Race #3 seemed to be off to a bleak start when heavy rains and thunderstorms were forecasted for the weekend. The Saturday Pre-ride was cancelled as the rain came down just about all day long. Sunday morning we were greeted with some light rain and fog. As we hit the trails on the course pre-ride we were met with a great surprise, the trails were in great shape! Hard packed hero dirt with little mud the occasional slick turn. The course was fast flowing and fun with a couple punchy hills with the toughest part of the course being 'Ex-caliber', a tricky rock garden uphill on the high school course. Twelve of our 19 athletes competed in the race which led to some some amazing finishes and riders breaking into the top 10 of their race for the first time!
The start for the Gurney race was a rolling start. Riders lined up for their race and began a slow paced ride around the infield and the race started when they hit a yellow painted line on the ground. The athletes raced under the finish line and then hit a hard right dumping them into a quick up and turn, directly into a blistering double-track downhill.
Fiona was the first R-Cubed rider on the course in the freshman girls race as she began her 3 laps of the high school course. She had a phenomenal race this time with no mechanicals and raced to a 3rd place finish.
Collin was next on the course for the 7th grade boys race. Riding without his fellow teammate Leo this race, he rode strong and broke into the top 10 with a 10th place finish.
Trinity had an excellent start in the 7th grade girls race and raced hard for her first win of the season! Not only did she take first place, she also took over the leader jersey in her category!
John and Owen L. both competed in the 6th grade boys race. Both had excellent starts, John was with the lead back and Owen L. not too far behind as they navigated the first part of the course. John was finally able to pass a rider who was blocking him (it was very satisfying "John said) and raced to a 4th place finish. Owen L. rode extremely smooth and focused on the course, which paid off as he finished a very impressive 10th place, his best finish yet this year!
Erin had another amazing race this week and once again finished on the top of the podium and kept the leaders Jersey.
After the first race of the day concluded, the sun finally decided to make an appearance. Though short lived, it was a nice break for the rain. The racers from the first race could finally relax and get ready to cheer on their teammates as the lined up for the second wave or races of the day.
Connor once again won the Varsity boys race, but kept us on our toes the entire time. Leading most of the race in a tight group of 4 riders, he was able to spring ahead at the end for the win by a narrow 4 seconds. He will also be racing the leaders Jersey in to the final race of the season.
Despite racing extremely tired after attending he prom the night before, Rory rode strong and held onto third place for the first 2 laps of the varsity girls race. Even after recovering from a crash and her number falling off her bike, she had a strong finish to take 4th place.
Simon was off in the JV race had fun during his race catching other racers on the downhills. He said he felt great and strong and was happy that he was able to outmaneuver other racers on the gnarly descents.
Owen S. and Brendan took off in the sophomore boys race up towards the front of the pack as they entered the woods in the top 10. Owen S. held on in the top 5 for most of the race as the very completive and strong field completed the 3 laps. Owen continues to move up in the placements every race and placed a very impressive 6th place at Gurney. Brendan rode very aggressive and smooth and also moved up in the sophomore boys ranking with an excellent finish of 14th place out of 34 riders.
After the second race of the day, the sun came out again and we headed over to the awards ceremony. R-Cubed had 6 riders on the podium including 3 points leaders.
For the Gurney race, the R-Cubed team finished in 3rd place and again remains in 3rd place out of 27 teams in the NICA NY league. There is one race left in the 2018 NICA season this year, the championship race in Chenango Valley State Park on June 3rd. Come cheer us on as the season come to a close!