Pro GRT #1

After a strong finish at the first NW Cup I was itching to get back up there for the first Pro GRT of the year. This is always one of my favorite races because of how many people show up and the level of competition. After barely making it into the finals on Sunday last year I was interested to see how much I had progressed through the winter on a national level. The week before this had been bone dry up there which was going to make for a loose and fast riding course. Fridays practice went well and there was rain in the forecast which I imagined would be for the better. 

Saturday I spent sorting a few sections that I had noticed on Fridays night course walk. We had qualifying that evening around 4:30, right when they predicted rain. Sure enough it started to come down with 30 minutes left in practice. I got a run with a couple drops on the ground but would have no idea how slick the track was going to be when I dropped with the timer on. 

I had a steady run down the hill till the last corner where I washed the back and couldn't quite hang on. I was only down for a second or two and was back on it. I still managed to qualify with 39th, much better than last years 80th. The rain didn't continue for long which meant that it was going to be dry again for tomorrows race.

Practice went well on Sunday afternoon and I was anxious to get the timed run done. It had dried up some making it similar to the rest of the weekend. I ended the day in 44th with a smooth run but just didn't quite push hard enough. Still a huge improvement from last season was ready to build on that! Thanks to Joy Ride Bikes (www.joyridebicycles.com) the raddest shop in town for all the support this season.