The last time I raced BUMP, it was a Pro XCT event in 2010, when I was still in PTA school. It was my first year racing Pro and I got hammered. We had about 100 riders and I had to start at the back. It was a slow train the first lap and I was probably 10 minutes behind after just 1 lap of 5. I wound up getting lapped on my fourth lap and never got to do the last lap. That year they raced the Pros on a stupid short loop that was "spectator friendly." I think it was more "rider and spectator boring." Almost half of it was pavement! And we did not get to go through the infamous "Blood Rock" section where the spectators always gather. Since then, I have not been excited about this race. But now we are back to using the old loop, plus some new sections. Race distance is now back to over 33 miles for the XC.
To be honest, the only reason I was going was for the gravity events. I absolutely love racing downhill and Super D. You get to do more jumps, more technical sections and go much faster! I know I have not been riding enough XC to be ready for a big XC race. I packed all three of my bikes. I would likely need my Remedy for the downhill, hardtail for the short track and Titus Racer-X for the Super D and XC.
My parents wanted to go and offered to take their camper and new truck. My Dad was wanting to see what kind of gas mileage he could get with the new truck on a longer trip. It takes us about four hours to get to Oak Mountain State Park where the race is held. We drove down on Friday night, getting there just after dark. The roads were wet from a recent shower. I was hoping the trail wasn't too muddy as the Air Downhill was taking place early Saturday morning.
There was no official downhill practice on Saturday. I had never seen the trail and I wanted a few practice runs. I wasn't sure what to expect. It is an "Air" downhill, which could mean big drops, or big jumps or that it's not even really a downhill course. I got up just after daylight and jumped on my Remedy to ride the 3 miles over to the course. The ride over on the road was a good warm-up. Then I climbed a fire road that parallels the downhill course, taking me up to the start area. The first run was a little scary on the jumps. It was a much smoother course than I expected. There wasn't a root to be found. Some of the berms were massive which was good for carrying speed. There were several double jumps, most were made like tabletops so there was not much penalty for coming up short. The scary part to me was launching some of the blind ones where to takeoff blocked your view of the landing. I climbed the fire road again and took a second run before it was time to go to registration and pick up my packet.
The family was all loaded up in the truck and picked me up at the road, drove me to registration and back. My Dad joined me for my next ride up the hill and ran the course with me. The third run turned out to be my last run before the race. I was a bit more comfortable now and starting to learn most of the sections. I wanted to memorize the upper part and be ready to carry my speed into a small uphill section that came halfway down the hill. I figured the race would be won there.
I was scheduled to be the third rider to start, but neither of the first two were at the start when race time rolled around. So, I was the first rider to head down the hill. I don't like going first because often there are people on the course that do not realize the racers are coming. I dropped into the course off a big wooden ladder drop and drilled the first few berms. Then I almost had a massive crash on one of the blind jumps. I hit the face of the jump a little too hard and it caused my rear suspension to rebound extra hard. Combine that with more hang time than I expected and things got scary in the air. It really is amazing how much faster you go in the race and how much higher/farther you jump. I was rear-end high flying through the air. I was bracing for impact as I just knew I was going over the bars. But somehow I rode the front wheel about 15 feet and the rear came back down. I got it back under control just in time for the next jump, which was a step-up double into a left turn. I got squirrely on the takeoff and was sideways going into the turn, but the tires gripped and I shot out of the corner like a rocket.
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Me during my run
The next few turns went well and I entered the pedaling section at full-gas. I rode as hard as I could up the rise, then sprinted back up to speed as the trail declined again. I got rear-end high over another jump near the bottom, but not as bad as the first time. I was a bit slow through the last hairpin turn, but I hit the line in 2:56:00. I also tied my highest heart rate of the year hitting 184 near the bottom! Then the waiting game began. There was talk of giving us a second run if time permitted, but all the riders were taking their sweet time getting to the start line. The starter was not enforcing the start times at all and it wound up costing us a second run. It was almost time for the start of the Cat. 3 Short Track when the last rider finished, so we did not get a second run. I had no idea where I finished, but I was guessing that the big mistake early in the run had cost me the win, maybe more. We have a brief Air Downhill video posted below.
Air Downhill race video
While we waited for downhill results, I took a run on the Super D course. I took the Remedy down the first time. Shannon and Mom decided to ride down too. We were cruising along the fairly easy section at the start, when I bit it in an off-camber right corner. It was one of the slow-speed crashes where Hulk Hogan was hiding behind a tree and jumped out just in time to body slam me on the ground. It freaking hurt! My right hip took the brunt of the fall and I got lots of rock rash from the rocky dirt. My lower leg and hip were chewed up like road rash. I couldn't believe that just happened! I cruised the rest of the way down just trying to collect myself, then I changed bikes and made a second practice run, this time on the Titus. The course had a lot of pedaling early, followed by a trip through the treacherous Blood Rock section, then down a fast descent with some scattered rocks and roots. The Titus was much better suited to the course, especially with all the pedaling.
After the second run, it was time to check results and get ready for the Pro/Cat. 1 Short Track. Downhill results were up and I got 2nd! I was pumped until I saw the time. I got beat by 0.7 seconds! So close! That little mistake did cost me the win after all.
Pro Air Downhill Podium. Brad Perley on top. Me 2nd.
