SERC #2 - CONYERS, GA

Silas Moorefield 1st Place, Sam Connell 2nd Place, Cody Burnett 3rd Place
Cat 1 Junior Expert

     I was so excited to race Conyers because it was the US Olympic course back in the 1990's. I had ridden this course once before during a tsunami-type situation with the trails flooded like crazy. Georgia and the surrounding states had already gotten tons of rain and I weather prior to the race wasn't looking too good. Race day called for clear skies with strong winds, but there was rain in the forecast for the days leading up to the race. The trip was along one, 8 hours from our home in Lakeland. We made it up by Saturday afternoon and the skies were gray but the course looked relatively okay. Some areas of mud, but nothing that was out of control. I was feeling stoked about riding my new Specialized Stump Jumper Marathon - first race with this baby! Pre-ride with my teammates was uneventful and I felt good. The trails rode well and I was feeling optimistic. 

     Race day was cold and windy. Wind gusts were up to 30mph and I was so glad I listened to my mom and brought my cold-weather gear. I was excited to be racing once again alongside the pros and some Juniors I hadn't raced with in some time. Cat 1 Junior Experts was taking off with the pros again and I was going to try to maintain their pace for as long as possible. 

I had a feeling that it would be tough hanging with the pros and extremely hard given the first climb was super difficult, especially for a Florida rider. When the whistle blew the pace was ridiculous off the line. It was much faster than the first SERC at the Vortex. We were flying through the trails and I noticed that the pros and I were opening a gap over the other Junior Experts. As we got about half-way through the first lap we hit the first climb. I dropped my chain down to the little ring and went as hard as I could. Sadly, it wasn't hard enough. The pros kept a crazy intense pace up that climb and I found it was hard to keep up. Toward the end of the first lap I noticed another Junior Expert rider had caught up to me.  Silas Moorefield, a junior from North Carolina, was hot on my wheel. 

    The second and third lap was a battle between myself and Silas. Silas was super strong up the climbs and it really benefitted him. He was able to take the lead and keep it about half-way through the fourth lap. Silas made it through the finish line roughly a minute before me. I was satisfied with my performance on a course with two extreme climbs. Silas was riding strong and I realized that I will need to work harder on my climbs. Not too bad for a Florida boy! Congrats to Silas for his first place finish...well deserved. I felt great about my second place finish. 

  Thank you Muscle Milk for providing my nutrition during my training and before/after races. I understand that getting stronger doesn't just take training, it takes the proper nutrition...and that's what Muscle Milk gives me. Thanks to Bents Cycling and Fitness for their support and encouragement! And to my parents - the money, time, and energy you put into my racing is really appreciated!! Looking forward to racing Windor, GA in a few weeks!!!