Sterling

Tom Stevens does a fantastic job with course designs. Over the past several years, the Sterling race course has always had interesting tweaks in its design that most course builders don't include. Gone this year was the horrible snow storm of '05 (sure you might argue that he can't control the snow, but two epic storms in the same year on his courses and you wonder) or the triangular barriers on the run-up in '06. The 2007 edition saw some off-camber climbing and descending, frozen patches of ground and two laps of cinder track to open the race.

Again, poor staging position had me lined up well behind the big guns. As we left the track, I had worked my way up to the top 20 and was in a group of 10 or so riders as we went up the "bookcase" and into the horsejump. The group was still together until on the second lap, Zanc took the inside line too tight and went down with another rider. I was able to go around the mess and pick up the pace as we got onto the pavement. The course came back on the grass, up the off-camber hill, then down. Riding with a moderate pace, it was easy to carry enough speed up the hill, make the turn and pick up your pace again. If a rider tired though, it was very easy to be forced to dismount (which I did in two subsequent laps) and cause mahem behind. Once back on the main level, the course dropped down to the barriers, back up to the track level and around to the pits. Going into this race I had decided to stay within myself the first lap and let the front group go. Too many races I tried to stay with that front group only to blow up and drift backwards. Three laps into the race on Saturday and I felt good. I was in a sizeable chase group, but well inside the top 15. On the fourth lap though, having to dismount on the off-camber uphill, then the barriers, my legs just lost all energy. I slipped from the group I was in and chased for the next lap. With less then two to go, my legs felt better and I started to hammer again, alone. As the race neared completion, Gary bridged up to me and passed me just before the pit area. I tried to hop on his wheel, but he was motoring hard. He took the final left hand bend onto the finishing straight with me in tow. Having pushed himself hard to catch me on the final lap, he had nothing left for a final sprint. I went around him as he sat up and we finished 21 and 22 overall.

This was probably the best I have ridden all year. 20 seconds seperated me from the top 15. If I hadn't dabbled in the middle of the race, or lost power in the legs...still, this was a great course, a great race and a respectable finish.