This weekend I was at Mountain Creek bike park in Vernon, New Jersey. It was the time of year where the leaves change color, so the colors were great. This race was the season closer for the series, so the stakes were high. I drove up on Friday and woke up Saturday to get some practice in. The course was very technical and rocky. It had a big rock roll and a lot of big rocks and roots. I did a course walk in the morning and got some laps in. I met up with my buddy Ian and followed him. I got the lines down and was feeling pretty good. I got about 5 laps in and headed back to get some sleep. I woke up Sunday morning and was ready to race. I got in line nice and early and got a solid first lap. I spotted Ian and got some practice In with him. I hopped on the lift and was waiting for my race run. I got called to get in line and was ready. The timer counts down, and I’m off. I hit all my lines and was flying in the top section with rock slabs and big chunky sections. I got down to the middle section and pieced it together with good speed. I got to the big rock slab and was cooking. I went down it with confidence and felt good. I got to a very rooty and chunky section and hit my line perfectly. I crossed in the grass and back into the woods. I went over a jump and all of a sudden, my chain popped. I kept going and pumped through it. I was flying down the last stretch pumping as much as a cloud and crossed the finish line.

I was very frustrated and felt good with my time. I ended with 3:17. That put me in 16th for the race and 11th overall throughout the season for the under 15 age group. I was satisfied with how I ended and went up for some party laps. The colors were popping and so were the jumps. I got some fun jump laps with my friends, ate some food, and started the ride home. The bike handled everything great, except for the popped chain. It was a super fun season and can’t wait for the next one!