John Henry West Coast Racing Super D
April 14, 2011
The Hoff (Rob Stead), Angry Dad (Glenn Franks) and I pilled into Glenn’s obnoxious Pathfinder and drove out to Belcarra. 60mm of rain was forecast, and Mother Nature was valiantly holding up her end of the bargain. We reluctantly put our bike gear on, and headed out for a practice run. As soon as we got moving, grins on our faces developed. The ground was soft and loamy, and sliding around every corner was mandatory. The three of us couldn’t help but let out bellows of laughter as we roosted out of every turn. Glenn whined pretty much the entire time about pedalling up the hills, while Rob and I made fun of him. Just as soon as Rob thought he was a complete hero the woods of Belcarra sorted him out.
Between practicing and racing the rain continued to pour down. Come race time the rain was harder than ever, and the ground was completely saturated. Rob was lined up in the start gate behind me … only 30 seconds would separate our start times. I leaned back and told Rob that if he caught me that I was going to punch him in the mouth. I rode well, nailed all my lines, and generally had a great time. Except on the climbs and flats. Pushing through ground that soft was agony. Just moving took gobs of effort. 12 minutes later I crossed the finish line with a distinct taste of lung in my mouth. Rob hadn’t caught me, which was in his best interests really, but crossed the finish line frighteningly close to 30 seconds after me. Darn it.
Next were the excellent draw prizes. Many folks left with fantastic prizes. The main prize was a Norco Rampage, graciously donated by John Henry Bikes. The bike was a size small, an odd choice I thought as few people ride a size small. As luck would have it, a young ripper won the prize. He couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. This little ripper was seen still riding his new bike (in the pouring rain) over anything he could find an hour later.
Then the results were up. I finished up 10th overall, Rob was 8th, Jeff Bryson was 6th. Team JH represent! Damn those two guys though. Hoff got me by 3 seconds … seriously 3 measly seconds over 12 minutes of effort. Glenn has been eating too many pies, and finished in 18th. You win this one Rob. All in all the Super D was a fantastic event, and regardless of the weather I had an absolute riot. Props to the organizers for putting on yet another excellent event!

Next week-end the downhill portion of the Polartec Team John Henry Bikes Powered by Ethical Bean will be at the Naniamo Island Cup. Oh and Hoff, it’s on!