Three inches of rain preceeded this "shine only" event, however, the promoter was not deterred. As Saturday morning arrived, the temperatures were cold and the skies were gray and threatening. After watching the first enduro riders come through to complete their first lap it seemed far less muddy than expected, and in fact, the race conditions were wet but quite good. A few puddles and some slippery bridges but very rideable.The rain held off and the sun actually showed itself late in the day. The course was an 11.5 mile loop with some of the best single track on the MASS circuit, full of rippin' fast rocky downhills and gnarly climbs.
The enduro was shortened to five hours and the start was postponed an hour and a half. Janice took off in a the Women's Open category in a bunch start along with all the men. By the end of the day she was one of only two women to complete four laps, crossing the line in second place.
The XC started an hour late with the Elite going 23 miles or two laps starting at 11:00am. Martin and I took off with the group for the uphill prolog start. I felt okay and entered the single track somewhere in the top 15 or so. I was in pretty good shape as I reached the top of the first of three major climbs. As the course turned downhill, so did my race. Martin went by with the rest of the Elite class. After suffering through the first lap I started feeling better and ended up on Martin's wheel. We rode the second lap together and had a great race going back and forth with Martin finishing 19th and me 2 seconds back in 20th - enough for both of us to squeek into the money - always satisfying when you look at the level of competition on the MASS circuit.
French Creek Race Results:
Martin Kell, 19th, Elite Open
Mike Laub, 20th, Elite Open
Janice Morris, 2nd, Endurance Women
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