Event: Guy's Neshaminy

Name: John Matthews

City: St.Louis

State/Province: MO

Country: USA

Age: 40

Place: 1st

Category: Expert

CLASS +/or Age group: Expert 35-39

Team: St.Louis Cycling Club

XC Race Bike: Giant XtC SE 1 Hard Tail

Tires: Hutchinson Python Tubeless

Conditions: Dry, Fast and Fun!

How was your fitness level going into this race?

I was a little concerned after a not so good outing at a road race the day before but I ended up feeling pretty strong for the race and this was really a training race for the up-coming Masters World Championship the following week-end.

Were you happy with your position going into the singletrack?

Yes. I was sitting third wheel all through the field section and than got my self into second so as to sprint for woods which I was able to do and led into the singletrack.

Were you strong from start to finish?

Yes. I ended up having a pretty good race and was able to keep my pace all through the last lap.

When did you put the hammer down?

Shortly after we were in the single track (I think there were three of us somewhat close together), it sounded like the third rider back was crashing in the trees so I pick-ed up the pace from there; Rick came back in touch and as I was not familiar the course I asked him if there was any climbing and he said "oh yea" and when we came to the first climb I did not know how long it was so I just rode tempo, than we came to that fun, steep short climb and that's where I set my pace for the rest of the race.

Did you have any unusual problems?

No, not really. On the first lap since I was still figuring out what was coming after every turn I do remember riding a nice little front end wheelie over one of those little bridges. The bike was working great and course really suited me. I really tried to stay focused on having fun and that's when I have some of my best races, when I'm having fun.

Were you happy with the way the race was run?

Oh yea, big time! Everyone there was really cool, from fellow racers to all the folks who did the work, start to finish. I took some notes home with me for our race series organizers.

Did you have any interesting experiences during your race (exchanges with competitors/spectators)?

I got a lot of encouragement from everyone I was passing as I made my through the younger age groups. I never really got slowed down too much as I would just announce myself as "older expert, need to get by" and everyone was really good about moving over.

Anything you would like to add?

Yea, it was cool to see Don the following week-end at Bromont, in Quebec at the Masters World Championships. I think he had some bad luck but was in good spirits as it was a fun experience all around. Also, thanks to GuysRacing and everyone who helped with the race.