Team MotionBased

Several weekends ago we made the three hour drive over Oregon's Cascade mountains to race the OBRA Oregon State Mountain Bike Championships in Bend. This is the annual event of virtually no real significance, but slightly more bragging rights for XC racers in the state. Of course the prestige of winning the State Championships last year brought me back to defend my honor. Now before we get too far along, let me explain a little about Bend and mountain biking. For those who haven't heard, Bend is home to just about the highest concentration of PRO bike racers anywhere. It also where you can find virtually unlimited single track riding and of course unlimited mountain bikers of all shapes and sizes. The riding culture varies from the middle-aged tourist who just rented a bike for the day, to World Cup and Olympic hopeful Adam Craig. Last year, the same race (Picketts Charge), hosted no less than five riders ranked in the top 10 nationally along with one former National Champion. This year the event was populated with up-and-coming regional talent which made for a fun but less competitive race. We opened it up on a gravel road and a few riders circulated to the front to test their legs. Within a mile the course took a left onto a double track and I patiently sat fourth wheel. At this point things got interesting. My teammate and fellow MB rider Ben Thompson who was in third position, drilled a rock about the size of a football. Within about 5 milleseconds Ben had taken down the fourth rider and was then t-boned by several others. Not wanting to join them on the ground, I limbo'd stage right and immediately went to the front of the pack to keep the tempo down. Luckily, we hit the single track quickly and my plan worked to perfection. Enter Bend single track. Keep in mind that Bend single track ebs and flows through pine forests and is generally flat to rolling terrain. It may sound easy but the trails there are all about rythm because there is nothing straight about them. Whether up, down, left, or right there seems to be a turn of significance just about every 50ft or less. This can be quite maddening for those stuck behind an out-of-towner on said single track! Needless to say, it didn't take long for Ben (who lives in Bend) to join us up front. However, it was immediately apparent that he had left some skin behind which may have even motivated him to ride faster. About that time, I felt due diligence to go to the back and suck some wheel. This was a good move because I was following those with the rythm, but bad because there was another guy from out-of-town between them and I. So, it wasn't long before we were gapped, and I was politely asking to slip by and begin chasing down the two locals (one my teammate) up front who seemed insistent on dropping me. I faked my way through several more segments of twistyness, managing to allow the gap to open more and more with each blown turn. Then as quickly as it had began, we were back on a double track and I was reeling them in. Funny how things can change so quickly in a race, but as I closed down the difference I came to the realization that while this race was one for the locals to lose, I might have a chance to spoil it for them afterall. The other rider turned around and saw my progress and immediately went as hard as he could. I could tell it was great effort because Ben suddenly shrunk into a ball-like shape and I could almost hear the sucking sound 100 meters behind. It was to no avail and like a heat seeking missile I bore down on them and made the catch. This whole endevour had definitely raised my hackles and my heart rate, so I vowed not to let it happen again that day. We raced the remainder of the lap and one more with Ben up front and the other two of us in tow. Luckily at the finish, Ben managed to hold us off and win his first Oregon State Championship. I couldn't have been happier to sit in for a front row seat and cheer my friend and teammate on to a well-deserved victory!