I'm supposed to write a short story about my Finley race so here it is!

I was a little worried about the weather conditions for the race. After racing at Belfair "the swamp" and a trip to California where I had to power wash and overhaul my bike three times in a two week span I was just praying for dry ground. A calm breeze and beautiful skies were served up for Saturday (those weather people don't know a thing) and a smile was on my face!

The turn out was good so it was bit of a rush getting ready after the wait in line for registration. With a quick spin and adjustment to my pedals(my knee has been bugging me for a couple days) it was time to roll over to the starting line. With this being the first race of the season for some of the guys it was a reunion at the start line. I received congrats from my many cycling brothers on my recent successes at the Sea Otter and Napa.

The start was fast as always, but very under control as Loren quickly made the pack search for shelter from the wind as he pulled us toward the first steep hill. After the run-up (has anyone ever ridden that hill?) Loren forced the pace so I had to follow with D-Knapp and the other freaky fast Hanson (Mark) brother in hot pursuit. It is hard to believe that Loren has only been on his bike for a matter of weeks!? The xc-skiing is serving his fitness well! I was content to let Loren set the pace as I was trying to get the muscles going after my lack of warm-up and see if my knee pain would subside. With the course beings so fast there wasn't too much time to chat as Loren kept the pressure on and the gap between us and the rest of the chasers began to grow. A quick look over my shoulder at the top of the climb, which gives you a view of the whole area, showed me who was close. Mark and Dale were close behind and looked to be chasing hard with Jason Jablonski not too far behind. I was also pleased to see a couple of my Clif Bar teammates in the thick of things.

As Loren and I started the second lap I felt it was time to increase the pace. I pushed a bit to see if I could take advantage of Loren's lack of saddle time and it worked. I got a gap and knew that I had better keep the throttle pegged for awhile because Loren isn't one to settle for second. I looked back a couple times to see if I was continuing to increase the gap and it looked like I was.

The rest of the race was a matter of getting around traffic (all categories were on the course at the same time), staying hydrated, getting the Clif Shot tube out of my pocket on twisty single track, and hoping that I wouldn't flat.

The WIM series is looking pretty nice this year! Sunshine, dry ground, and some good hard courses. I'll be making many drives east if Finley Hills is any indication of how fun the racing is going to be.

I'd like to thank Clif Bar, Smith Optics, my family and friends for always being there, everyone that helps put on races, and most importantly Beth for letting me know everyday that I can do what I put my mind to! Thanks, Garett Heitman

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