It's been quite some time since I raced DH. This was mainly due to the realization that your amount of riding is reduced when taking part in race weekends. In order to do well on race day, you have to pace yourself and not wear yourself down too much during practice. On race day, one or two practice runs to refresh your memory of the course is all you get. After a couple of seasons of racing, I'd decided to step back and enjoy the riding a bit more...but I got soft.
This weekend was a great eye opener. I didn't push myself hard, but still felt wiped by the end of Saturday's practice runs. It was surprising how sore I was after the weekend, but in a way I was extremely satisfied to push myself to that point and to realize that I'd really gotten slack over the past couple seasons.
With that said, I had a blast riding the course and riding a new venue. The course was split at the top, creating an amateur and pro course out of this minor difference. At first, I signed up in the pro category, but after comparing the courses I decided that the amateur track was a bit more enjoyable. The beginning of the pro course featured a steep chute in contrast to the amateur track's longer upper section, which featured a few jumps that didn't exist on the pro course.
The turnout for the event was phenomenal. So much so, that the two U-hauls and single Sprinter van were kept in constant motion, shuttling riders to the top of the mountain throughout both days. There was plenty of talent, too, which seems to be the case whenever I ride with guys from the southeast.
(my berm blowout is at minute 00:46)
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