Kenda Cup #4 - Sycamore Canyon
4 laps – 23 miles
2nd place
 
I pre-rode the brand new Riverside course on Saturday and it was awesome! Fortunately, on Sunday, there were no call-ups in the pro division and I got on the front row. I was so stoked not to have to deal with all the traffic and pile-ups, like that of Bonelli and Fontana! The start was pretty fast but I managed to stay in the top 4 and got up into the third position going into the first singletrack, sitting behind Ryan Woodall in second and Sid Taberlay in first . Sid was pushing the pace on every ascent and descent, and soon enough the field was strung out with Sid, Ryan and I still together. Sid continued to push the pace and soon enough, Ryan started to fade a bit, giving Sid a gap on us. Ryan soon let me by before I could even ask to pass! I hit the tight twisty downhill and pinned it, bridging up to Sid. Seconds after I got up to Sid, the trail took a sharp turn and went upwards. Sid wasted no time and attacked hard! I couldn’t match the effort and he slowly pulled away. I managed to shorten the gap to about 3 seconds by the end of the climb, and just kamikazied the downhill, grabbing back onto Sid’s wheel. For the rest of the lap, things went smoothly and I was more than content to let Sid decide the pace. He brought the pace way up on a few of the steep climbs, but not as intense as his first attack. Towards the end of the first lap, Sid took and awkward line on one of the tecky rock sections and I slipped by as thankfully took the quicker line. I led for the rest of the lap and continued to lead throughout most of the second lap. I managed to push a good pace and keep my effort consistent. Towards the end of the second lap, I dropped a chain! I flipped out as I threw it back on but Sid was awesome enough to soft pedal until I caught back up! Coming into the third lap, I dropped my bottle feed and had no intention of going back to grab it. Unfortunately for me, the third lap was by far the warmest lap and by the end of it, I could definitely feel the lack of hydration. Sid put the pressure on me on the hills and slowly rode away from me... Starting on my fourth lap, I got my bottle but the damage had already been done. Sid had a solid gap and had no intentions of closing it. I drilled it for the entire lap to hold off third place and came in a little less than a minute behind first. Overall it was an awesome race and it was so rad being able to hang with one of the guys I’ve looked up to since I started racing! Sid is a great guy and an incredible rider. Thanks to all the support and encouragement I got from my parents, as well as all the families that came out from Hemet, it turned out to be a killer day.