Let The Racing Begin

The racing season officially kicked off for us today with Ian and some of his new teammates doing battle at the Singletrack Cycles West Side Series #2 mountain bike race. We skipped the first race and due to end of season basketball team festivities and other family related fun, decided to do this one pretty late in the game. We're glad we rolled out of bed painfully early and did make the event - super fun day. Race series run by BuDu Racing and it all went down well; on time, quick awards presentation, and results already posted online. Nice job.

Race was held in Black Diamond (that be Washington) on private land, owned by a local church. Very cool for the church to allow public mountain biking and racing on their property. Ian and I have never ridden in Black Diamond and after sampling it today, need to schedule a return trip for future rides. Tight, twisty, rooted out singletrack - sweet riding for sure.

As mentioned, a few JL Velo teammates from the Junior team headed to Black Diamond as well. We're just getting to know these folks and kids - all very nice people. Pretty cool to show up at a race with shared jerseys and teammates.

I did not race myself today, just supported Ian and managed to capture a few pictures.....



Jarrett, Mike, and Ian fly the JL Velo team colors at the start. Juniors raced with the Beginner Men class, but scored by their respective age class. Usual mountain bike racing setup. Ian was a little nervous before the start, but not bad. Pre-race jitters are a good kind of nervous. Means you're getting ready to do something out of the ordinary and have some serious fun.

I grabbed no pictures of the wooded sections of the course - spending my time around the start/finish area. Here, Mike powers towards the finish. Very fast kid, finishing up well in the overall standings for all age groups. That earned him first place in the Junior 13 - 18 age class. Nice ride.

Ian popped out of the woods a little later looking good. I wasn't sure what place he was in, but appeared to do pretty well. Turned out better then we thought.

Ian heads towards the finish line. Go Ian go.

Teammate Jarrett popped out of the woods right behind Ian, looking pro.

Jarrett rounds the corner towards the finish. Watching kids race is the coolest thing ever. The future of our sport in action.

Ian and Jarrett cool down after the race. Both said the trails were fun and had a great time racing. I also noticed quite a few Beginner Men adult racers finishing up behind them. These kids put in a good ride.

Mike picks up his medal for first place, Junior 13 - 18 class. Fantastic.

Ian shows off his medal for first place in the Junior U - 12 class. Awesome! His first overall win ever and first ride for his new team. Teammate Jarrett also scored fourth place in the Junior 13 - 18 class. A great ride as well, plus his first ever mountain bike race. Overall, a pretty successful day for the JL Velo Junior team. All around great job.

Ian was shocked he won. He thought he was in third place or so. We both were surprised when they announced him as the winner. Very fun experience. Smiles all around riding back to the car. Great to witness.

Teammate Mike and his dad also brought a used 'cross bike for Ian and I to check out. I've been looking for a 'cross bike for Ian to use as the road trainer and 'cross race bike for later this fall. The Junior team heads out on road training rides and Ian only has the one mountain bike. After a test ride, it looked good. A deal was struck and we purchased it. Sweet little bike. Redline Conquest Pro frame, FSA crank, SRAM Rival shifters and derailleurs, decent wheels, new 'cross tires. Just what we needed. I'll throw some road tires on there soon.

Ian doing a little speed testing in the yard. He's never ridden a road bike, said it felt a little weird - but fun. The 700c wheels, drop 'bars and SRAM shifter/brakes all new to him. He seemed to get the hang of it quick. Next is clipless pedals and real bike shoes.

This riding season is shaping up to be big fun. New team, mountain race series in progress, real 'cross bike for the fall. Life is good. Stay tuned for more...