Southridge Downhill Race #3 Report - as told by The Path Bike Shop team member, Nancy Harris.

Photo: Mike Lord, Six3Events - http://www.six3events.com/

Another marvelous weekend at Southridge. Got to practice the Expert course on Friday with Roger and Leigh. Saturday morning was Sport practice in the rain with Wendy and Traci, teaching them the “big girl” lines. The course started out rutted with puddles and then worked it’s way to being smooth and tacky!! Saturday afternoon was Expert practice until dusk and trying to get lines dialed in.

Along came Sunday and a 6:45am HAB run to see how the course had changed. Tom was busily doing repair work so all of the corners were in tip-top shape. There were a few greasy rock sections where the frigid mud had decided to take up residence. By mistake, I decided to run my almost bald Hutchinson Barracuda tire in the rear on the M6 which made for some slippin’ and slidin’. There was one section I could not master so I did the best I could and then hopped in the shuttle line. 2 more runs and some re-dos left me with the same section that I could not master. I decided to let it go and utter the mantra “that’s racing”.

According to Tom, DH entries were up +130 people!!! It made for a long time of waiting up top, so we decided to wait for a few shuttle trucks and then head up. The sun kept popping in and out and the temps kept changing from warm to cold. I took off my thermal layer and then decided to put it back on. I got a chance to talk to Jon Buckle after his race run and he said that he had not warmed up properly so I decided I better remember that when I got up top.

Nancy Harris. Photo: Mike Lord, Six3Events - http://www.six3events.com/

Roger Gutierrez, Path team member. Photo: Mike Lord, Six3Events - http://www.six3events.com/

Got to the top, did some sprints up and down the hill then sat and spun for 15 minutes. Come race time I was as warm as I was gonna get. The course was fast and tack in the turns and the rocks were dryer than in practice but that one rocky section had my name on it so I decided to play it safe and ended up dabbing once. I pedaled my heart out on the wall and ended up 2nd out of 5 again in Open Women. Not bad for a great-grandma!!

Nancy Harris, 2nd place - Open Women

Roger Gutierrez, Expert Men