Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
Prince George is a special kind of place. Every time I go there, I’m always amazed by something or someone I saw, which is weird because I know so many great people who live there. The last two years after the race we have stayed at a local friend’s house who takes us out, shows us around and lets us stay at their house. My favourite thing is that he always takes me mountain biking, which is awesome since I never get to do that when I am away from home. The scenic drive to and from the race isn’t too bad either; bears, elk, mountain goats and too many deer to count. The notorious moose still evaded me again this year, but I will see one at some point, I hope.
As for the racing, I think coming into Round 2 everyone was a little worried, because you never know with the weather and what is going to happen. With rain in the forecast, the track didn’t get a ton of water on Friday so everyone was a little stressed. But when we showed up on Saturday the track looked great, besides the fact they didn’t disc it up. This had me a little concerned because I know how hard it can get at the Blackwater Track, but believe me, I was eating those words at the end of the day. The track was unreal, super rough, lots of lines and just fun to ride. I even had to apoligise to my good friend Kourtney Lloyd for complaining about the track earlier in the day.
Cade had solid day in Prince George going 6-11 for tenth overall. Photo by James Lissimore
For me, practice went a little rough. I struggled to feel comfortable to get a good lap time in. When race time came around, everything just seemed to click. I made a lot of good passes early and put myself in a good position, but I just couldn’t quite keep the next two guys close, which is okay considering how poorly Calgary went. The second moto I was up front again, but at about half way, I had an issue with my rear wheel and had to pull into the mechanic’s area. If you ever want to test your patience, try pulling into the mechanic’s area in 7th and pull out in nearly 20th. Safe to say I’m glad I wasn’t the first few people I had to pass. Even with the issues though, a 6-11 day isn’t the worst and I can keep building from there. At least now I know I didn’t completely forget how to ride a dirt bike, because let’s be honest, we were all a little worried after Calgary.
After a good weekend in Prince George, Cade and his Sky Racing Husqvarna Team are looking forward to Round 3 in Manitoba. Photo by James Lissimore
After PG is always interesting, I was able to ride Monday morning back out at Blackwater after the amateurs raced. It’s always good to practice and test on a rough track. Tanner Ward and I got to work some sections together, just trying to perfect our technique and push a little bit harder. Sometimes I feel that is something all riders need to do a little more of; everyone just wants to pound out motos 24/7, but sometimes you need to go back to the basics. Driving to Manitoba usually takes about two days, so we are on the way now. I will get to ride one more day this week, where once again I will be working on my sprint speed, trying to get to where I can stay with those guys. Like I said before, this week was much better but I know I have more in the tank.
McNabb Valley is a pretty awesome track. It helps that the kid (Ryder McNabb), whose family owns it, is pretty unreal fast. The dirt is a pretty normal clay, and I really enjoyed it last year. There are some big jumps and the track takes up a lot of space so it is awesome for racing. Last year was the first year of this track being on the MXTour schedule, and I know most of the riders and teams enjoyed the race. I also think the fans loved the racing as there appeared to be a good vibe at this event. Anyway, thank-you for reading and I hope to see you all this weekend at Round 3.
Cade is looking forward to this weekend and the McNabb Valley Track in Manitoba. Photo by James Lissimore
