FSC #5 - SUNRISE, FL - MARKHAM PARK

     The long drive down to Miami was long and boring, but oh so worth it! The course at Markham Park is full of fun, flowy trails with tons of man-made features. Some people call it super technical, I call it tons of fun! 

      It was really cool to be able to camp at the park. The campgrounds were really nice and they had the coolest iguanas everywhere. I was excited to be racing this cool course with some of my racing friends. I pre-rode the course Saturday morning with Mose Howard and Dwayne Allgire where we picked out tons of good lines. I could tell the course was definitely up their alley...they were flowing super good in it, making it difficult for me to keep up with those fast guys! The course was about 6.5 miles of pure fun! I went to do a second faster lap with them to open up my legs for the next day. I remembered all my lines from the previous lap and I felt really good about the course. Afterwards, we all went back to the campground and played an awesome game that was similar to Corn Hole. Great time hanging out with great friends!

      The good thing about camping at the course is that you can get the extra needed sleep before the race. I love being able to roll outta bed and be right there. And that's exactly what I did. I got a good night's sleep and felt great! Sitting on the line I knew that I would have the extra challenge of racing against Adam Cohen and Tyler Mayer since this is their home course. My heart was pounding at the beginning, but when the whistle blew I pushed off the line and got the hole shot! We flew down the first short open road section pretty fast and then jumped right into the single track. I could hear the hubs of my competitors as they were riding my wheel. As we continued through the single track I felt really good and I could feel myself pulling away from the rest of the pack. Cruising through a downhill section I made a really sharp turn on the course. I didn't realize that from the wave before the turn was super slick and rutted out. I endo'd over my handlebars and fell right in the middle of the track. I hurried to get my bottle back in my bike (I've had this happen enough to know better than to go a lap without hydration!) and when I looked up the hill I still couldn't see 2nd or 3rd place. As I pushed off to get back on the course I saw that my stem was twisted and my handlebars were crooked. I hopped off the bike to attempt to fix these issues but sadly I tightened the bolts to the point I couldn't get a fix. And I didn't have a multi-tool (I now know better!!). I glanced up and saw Adam and Tyler bearing down on me. As Adam whizzed by he asked if I was ok. I told him yes, but as I looked back at Tyler as he was asking me the same question I watched fly over the handlebars on the same turn. He jumped up to fix his bike and said that he would wait for me. I realized I had no choice but to finish the race with my bike "as is". All that was going through my mind at that point was to catch Adam. Coming up on a flat gravel road, I used my road bike skills and pulled me and Tyler at 29 mph down the road. Sadly, I came up on a turn way to fast, not realizing it was there...I ended running right through the tape and went off course. Tyler yelled at me that I missed the turn, but it was his opportunity to make his move and he deserved it. I turned around and hopped back on the bike trying to close the gap with Tyler. But with my stem and bars all jacked up, I knew this was not gonna be my race. All I could think about now was that I needed to hold that gap from 4th place. There were times I could see 4th place in the distance and it was starting to make me nervous. So I pushed harder and was able to make it through scoring in a respectable 3rd place. Couldn't have done it without my compadre's, Adam and Tyler! Love racing with you guys...you make it fun!!

      Shout out to Bents Cycling & Fitness for their support and encouragement! Best bike shop around!! Thanks all my sponsors: Rolf Prima Wheels, SockGuy, TwinSix, Beljum Budder, Cycleography, and SPYOptics! And a special thank you to my parents who continue to provide the emotional, mental, and most of all financial support for the sport I love!!