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Wilseyville With the first rains for the season coming the week before Wilseyville this years event was a reminder of how fun racing up there can be. Over seven hundred people agreed by showing up ready to take on the best woods course in District 36. I was riding the 200 this weekend since it works so good in the trees. I started on the inside and got a good jump when the shotgun went off. I drifted out a little and came through the first turn about fifth. G Man grabbed the holeshot on his KTM 300 ahead of Damian Galford and about 75 others on the first row. I moved around a couple guys then passed G Man on the first fire road. Damian had got into the lead and was setting a good pace. I was trying to settle down and get comfortable following him. Spearle and gang were right on my ass so I put some pressure on Damian. He finally made a mistake halfway into the lap. The course was clover shaped so halfway through the lap we came near the pits. Once in the lead I pinned it to try to get a gap. The course was really good with fast ridges and open sections mixed up with creek crossings, slippery rocks, and tight tree sections. The 200 was working good and I was feeling it coming to the end of the first lap. Leaving the creek I slid out on what seemed like frozen ground just as I came into sight of the pits. I picked up my bike, straightened out the handguards, and got going just as I began to hear bikes. I felt a little tight but rode pretty good the second lap and opened up some breathing room. The next lap I had my left handguard start to fall off and got caught against my radiator making it nearly impossible to turn left for a few minutes. It finally fell off near the end of the lap. I came into the pit and noticed that Brian Spearle had caughtt me and was going to make me work for the win. I didn't want to let Spearle get near me because he is a fighter and would give me all he could just five weeks after getting his shoulder plated. He kept close the next lap but I was finally able to put some time on him. The course at Wilseyville may be close to perfect but you also have to be tough because it develops big square edge bumps that gives just about everyone blisters. I managed to get some on the second lap so by the end of the race I was definitely looking for lines around the bumps. On the last lap my other handguard did the same thing which made me nervous that Spearle was going to catch me at the end of the lap when I was unable to turn right. Luckily it fell off completely before that happened and I took the win ahead of Brian Spearle and Jordan Brandt. |