Round 2 of the UCI BMX SX World Cup series started with a 26hr flight to Santiago del Estero Argentina from California where I am based. I was looking forward to racing after not having the start I wanted two weeks earlier in Manchester UK. I was a little stressed about my luggage making it to my final destination with a lot of connecting flights and lay overs. Bags arrived safe and the stress seemed to disappear immediately
and was ready to get the weekends racing on the way. The weather was very warm and dry in Argentina, very similar to what its like where I’m based in Southern California. I had my nutritionist Shaun Waison fly over from South Africa to help me with driving around and taking on the role of team manager so I could focus on the race. We settled in quick and spent the week adjusting to the conditions.
The track was outdoor which has always suited my style of racing. Practice went well and I was looking forward to time trials which was unusual as I am not a good TT rider but have been working on it lately to improve in that area. During the TT on Friday I managed to put in a clean lap and qualified midway in the top 64 that go through and race.
Saturday rolled on and I was ready to race. I felt good all week leading up to the race and everything was clicking. The heats went great with no big mistakes, managed to qualify out with a 1st 2nd and a 2nd. Quarters finals were stacked and I knew that I had to get out the gate quickly and into a safe position as soon as possible to avoid getting in a situation that could see me not qualify for the semis. I won my quarters and made it to the semi final.
Semis were up next and the laps were coming quicker than what I expected. I had a good start from the outside and managed to put my bike in 2nd over the finish line transferring to the main event. As I rolled over to the pit to do a little recovery ride the elite women were already loaded in the gate for the main event. I thought that the break between semis and the main event was a little short but I guess its the same for everyone.
When the main event gate was being loaded, my legs felt a little heavy but knew I had enough in me for another solid lap. I blew my start but managed to flight through the pack, avoid a crash and finished 6th.
Overall I am happy with the way I raced and hope to keep improving over the next few weeks and perform better at the next few races.
SKIZO
Pic by Craig Dutton
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.