Kasper Dean Race Recap: GRT 1&2

​Pro GRT #2 Mountain Creek, New Jersey

After the first Pro GRT in Port Angeles I got lots of laps in on the DH bike and worked on suspension setup. I felt more comfortable and like I really had a good base tune. I carried this into my next race which was at Mountain Creek, New Jersey, right outside of Vernon, NJ. I decided to help my friend Nate who is one of the E*thirteen North American riders drive across as he had to carry the their pit space. This option was also more cost effective for myself. The drive took two days with no stops along the way, the van we were driving had a bed in the back so that whoever was not at the wheel would take their turn sleeping.

Our drive was luckily uneventful and I was stoked to get to see so much of the country but also very glad to arrive late Tuesday night. Since we showed up a day early Nate and I took a day to chill and acclimate  to the 85 degrees with 90% humidity. I spent most of the day lying down as I had come down with a cold and wasn't feeling so good.

We got to the pits Wednesday night after picking up two more of our buddies from airport. Thursday was spent setting up the pits, a quick track walk, and trying to recuperate my body from the cold which had only seemed to have gotten worse. We were camping in the pits which meant no showers but the lodge had a pool that was easy enough to poach and was a great alternative to a shower every night.

Friday we finally got to ride! This was a new track for myself so it took a while to figure everything out and get up to speed. A lot more rock than we are used to here in the Olympia area! It ended being much shorter than I thought it would have been from the track walk so I kept getting caught off guard coming into certain sections. As the day went on and the lines burnt in I began to get comfortable. The suspension tune I had done the previous week on my bike seemed to be working great!

There was rain in the forecast for Saturday but aside from a short closure of the lift for lightning the weather didn't effect the track.  I was still feeling ill and had a qualifying run that was far from perfect. I still managed to make it into finals with a 37th place. I knew I had a lot more to deliver come race run.

Sunday's morning practice allowed me to figure out a couple of lines that I wasn't sure on and from then on I felt confident. The weather was holding off for us which I was happy for as we had only ridden a dry track. My race run was very smooth and I only had one very small mistake towards the bottom that didn't cost much time. I came across the line with a 2:14:86 which was a little over 3 seconds faster than my qualifying run. This time put me into the top half with a 30th place! A result that I am happy with and can keep building on. Huge thanks to Joy Ride Bikes for making this trip possible and keeping the bike running smoothly.

We packed up the tents and started the drive home that night The next two days were spent the same as the first two. The drive back always seems longer tho. We made it back Tuesday evening. It was time to fully recover from my cold, get some schooling done and work harder for the next race!

​Pro GRT #1 Port Angeles

After a strong finish at the first NW Cup I was itching to get back up there for the first Pro GRT of the year. This is always one of my favorite races because of how many people show up and the level of competition. After barely making it into the finals on Sunday last year I was interested to see how much I had progressed through the winter on a national level. The week before this had been bone dry up there which was going to make for a loose and fast riding course. Fridays practice went well and there was rain in the forecast which I imagined would be for the better. 

Saturday I spent sorting a few sections that I had noticed on Fridays night course walk. We had qualifying that evening around 4:30, right when they predicted rain. Sure enough it started to come down with 30 minutes left in practice. I got a run with a couple drops on the ground but would have no idea how slick the track was going to be when I dropped with the timer on. 

I had a steady run down the hill till the last corner where I washed the back and couldn't quite hang on. I was only down for a second or two and was back on it. I still managed to qualify with 39th, much better than last years 80th. The rain didn't continue for long which meant that it was going to be dry again for tomorrows race.

Practice went well on Sunday afternoon and I was anxious to get the timed run done. It had dried up some making it similar to the rest of the weekend. I ended the day in 44th with a smooth run but just didn't quite push hard enough. Still a huge improvement from last season was ready to build on that! Thanks to Joy Ride Bikes (www.joyridebicycles.com) the raddest shop in town for all the support this season.
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