I changed out of my baggies for the short track. It was going to be 20 minutes of speed and pain! The course was laid out by some psycho who clearly was not going to be racing. We began on pavement before crossing a ditch into a wooded area for a quick downhill that featured a small creek crossing at the bottom. The creek had become a mudhole by the time our race started. Then came a sweeping right turn in the gravel before you twisted through some pine trees on a wide, rooty trail. Another pit of mud awaited before more pavement. You exited the pavement to the right over a big dirt pile, then got a slight second of flat trail before you hit a massive climb. This climb was ridiculous. It was long and super steep the whole way up it. And the soil was rather loose, making it difficult to stay out of the saddle. Once at the top, you plunged down a steep, twisty descent and made a 180-degree left turn through a ditch full of leaves back onto the road to complete the lap. It took about 2 minutes to make a lap, which leaves little time for recovery before having to scale the mountain again.
I started near the back of the group. It was mostly made up of Pros and Junior X riders. The Juniors started fast and mixed in with all the Pros. I don't like starting with the Juniors because they take too many risks to stay up front. On the start, we nearly had a big pile-up crossing the first ditch. I had to take action and shoot to the right, almost getting run into a wooden post. That put me near the back on the first lap.
Pro/Cat. 1 Short Track Start Line
Me (right) in traffic up the hill the first lap
Everybody went up the hill well the first time, then you could see the damage as we started lap 2. People were blowing up all around me. I was trying to get through the traffic, but had another setback when the rider in front of me crashed on one of the gravel turns. I almost had to stop to get by him. That left a big gap in the line that we were never able to close up. It became two groups on the course. The front group had about 6 riders in it, then came a group of about 8 that I was in the middle of.
Me again on the hill
Carson Beckett in the front group
Topping Turn & Burn Mountain
I finally worked my way through my group, but I was still losing time to the leaders. I couldn't push it through the corners as much as I wanted. I chose to run my Maxxlite 310 tires, which are super light and super fast, but offer minimal help with traction. The front group was down to 4 now. They were Air Downhill winner Brad Perley, Ryan Woodall, Carson Beckett and Tristan Cowie. I was working hard to catch the two that had been dropped from that group.
Brad Perley leads the front group on the twisty downhill
Perley in front
Still chasing
I got lapped at 2 laps to go...or at least what I thought was 2 laps to go. Apparently, the official had told the leaders 2 laps to go the lap before, then told them 2 to go again the next lap as they lapped me. I was almost up to the rider in front of me and was timing it so that I could catch him on the last lap and attack him up the hill. When I came through to get what I thought was 1 lap to go, he was just a few bike lengths ahead of me. He sat up as we crossed the ditch, so I attacked him right then. He had no answer. He looked blown. Actually, he was done. He had been told the right amount of laps to go. So I hammered an extra lap for nothing. I finished 7th on the final results, even though I think we should have gone one more lap.
Tristan Cowie leads
The front four: Cowie, Woodall, Perley and Beckett
Carson had a great race
The hill is really hurting now
The leaders roll through the wooded section and mudhole
The biggest load of crap was that the leaders were thinking like me. They were in a group looking at each other when they came through to get 1 to go...but actually the race was over. They were confused and decided to race it out anyway, with Ryan Woodall getting to the line first. The official was arguing with everyone saying that he made no mistake and even wanted to fight a guy that questioned him. It was a big old mess. He refused to take the order of the rider sprint as the results and instead paced everyone by how they crossed the line the lap before. It was crap. At least Ryan had managed to just cross the line ahead of everyone that lap, so he did get 1st either way. I felt bad for Brad Perley though. He had crossed the line 4th that lap and maybe would have been better placed. It was more important to him because he was battling me for the Omnium title and every point matters. I was just hoping this wouldn't effect the outcome for either of us when the final points were tallied on Sunday.
Our Short Track video is posted below. You can hear the official tell the leaders they are done and you will clearly see that they are not racing for the line. They had no idea that was the last lap.
BUMP Turn & Burn Short Track: Pro/Cat. 1 Video
After the Short Track, I cleaned up my bloody leg and then headed up to the Super D for two more practice runs with Carson. It was fun riding with him. He showed me that you can in fact pitch around a 29" bike just like a 26". I have now seen it done. We resurrected an old line through Blood Rock that was much faster and safer, though getting to it was a bit difficult as you had to jump up and off-camber bank in the middle of a rock garden. Momentum was going to be key to hitting that line. Steve Wilson originally created the line back in 2009, and he and I were the only ones I had ever seen hit it until today when Carson rode it.
I was worn out by the time we started the Super D. It had been 10 hours now since I first threw my leg over the Remedy this morning. I tried to prop up my legs before the start, but that only lasted a few seconds as fire ants came out from under the leaves and bit me on my right arm. The fatigue of the day really showed on the opening section of the course. I could tell I was too slow in the pedaling section. I just didn't have the energy left. My arms and shoulders were very tired and that made Blood Rock even more challenging. I hit the line Carson and I had practiced and it worked well. I got booed by the crowd back in 2009 when I used it. This year they cheered, which was much nicer to hear than boos.
I ripped the bottom section, but it was too little too late. I wound up 4th out of 4 in the Pro class, some 21 seconds off the top time, set by local rider Omar Fraser. Carson finished 2nd overall, just 0.61 seconds off of Omar! Carson is riding so well right now. The kid has the skills to pay the bills for sure. Omar was allowed to start while leaning against a tree with both feet clipped in, while the rest of us had to start with a foot down. I'm not trying to start any controversy here, but that could have very well saved him 0.61 seconds. Just saying. Brad Perley got 3rd in the Super D and so is leading me in the Omnium with just the XC to go.
After the Super D, we headed back to the campground for dinner and the oh-so-fun first shower after road rash. It always burns the first time you get it wet, and you have to pick out the dirt from all the wounds. I always seem to find one or two more places that I didn't know were torn up. Being skinned up and bruised makes for a rough night of sleeping. I definitely won't be sleeping on my right side for a while.
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