Right off the line everyone pinned it and I was spun out at 28mph within seconds. I focused on staying protected and moving up which was very tricky. By the time we were off the pavement and approaching lucy hill I was sitting 10th wheel out of a 800 person mass start!
However, moments later we reached Lucy Hill and then my team mate Brian Matter along with the other top riders just floored it up the climb making me realize I did not have the legs I needed to stick with those guys. I stayed in the top 15 but a small gap started to form and I missed the cut.
That turned into me and a chase group killing our selves until mile 12 of the race (most of which was wet grass, wet sand and mud) when it came back together. At this point I felt like I was already bonking and was going to be totally screwed for the next 36 miles of the race, thankfully the front group stayed together for awhile and I got to sit in and recover. After a few miles of that we reached a large puddle (lake) in the middle of the trail with a slippery single file make-shift wooden bridge to cross it on. This turned into a mess as people skidded and crashed trying to go one at a time onto this bridge. Once again the front group got away, which was probably for the best since I most likely would have blown up at their pace.
I settled in with a good group of ten and we stayed together for the rest of the race. We ran up misery hill, crushed gravel, and flew down the sand dunes until we neared the end. In those last few miles of the race I heated things up and shelled some riders but burned some important matches that would have allowed me to follow people when they jumped the group.
I ended up crossing the line in 20th place snagging the last spot on the podium! It wasn't quite what I was hoping for but since it was my first ever Ore to Shore Hard Rock I'm happy with how it turned out. I can't wait to do it again next year despite how bad it hurt.
As always huge thanks to my coach Joseph Maloney and my family for all their support. Since this was my last mountain bike race of the season I really want to shout out my team, Team Wisconsin presented by KS Energy Services/MOSH for all their amazing support support! Also huge, huge thanks to Emerys Cycling, Triathlon and Fitness, Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital, Trek Bicycles, Bontrager, Englewood Grass Fed Beef, ESI Grips, Wolf Tooth Component, Mike's Mix and Honey Stinger for all the awesome support! I really can't thank them all enough for helping me do what I do!
Well, now it's cyclocross season so stayed tuned! It's going to be a big season!!!
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