As we do before every race, we went out Saturday and pre-rode the course. Conditions were not bad considering the amount of rain that Tsali has been receiving in the last couple of weeks. We set up the event tent and got ready for a beautiful day on Sunday. Sunday morning started out cool (around 32 degrees) but soon we were stripping off the layers, as temps got into the 70's. We had a big group with us at this race, since it was the "home turf". We appreciate the help and support of all our friends and family. Smoky Mountain Bicycles was the "round sponsor" for the Knobscorcher and was honored to award the prizes to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Beginners got off nice and early at 9:30 am and we were ready for the Pro, Expert and Sport class to race at 11:30 am. Sam and Willow Koerber were racing so that was some nice excitement for the day. Charlie got his best start to date... he pulled off the line in 1st place and maintained the lead the entire race, once again passing the single speed class in front of him. Right after the start, Charlie realized his shoe was untied and knew at some point he would have to tie his shoe. John Hood, Charlie's coach and elite racer, was wondering why Charlie had laces to begin with. Racers don't have laces, John said. Charlie finished 1st with 6 minute lead over 2nd place. Charlie was thrilled! This is by far one of the biggest races in the South East and there were more racers in Charlie's age group than any other race. Charlie's family had come out to cheer him on and there was no added pressure by having your coach watch you race. It was a great day and Charlie has won 3 of the 10 races. Next race is in Winder, GA on Sunday, April 26th. It was great to have OJ Simpson (VeloSports) and Lindsay Simpson there and we cheered on OJ in the expert class.
You can check out more photos from the race on www.smokymtnbikes.com
No comments:
Post a Comment