Tapatio Springs

By Matt Morgan

March 4, 2007 -- Blood and Boulder’s, Switchbacks, Drop-offs, and Stair step’s were all there this weekend at the Tapatio resort. Even those that pre-rode ahead of time were not guaranteed to not fall victim to the carnage this course could bring you.

The race from my perspective: Yurgen pulled the trigger and we were off. I entered the single track in 3rd, not bad considering I couldn’t get my foot clipped in for the first 20 yards (damn road bike has made me lose my feel). I had to make my way through the 15 riders that made it past me with 50 yards 'til the single track.

Second place guy dabbed quite a few times and the leader disappeared before we got to the first switchbacks, I made it through there without a crash. We came out of the single track and there’s the leader about 15 seconds ahead of us on the big road climb back up to the top.

I pulled past second place, he was dying fast. One guy that had been following me came around me. I gave him (red hardtail) a push on the back and said "go get him". I put it in a bigger gear and stayed right behind him. We made it to the top which is a huge rock garden, you have to put it in your big gear here and just try to float through the thing while trying to maintain a good top speed. It was a beating on the old hardtail.

The second decent was uneventful. I was still in 3rd following 2nd until the 4th place guy went flying through a rough section on his full suspension putting him in second. If there was any course this season for a full suspension this was the course.

We were now back on the road. I passed the red hard tail guy and was now back in 3rd. We entered the ascending switch backs and I had no problem maintaining lead until we got to the flat rock garden section at the top, then red hardtail made his move this put me into fourth. I made quick work of the cliff, this 10 yard section of doom cashed/crashed many riders checks early this race. This is where Allen bloodied his face and broke off pieces of his bike. The ambulance was in full swing this race and people where being 4-wheeled off the course.

With a mile left of the first lap I had 4th and could see 3rd and gave it all I had up the gravel road ascent, the announcer called out Matthew Morgan riding in 4th place.

If I didn’t catch back up to red hardtail I would most likely loose him in the descending switchbacks. Allen, Mark, and I only got to pre-ride the course once which was just 17 hours before the race. The second descent through the switch backs I wasn’t so lucky. I ended up washing out on a right hander, and bloody up my left hip. This set up series of 4 more over the bar crashes, as I tried to make up time in the worst place possible. I basically fell down the mountain, and lost another position to a guy on a brand new Team Scalpel. This put me in 5th. After he went by I just chilled out got my nerves back together and didn’t take another spill.

I climbed hard back up the road to the top, held the position the rest of the race, flew through the decent/cliff and barreled down the last dirt decent. I got to the dirt road climb, could see a guy approaching with one mile to go straight up a grueling ascent to the finish. I just put it in a bigger gear Mashed the last 300 feet of climbing.

D.W. got his first podium finish, and Blake did awesome for his first race with no preride.
Mark managed to see him go off the cliff and said he aced it.

“Awesome race and Good Times.”