Event: Tidewater Classic
Place: Williamsburg, VA
Ridden: October 2015
Click on video to play
The race is held on private property, which is only open for race weekend. Rumor had it the course is some type of enduro motocross track, which it seems to be. There are numerous short, steep, punchy climbs and equally as many short, steep descents. Some rooty sections add technical parts. Turns, turns, and more turns were also present. A few jumps added to the overall fun. A great course for spectators due to the fact it looped around it's self many times.
What a weekend it was for us; it was exhausting. After a ten hour drive due to traffic and road construction, we finally arrived in Williamsburg at around 2am the morning of the race. A quick few hours of sleep in the Nankvan in a Cracker Barrel parking lot left us waking up wondering what the heck we were doing. Did we really expect to be able to ride, let alone ride well, during the 5 hour endurance race that day.
To our surprise, each of us was able to pull things together for a good race. I lead right from the start and never looked back. Keeping a consistent pace, I was able to lap many of the other women and take the overall win by about 20 minutes. Joël on the other hand had to fight a little harder for his podium spot. After starting conservatively, he was racing hard and getting constant splits throughout the race stating he was moving up. Near the end he moved into second place, passing the third place guy who was stopped to eat a sandwich! Due to the lack of sleep and relentless hours and hours of pedaling it was a tough day on the bike but worth it due to our podium spots.
After spending the night with friends, we awoke Sunday morning feeling a bit refreshed after a good night's sleep. The XC race didn't start until the afternoon so we spent the morning touring colonial Williamsburg. Once at the race site for the Pro/Elite XC race we both knew we would have our work cut out for us. Neither of us are XC racers; we like to race steady all day long, not race hard for only and hour or two. My race started by being neck and neck with teammate Mason...she soon pulled ahead and ended up winning. Due to tired legs from the day before, I decided to just race at my regular endurance pace which was still good enough for second women. Joël once again started slowly and increased his pace as the race went on. He slowly picked off racers and was determined for a top ten finish; he did that by finishing 9th.
A special feature of this race was the "Trifecta" division, making the weekend into sort of a stage race. Using a point system devised by the race director; points were awarded for the endurance and Pro/Elite XC finishing position. At the end of it all, I was 1st overall Trifecta women and Joël was overall 3rd Trifecta men.
What a great weekend. Awesome racing, hanging out with team mates, and visiting old friends. Sure, we may have come away from the weekend tired and sore but all the fun and top-notch racing was worth it.
- words by Jess
- video by Joël