Saturday was my first bike race of the season; I have been racing MX since March, but this was the first test of the engine. Blue Diamond Park in New Castle, DE is one of my favorite MX tracks; and since I have a race there in May I decided to do the MASS Series STX while I trained for MX. The itinerary was to register for the race, ride MX for 60 minutes, and do the short track; Then return to the track for some more motos. Unfortunately I didn't tell anyone my plan so when they wanted to start the race early I was nowhere to be found. Luckily for me the promoters were the nicest bunch of people I have come across in racing and went looking for me. At 12:00 (15 minutes before the start) I locked the KTM to the truck and rolled over the hill to the start.... after the search party had found me we got underway.
I have only done 1 STX race before, but this one was different. It was just like a cross race on MTB's.... fast, twisty, and fun. I really enjoyed the effort, the competition, and the spirit. As I rolled back to the truck and got back into my MX gear I was really taken by everyone I had run into during the event. THESE PEOPLE LOVE BIKES AND RACING THEM! I had not had that feeling for years. In what I consider my past life of competitive cycling I was around this scene all the time. I was one of the gang and people knew me. After years of teams, sponsors, races, and trips I looked for new adventures. XTERRA and Triathlon took me in a new direction, but I always wanted to stay in cycling. I am glad to see that cycling is still healthy and willing to welcome me back as one of the gang. People always say you are only as good as your last race, but a better way to look at it is... all it takes is one race...
To top of a great day I ran into an old friend and bike racer at the MX track, and we ended up riding and talking for the rest of the day.... small world when you are on 2 wheels!
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