Gopher Dunes is rough, tough, hot and feels like the motos go on forever. If you know me at all, you know sand tracks are not my favourite. I have never been able to find a fast, cool, flowing style where you can wheelie everything and just hop around. For me, it’s more like, plow into the big bumps and hang on. Not a good strategy but I made the best of it. For me, my goal this past weekend was to just go as fast as possible for as long as possible instead of riding good, strong, consistent laps.
During the first moto I feel like I failed at that big time. I just rode around at my own pace and never stepped outside of my comfort zone to go faster. The second moto was so much better, well, for the first 20 minutes. I got a good start and made my way to about the Top 5, running there and pushing hard. I could see Floridian Tristan Lane ahead of me and I was trying like hell to catch him. But around the 15 minute mark I started to realize I wasn’t going to be able to work that hard the entire moto. So, I started to back it off, but not long after that I started to cramp up and it was all downhill from there.
I struggle to eat on race day, which is strange because really everyone knows how much I love food and eating. Earlier in the day, I had eaten something that upset my stomach and I wasn’t able to eat the rest of the day. Believe me, I got an ear full of it from my wife afterwards because I didn’t eat the same thing I normally do. Lesson learned. So, I blame the second moto on a lack of energy due to not eating, which in reality is my fault. Like I said, though, my riding at the beginning of the second moto was possibly the best I have ever ridden at Gopher, so I am just taking the positives away from that and moving on. I don’t want to get down on the weekend because, in reality, it could have been much worse, I moved up three spots in points, and I get to race one of my favourite tracks next weekend.
For this week, it’s really about making sure you recover. We have three more weekends in a row and it’s important to not be blown out already. Riding two days this week is plenty for a guy like me. Just trying to stay loose on the bike but also doing sprint laps with good rest to make sure you’re not working too hard. Being back in Ohio this week is nice, it’s not nearly as hot as back home in Arizona so it makes riding a little more enjoyable.
Sand Del Lee is a great track, in my opinion. I got so excited last year when it was back on the schedule. Some people complain that it is hard to pass but I don’t seem to think so, it gets rough and it is plenty wide with lots of different obstacles. Not a huge fan of the first turn but I blame Kevin Tyler for that (just kidding). Well, that’s about it. I will say that I entered Unadilla for later this year, so that will be my first race back in the USA in over two years, so you can say I am PUMPED! See you at the races!