Weather was great. Track was great. How could the NICA race at Binder Lake in Jefferson City NOT be great? Well, it was fantastic. We drove to Jeff City Saturday morning and helped set up the South Side Composite Otter's Pit Zone. Then it was on the bikes for Coaches pre-ride and athlete pre-ride. The track was pretty challenging, with a lot more climbing than expected and more than enough roots and rocks for a 4-mile track.
Practice day done, Eli, Myself, and the Beautiful Mrs. K set out to find food. So we invited Eli's girl and her sister to join us. Then we invited more. Then more showed up. And still more. Soon, there were 35-40 kids and family members from the Otters team driving the wait staff crazy. It was a madhouse. Food was good, too.
The Varsity kids race early on Sunday mornings, and it was c-c-c-cold. But as you see here, Eli is not cold natured like his old man. He busted out in short sleeves and shorts. The front of the Varsity class is quite competitive, and Eli has consistently been in the front 5 guys. With a good start, it was looking like he was going for another top finish. Tough, tough racing. Lots of crashes, plus slide-outs in the gravely corners were the order of the day.
Upon finishing his 2nd lap of 3, Eli let us know he'd smacked a tree with his pinky. But as you see here, he was upright and flying so rubbin' is racin', right? One lap to go, still in the top 5.
With a solid final lap, Eli finished 5th. Pinky finger intact, he had made the podium again.
NICA races are a mix of 11-year-olds that just started mountain biking and 18-year-olds that are going to college next year on racing scholarships. It's hard to make the podium in any of those classes. We're all very proud of this young man. Not only has he made great improvements in his riding and racing, but he's also a solid character off the bike. The South City Composite team has many younger riders and a lot of them look to Eli for advice and he is quick to help. Also, he's made friends with kids from all over the state, even some that are his competitors.
We're looking forward to the last Missouri NICA race of the season in two weeks at Two Rivers in the Springfield area. Fingers crossed for another great event.
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