Doubling the “L” Up with Fair Hill and Schooley Mill

Now we’re cooking, I’m really getting excited about the rest of the season, even as it’s winding down for a lot of people! Steve did his first cross race of the year this weekend, and is planning on moving full speed ahead and most likely doubling up for the rest of the race weekends of the year. There is also the potential for some big, fun late season plans, but a lot of that is contingent upon my bimonthly check-up at the doctor tomorrow.

So this weekend we headed up to the area near Steve’s old turf, Elkton, MD for the FSVS XCross at Fair Hill MAC race. This race is kind of the sleeper of the MAC, usually with smaller crowds and a more low-key atmosphere, but it’s always a super fun day. Last year the course was moved from the old location of the bleachers/barns/etc. to a new course with a lot of tape, but some serious uphill power stretches and climbs up and down through the woods.

I had fun taking pictures of the Elite Masters race and the Elite Women’s race from a couple different vantage points. For the masters I started with a failed experiment using the wide angle and basically lying on the ground in front of the covered bridge and shooting up. These turned out boring and poorly proportioned, too much sky and not enough racing action. Then I moved over to an area near the climb in the woods and got some good shots as I lurked behind a tree, followed by some shots of the fellas riding through the little creek area. For the women I mostly shot over by the up and down off camber area near the start/finish line. I honestly don’t know how people are able to ride stuff like that, it looks so crazy!

Allyson was our only teammate there and she posted a solid finish in the women’s race. Steve had planned to race, but had a serious mechanical during warm-ups – his chain ring was ripped off his bike and all bent up! Luckily Steve was able to cannibalize some parts off of other bikes at home to race on Sunday. Which brings me to…

Steve raced at Schooley Mill on Sunday!!! He also did the “old man” race for the first time, since he’s now old enough. I’d say he had a pretty good race overall for no training and not much riding in the last 6+ months. And now he’s got the bug and wants to try to race both Saturday and Sunday for the rest of the season.

The team continued with their great results; Cory took the top spot on the Masters 3/4 podium, with Jon on the fourth step and G taking 10, his best finish yet. His results have been improving every week and he’s really peaking at the right time. Birner took fourth in the Elite Masters and Allyson took fourth of the Elite Women.

I had a really great day hanging out with people at Schooley Mill, playing with the dog, and eating some tasty food so I didn’t get many shots. But here’s my photoset from Fair Hill if you’re interested.