We got to Moab and I dropped everyone off for the pre-ride. Courtney wanted to try the pre-ride and this was a good one for her to start with so we took an extra bike for her to ride on. I wasn't sure if she would be able to handle it because she didn't like mountain biking the last time she tried it, but we were willing to let her try it again.
I went to the campground where we were staying (Pack Creek Campground, fun huh?) to check in and get the all-important bathroom keys. It was a nice location but took me 45 minutes to get there following their directions. When I checked in, I asked if there was a faster way to get back to the venue and they gave me directions that only took 15 minutes, as opposed to the 45 it took to get there. I was glad I had asked!
When I got checked in and saw where we would be setting up camp, I went back to the venue to pick up the riders. Ethan was back but Courtney and Bryan were still out riding. I was a bit nervous but when I saw Courtney I knew nothing was wrong. She had a blast on the pre-ride and did really well. She did better than the freshmen girls we have and was a threat to a little Carbon Jr. Devo rider that was determined a girl wasn't going to beat him! I think that may be a new motivator for some riders. Make the rides co-ed and then the boys will work harder so a girl won't pass them! ;)
We loaded up and met Grandma, Grandpa and Julie's family at Zax for dinner. It was a pizza buffet place that I had been told is the best place to eat before a race. Ethan has a tradition of eating pizza before a race and he tends to eat a lot of pizza before a race. The food was ok but it wasn't what they had said it would be. Most of the team was there also so it was fun to see everyone.
Moab wasn't as crowded this year as it was last year, so that was awesome.
After dinner, Courtney went with Grandma and Grandpa to swim at their hotel pool while we went to set up camp. We had the tent up when our neighbor mentioned that we had a campsite down in the trees that was shaded and by the creek. We didn't know that! So we moved our tent down there. Ethan and I showered and went to bed while Bryan went to pick up Courtney.
Saturday morning I had to get Bryan out to the venue early so he could be there for his volunteer spot. He was a sweep for an early race so he would be able to watch Ethan. After I dropped him off, I dropped Courtney off with Grandma so she could have some "grandma time" while we were at the race. Then I went to buy ice and get some other things ready.
Ethan was up when I got back to camp so we ate breakfast and went to the venue. It is a fun place to be when you are around mountain bikers. Everyone is so nice and it's just a fun atmosphere. Ethan got his stuff ready and we sat in the shade of our pop up to watch the racers.
They did something new at this race, they had a controlled start. That's where they have a race official pace the group at the beginning, kind of like you see in Nascar. I hadn't seen a controlled start before and it was fascinating but brings up a few interesting points. You are going for the best time and your time starts when the first racer crosses the starting line. If the pacer is faster for your wave than for the wave before you (or slower for that matter) it messes up the time. And, the last person in the pack gets added time when they aren't really racing but they are waiting to go through the start gate. Seems a bit unfair to me. Oh well.
The varsity race is always awesome to watch and you could see the dust fly when the pacer would pull off and let the race start. It wasn't as dusty as Richfield but it was still dusty.
All the family got there in time to see Ethan start. He was the first in his wave so it was cool to watch him lead the group down in the controlled start.
Courtney had the camera and she got some awesome shots of Ethan riding.
The start was a bit weird. They came out of the start gate, turned right, went down a road a bit, turned left, went down a road a bit, and then the pacer pulled off and they went for it.
After a while, I'm not sure distances, they turned left and hooked into the trail right before the finish line. So after the start, we went to our pop up and were able to see Ethan go by as he was on the first part of his first lap. He was still enjoying it and you can tell from his smile!
Then the waiting began. Bryan could follow him with his binoculars, which was fun and also gave us a heads up as to when he would be coming by. He was still looking good as he started the 2nd lap. This race was only 2 laps and he was grateful for that!
When it had been enough time, and Bryan had seen Ethan drop down to where he was getting close to finishing, we went to the finish line to cheer him on. He pushed it at the end and did great!
Ethan was tired afterward but he wasn't dying like he was after Richfield. It was fun to watch him race and he got to visit with family for a bit before they left.
Ethan and Grandpa got some time to chat one-on-one and it was so cool.
We waited around for podiums and, once again, Snow Canyon High won 1st place! It was a bit scary for a while and we weren't sure if the other teams would pull it off, but the riders did a great job!
The winning team and their coaches: (Ethan is on the top row, 2nd head from the right)
Ethan has his arms up in the back on the right.
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