where instead of racing real fast in circles :) you race from point A to point B and the fastest racer wins. Very simple until you add the climbing, rocks, skinny singletrack, technical sections and strong competitors.

This race started in a mass format for each of the 3 categories which made for an important launch off the starting line to be in the lead group heading onto BC’s Pine Loop trail. I rolled into the woods in the 5th slot trailing most of the guys who have been winning and I’ve been racing all season long. My strategy was to maintain my position until we got to the 1st of the 2 major climbs along the route. I was confident these are where I could attack and begin jockeying for position before we get to the technical sections which is another area I knew was cut out for me. Leading up to the Aynes Loop climb our group was attacked by a strong racer and he gapped us while the race leader was still well up part of the climb and we could not see him. After this attacker’s gap started to build, I knew I need to reel him in or we may not see him again. After surging upwards and grabbing onto his wheel we found the leader 2/3rds of the way up the climb and drilled past him. Once you get to the top, it’s time to go down which is when you should be recovering from you climbing efforts, but in mountain biking, it takes a tremendous amount of power to manage all the sharp off camber turns, rocks and roots when gravity is pulling you.

The next major climb was up to Hesitation Point which is an awesome view of the park when you get to the top. Now we were on the 2nd major climb and it was my time to attack the leader which I did. The climb switches back and forth so when you are ascending you can see those who are below you. Under me was two other competitors who had made it past the last racer I attacked and they could see me right above them. At this point in the race, my body tells me to let off the gas and bring my heart rate back down to a manageable level, but with these other racers coming after me there was no time. I crested the climb and dropped into the roller coaster part of Walnut trail where the technical section going to start soon. Here is where it gets dicey because you are on a thin ribbon of dirt trail that hugs a ridge so on your right side it is straight down in many spots and very steep in all the others. Now on a normal ride, no sweat pick your line and navigate the rocks and roll through. Not at a race pace do they feel at all smooth, your body and bike are bouncing all around trying keep the rubber on the trail. This was the first technical trail test for my new Team Scalpel and she did not disappoint one bit. As a matter of fact, she took these hits and kept my momentum moving forward for the entire technical section, “clean” is what we mtb’ers call a ride when you don’t touch your foot down at all. The rest of the race the closest 2 competitors where grinding it out as they chased me and it was my race to lose. Not today was anyone going to catch me. I took 1st place overall and my smile was as long as the trail! Racing mountain bikes rocks.

Thanks to my fiancee, my coach, my team manager, Cannondale, Cycleops and my dog.