I got a bad start. Dead last ( only thing I was best at today ). I chugged it at the start. My video goggles wouldn't turn on so I gave up and just put them on, adjusted my glasses underneath and BOOM, last off the line. Lap one I messed up an uphill line and got pinned for a bit and finally figure out a way to crawl out down hill. Seth Thomas shows up on the scene doing sweep and together we got the bike up. Already overheated I removed my goggles, which I regretted later. (stay tuned).
Once up I had to go off road for about 40 feet to get back on the track and spun out on a log and once again fell downhill. I ran to prevent falling but the second step I took was just air. I did a front somersault and fell six feet into a creek bed ravine and landed on my feet. It hurt my back some but I didn't have time for that. I took a second to digest what happened, turned around and see a solid limestone wall facing me. I'm thinking is this for real? I look up at Seth and my bike still running on it's side, gas pouring out all over me through the vent tube. I found a small hole in the small cliff face and only with Seth's help was I to get back up and over the sharp cliff edge. I'm six feet tall and Seth's feet were at least 12 " above my head. Totally a Grizwald moment. Dan jinxed me. (You can't make this stuff up!)
I get going and running hard and start picking them off. Did ok till that greasy section that never tacked up. A guy wipes out and blocks the path. I refuse to wait because I have a lot of ground to make up so I give it more throttle, hit the hill and go to the right and around the pine tree. The front wheel takes care of everything low, I duck and a branch grabs my visor and glasses and pulls me back. I noticed at that moment the sun was trying to break through the clouds as I looked skyward. It shredds my face and eyelids and they still sting even as I'm typing this now. Ouch.
I keep pushing and make it in to do one more lap. My wife Stacey at scoring says "go get him...you can do it, go". I turn my head and feel absolutely nothing, so I stop and look back one more time, "you can do it....GO!" ...I turn around and my body finally behaves and I was able to catch up to a classmate and pass. Kept going and HOLY COW!! DON'T SELL THE FARM YET CAUSE I SEE OL JORRAY! Holy moly it's on now. He is riding well balanced and coordinated but not aggressively. I stay back a bit and dang it we saw each other in a tight turn and he hits the afterburners. We go and go and battle like the pink slips are on the line and work on waiting and finding a way to get past him. Great feeling for sure. He hesitated and bobbled slightly and I pulled the trigger and the coveted 4th place was mine....off I went.
I thought he was long gone but no! I caught him so close to me he was either checking the carbon build up in my muffler or he was drafting me! As we continued our down hill decent he kept maintaining his speed which I knew would be a mistake when we hit the bottom at the hard left hander. I can't shake him. At the downhill off camber turn in the greasy section so I go long and use the berm and Jorray took a chance with nothing to loose and got up on his tank and just squeaked by taking all those slippery roots by letting his bike drift down without loosing momentum. Nice pass man and well executed. He did have a lot of mud on his boots and myself being such a tidy man (keep my wife outta this - don't be asking her ANYTHING!) I tried to knock off some his mud with my tire but I just couldn't get in there. Rode him hard! Even got on the back of his bike and tickled him but he stood solid. I couldn't get into his head and make him screw up. He can race. I freight trained him to scoring for 5th. Way to go sir! Now that's racing!
Jadan end - uh oh ed AGAIN (quit scaring me ok?) and got some epic creek bed water skiing thing going at one of the crossings and I can't wait to see pics of that and glad your ok.
Seth I owe my race today to you. To look up at you from the bowels of hell in a gasoline shower I can't believe only the two of us got that situation fixed and me racing again. Danno owes you double dividends for that. I know I must have pulled your arm out of socket getting that old man back up on top. thanks.
Got a knock on my door and met Aaron - the guy I got tangled with at last race. I thought he moved over because of my scorched earth riding style but he said....nope, flat rear tire. I was all over and I saw you so I moved over like I did for everyone else... well poop. .. (what an ego deflater...oh well). Great guy and I saw him at this race on my comeback but this time I was very, very patient and passed so cleanly that my dentist would have been proud.
And I'm sorry but someone has put time limits on my posts now and the music is starting to play.... so I gotta go but Today Mr. Stickney kept it clean, made very few mistakes, kept moving and pulled out a second place! Good work my man!
Well I gotta go and figure out what to put on my face to stop the stinging. Any expression about anything breaks the now forming scabs and I look like I tried to break up a switch blade fight between my sister and my Mom! (ouch!)
. Looks like the piston or exhaust valve came apart.
). That let Logan and Ryan get around me before I got going. We ended up finishing the first lap with that same top 3. 
and my wife, Lauren rip around on Rogers 300XC-W (w/Rekluse) to a 4th place finish! Thanks Roger! Now we know for sure what bike is next for her! 
I came in 5th on the first lap and pushed my way forward again to 4th. 3rd place let me by on the last lap but, unfortunately, I made too many mistakes that took away my energy and I gave it back up. I really don't have a great race report but I just wanted to thank those that pushed me to race. I was worried it would be too slick, things really tacked up but it was still a little slick.