Race 2 – 2011 Charlotte Winter Short Track Series

ByMike Byrd

This past Sunday was the second race of the Charlotte Mountain Bike Winter Series. I was hoping for a better result than I had the  previous weekend. The weather was colder but it was dry (finally) all week. I got to the course around 10 to watch Lexi (Jasen Taylor’s  little girl) while he raced. Watching them race got me a little excited to get going and the good news is that the riders were staying  dry and mud free.

I warmed up for about 10 minutes and I lined up on the front row. I don’t know why I do this because my plan is to always take it easy  for a lap or two. And I have a hard time getting myself to warm up. Maybe I should work on that.

The mountain bike race started and I followed one guy who just nailed it. I tried to stay calm and just stay close to him before we entered the woods.  I managed to get into the woods in second place and slightly recovered I the single track. Exiting the single track wasn’t so easy. I  immediately lost 3 places as I tried to find a rhythm.

The good news was that I was with Sonny and TJ, both teammates on the Giordana-Clif-Bar-Brica team. Sonny was running strong and TJ was  on his cross bike. We spent 3 or 4 laps working together with me or Sonny leading through the singletrack and TJ crushing it on the  pavement. I was working way too hard keeping up with TJ and eventually he and Sonny pulled away.

I struggled for a lap as I recovered and my legs seemed to come around. I managed to catch Sonny, who had been dropped by TJ and the guy  in 3rd place, and started running at my own pace. Unfortunately, Sonny couldn’t stay with me. I could tell that I was slowly getting  closer to TJ and the guy in 3rd place at the turn around.

But, with my lack of fitness I started struggling. The last two laps were hard. I lost distance to 2nd and 3rd place and was able to hang  on for 4th. I may have dropped a place, but I think the 5:30AM training classes at Cool Breeze are helping. Now I just need to get some  training in. Glad the real season doesn’t start until April.

The Bike Racer

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the Internet. My name is Mike Byrd and this is my website. I enjoy sports, being outside, new challenges, marketing and anything that comes my way. I am the author of the blog posts on thebikeracer.com. I enjoy writing about cycling, poiltics, coffee and anything else that fits in the "My World" category. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to say up to date on anything new that gets posted to thebikeracer.com.

Similar Posts

  • Race 1 – 2011 Charlotte Winter Short Track Series

    ByMike Byrd

    Hard to believe that the 2011 season has started. Even more scary is that I have no miles on my legs this year. I adopted a puppy (Ryder) in November and then the temps went south – WAY south. It’s been 10-15 degrees below normal here in Charlotte, NC. So needless to say, before Sunday’s mountain bike race, I had only two days on the road and a few cyclocross races in December for training.

  • Race 1 – 2012 Charlotte Speedway Time Trial Series – OUCH!!

    ByMike Byrd

    Holy Cow,  Wednesday, April 11 was the first race of the Charlotte Speedway Time Trial Series and one word describes the TT – OUCH. 

    Sarah and I left the shop around 4 to get to the race and like always, one thing led to another, we had to pick up something we forgot (wheel and timing chip), put gas in the van (as always), school traffic and managed to get to the track around 5 and lost our customary spot near registration and ended up on the backside of the garage.

  • In Shape?…Maybe Not!…

    ByMike Byrd

    It’s been a long season so far. I don’t know if I’m in good shape or not. I participated in the Charlotte MotorSpeedway Time Trial on June 9, 2010 in the Category 3 group. I got to the track early enough to register, get a start time assigned, and then have a solid warm up. I don’t like riding a trainer so I warmed up on the small track inside the big track. I immediately noticed two things….people warming up on TT bikes not using their aero bars (which I can’t understand) and the wind. It was pretty obvious that we had a big headwind going all the way down the home stretch between turn number 4 and turn number 1. It was the most wind I had experienced in the 3 years that I’ve been doing the TT.

  • Race 3 – 2011 North Mecklenburg Cyclocross Series

    ByMike Byrd

    Proper cyclocross weather finally came to the Carolinas for the last round of the North Meck Cyclocross Series on Tuesday night. Racers were challenged with a wet, windy course and temperatures in the high 30’s.  Afternoon rain tapered off before registration opened, but the course got slick and muddy as the night went on.  Promoter Neal Boyd setup a slightly less technical course for the conditions, and DeFeet provided some nice prizes for the final round podium finishers.

  • Race 1 – 2012 Charlotte Winter Short Track Series

    ByMike Byrd

    Sunday was the first race of the Charlotte Winter Short Track Series hosted by Charlotte Sports Cycling.  Everyone was fearing cold weather but somehow Neal ordered a beautiful January day.

    My race was at 12 but I arrived early to set up the Cool Breeze/Trek Bike Store Team tent with Sarah.  My first race of the day was the Sport 40+ class.  I lined up on the 2nd row feeling confident that I could get a good start.  I was joking with my buddy Wayne when the race started.  I usually don’t have a problem getting clicked in but missed my pedal but managed to keep my momentum and eventually get clicked in before the first turn.

  • 2012 Dillworth Criterium

    ByMike Byrd

    The 2012 Dillworth Criterium was my first road race of the year.   Dillworth isn’t one of my favorite courses.  I find it to be a challenging course with a long, steady climb on the front stretch, plus it’s usually the my first road race of the year so my body isn’t used to the effort required in a criterium.

    My race started at 2.  I arrived a little early to catch the end of the Cat 4/5 race to see my friend Mike Levine finish up.  After that, I rode my bike around for about 20 minutes to get the legs going.