Spare Parts Hare Scramble

June 3 - Eugene, Missouri

I went to this race hoping to get some good practice on different terrain than I've been riding.  Since it's a Missouri race I figured it would be tight, rocky and a little but muddy in spots....turns out I was right!  There were also some fast guys like Steve Leivan and Caleb Wohletz that were sure to be pushing towards the front all day long.

The start wasn't what I'm accustomed to as we had to straddle out front fender and then hop on and start the bike when the flag flew.  My inexperience showed and I didn't get going very quickly.  I did my best to set a decent pace and pick the other riders off one by one.  By the end of the first lap I was in third or fourth and my goggles had long been covered with mud!  I swapped about halfway through the second lap and then set out after Caleb who was leading.  I got around him just before the end of the lap but then noticed he was suddenly gone from my rear fender.  It turns out he had been riding with a front flat and had to stop and change wheels.

From that point on I just tried to ride smart out front and keep a decent pace.  To be honest, I wasn't really feeling all that comfortable on the course and had to keep telling myself not to push too hard and end up on the ground.

From what I've heard Caleb and Steve put on a great battle for the 2nd spot with Caleb just barely getting it at the end.  I've raced Steve several times in different races over the years and he's always tough to beat and it appears Caleb has some really good speed as well.  Hopefully I'll be able to make it back up to Missouri and mix it up with everyone again sometime soon!